Every day this semester, Allison Bailey paused during the school s organized moment of silence, bowed her head and recited a short prayer.
The Pelion native, who completed her student teaching at Westside High School in Anderson, began her day: Please bless my students, Father, that you may watch over them and protect them in all the things that they do.
Then she added a modest request for herself: Lord, please also bless the words that come out of my mouth and that they may be in accordance with your Word.
That simple prayer has kept her on track during her inaugural days of teaching, said Bailey, 23, who will graduate from Anderson University on Saturday.
I see it as preparation for the day ..
. just making sure I m doing what I m supposed to do and what God wants me to do, she said.
Today is the National Day of Prayer, a time of public observance of this most private of spiritual acts.
Some will gather at noon at the State House. Others will gather in groups or at their places of worship to mark the day.
As part of the observance, The State asked readers to submit their favorite prayers.
Many flooded in, diverse in their tone and sentiment. God was evoked as Father, Lord, Supreme Being and Ra.
Some readers relied on longtime favorites: the Lord s Prayer that Jesus taught to his disciples, the Serenity Prayer penned by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, children s bedtime litanies.
Others submitted their own creations they say have sustained them through the years.
Alex Moore of Charleston submitted an excerpt from Mark Twain s War Prayer that reflects his personal anguish over the Iraq war, he said.
The prayer, which Twain wrote in opposition to the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902, presents an unvarnished view of the consequences of exhorting God to take sides in battle
Below is a sampling of submitted prayers.
More can be read online at .
Thank you, Lord, for a restful night s sleep and the dawning of this new day!
Lord, I pray you watch over us this day; keep evil and illness from our door.
As we go out and come in, keep us far from accident and illness; as we travel, keep our vehicles from mechanical difficulty, and deliver us safely to our destination. These things we do pray in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Rev. Father Joel Osborne, Sumter
Go forth in the joy of the Lord,
Knowing how blessed we are.
Celebrate the beauty of nature around us.
Celebrate the goodness of fellowship with others.
And take up the challenge of each new day.
Most of all, celebrate our lives.
How blessed we are!
Sarah F. Walker, Columbia
Thank you for another day.
Charles Rankin, Columbia
(Buddhist Metta prayer); submitted by Jason Alexander Collins, Columbia
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages.
Amen.
( The General Thanksgiving prayer composed by Bishop Edward Reynolds of Norwich, England, in the 17th century and found in the Book of Common Prayer) submitted by The Rev. Furman Buchanan, Columbia
and wisdom to know the difference.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
(Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr) submitted by Becky Bradstreet, Chapin; Sandra Gadsden, Columbia; Janna Mike, Columbia
In Columbia, National Day of Prayer ceremonies will be held at the State House.
Where: 1100 Gervais St.
More information: Call Linda Rivito, (843) 851-9555.
Prayer events also are planned for Aiken and Conway. For details, go to .
News RSS