Old Prayers

One of John Bunyan's last sayings was about prayer: "When you pray, better to let your heart be without words than your words without a heart."

This is a famous fourth-century prayer known as St. Patrick's Breastplate:

Christ be beside me, Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me, King of my heart:
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me, never to part.

Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me, shield in the strife:
Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting,
Christ in my rising, light of my life.

Christ be beside me, Christ be before me.
Christ be behind me, King of my heart:
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me, never to part.

I love these prayers. When you say them, you feel confident, loved. It changes your heart and mood. If you are in an icky mood, pray. When you are sad, pray. When you are happy, pray. Praying is good for your soul - and it's good for your attitude, teaching, discipline, guiding, temperament, friendships.......you know, everything.