Prayers for Those Who Have Lost Their Way

Prayer of St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
God of our life,
There are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down;
When the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening;
When our lives have no music in them, and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage.
Flood the path with light, turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise;
Tune our hearts to brave music;
Give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age;
And so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to your honor and glory.

Prayers of St. Basil the Great (330-379)
O Lord our God, teach us, we pray, to ask you in the right way for the right blessings. Steer the vessel of our life towards yourself, the tranquil haven of all storm-tossed souls. Show us the course in which we should go. Renew a willing spirit within us. Let your Spirit curb our wayward senses, and guide and enable us towards that which is our true good, to keep your laws, and in all we do to rejoice always in your glorious and gladdening presence. For yours is the glory and praise from all your saints, for ever and ever. Amen.

Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbour, where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go. And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course, even when the sea is rough and the waves are high, knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name we shall find courage and peace. Amen.

Trust in God’s Providence
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
   and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
      (Thomas Merton, 1915-1968)

Fear of the Future
Guide and Protector,
Fear of the future gnaws at me.
Thoughts of what happen
disrupt my equanimity.
I long to have a safe and secure life,
full of joy and well-being.
 
Help me to recognize my fears,
to see how they push me around
and shove me into deadening corners.
Do not let them have control over me.
Protect me from all those concerns
that threaten to overwhelm me
when I think about this situation.
 
I give myself and all my worries
into your wise and merciful care.
I entrust to your loving heart
my anxiety and my weariness.
You are near, guiding my life.
May this truth hold me fast.
 
Feeling Shock at the News
Faithful Shelter,
my life has suddenly changed.
I feel numb and unbelieving,
stunned and alarmed.
It does not seem possible that my life
could be so quickly turned upside down.
 
Comfort me, Abiding Companion.
Wait with me while I try to grasp the truth.
Slowly reveal to me what I need to accept.
As the layers of the days ahead unfold
keep me safe in the shelter of your love.
Abide with me, abide with me.
 
Finding the Way Back to God
O God, whose glory is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

All of us are like lost shepherd who have gone astray, O Lord. Rather than allowing you to guide us to pastures of rest and waters of refreshment, we have sought out those pleasures and delights that impoverish our souls and our lives. And so we have lost our way and are unsure how to find the path back to you. Be our good shepherd to seek us out and all who have strayed and guide us gently back home to you. In the name of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Amen.

For Guidance
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and
light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all
our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou
wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.