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PREPARATORY PRAYERS

1

For True Devotion

O LORD, I come upon Thy will and command, bringing all my petitions, even those very things that hinder and would prevent my coming to Thee -my sins that trouble me greatly, and I ask Thee to remove and forgive them. Amen.

2

For True Worthiness in Prayer

O LORD, Thine honor and Thy service, which tends to Thy praise, I have in view, when now humbly praying; therefore, O dear Lord, do not look upon my unworthiness, but upon my great need of Thy help: Thou art the true and only help of sinners. Thy honor is to be advanced by my prayer; and even as I cannot do without Thine aid, so Thou canst give and wilt give to those who ask Thee. Amen. Amen.

3

A Prayer of Comfort with Respect to Sin and Unworthiness

It matters not what kind of a person I am, for though I am a sinner, I know my Lord Jesus Christ is not, He is ever just and gracious. So I will confidently call and cry to Him, not considering other questions; for now is not the time to ask whether I be elected or not. This one thing I feel, that I need help, so I come and seek it in all humility. Dear Lord God, the Canaanite woman was a Gentile; she could conclude, yea, could hardly help but conclude that she was not elected. If now she approaches Thee and does not permit such thoughts to prevent her prayer, I shall do the same and say: Lord, I come before Thee and am in need of one thing and another; whence else shall I obtain help but from Thee in heaven, through Thine Only Son, my Savior, Christ Jesus? Amen.

4

A Prayer Based on God's Command and Promise

DEAR LORD GOD, Thou knowest I do not presume to come before Thee of mine own self, or relying on my own worthiness, for, when looking to

this, I dare not raise mine eyes to Thee, nor would I know how to begin my prayer. But I come, basing on Thy most earnest desire and command that we should call upon Thee, and on Thy promise to hear us. Besides, Thou hast sent Thine Own Son, who taught us how to pray, giving us the very, words. Hence I know that, Let my presumption in calling myself a child of Thine appear as great as it will, I do so in obedience to Thy will. Otherwise I would charge Thee with falsehood, and heap upon myself, in addition to my other sins, the graver one of despising Thy command and doubting Thy promise.

5

Assurance of Being Heard for Christ's Sake

O GOD, Creator of heaven and earth, who hast sent Thy Son, Christ Jesus, for me into this world, that He might be crucified for me, die and rise again on the third day, ascend to heaven and there sit at Thy right hand, hold everything in His hand, send us His Spirit and have us await His coming to judge both the quick and the dead, thus attaining to the eternal kingdom, our inheritance, which Thou wilt give to us through Him. To that end,

O Lord God, Thou has instituted Holy Baptism, and the Sacrament of the body and blood of Thy Son; to these sacraments Christ has bound us, and therein He has revealed Himself to us. If in these Sacraments we lay hold on Christ, we surely have Him. All other things not enjoined on us we should dispense with, otherwise we would far miss the mark.

6

God Heareth Us

DEAR FATHER In heaven, Thou lovest me, I know, because I love Thy Son, Jesus Christ, my Savior. Trusting in this I do now confidently pray Thee to hear me and to grant what I ask—not because I am so holy and pious, but because I know that Thou, for Christ's sake, wilt readily give and grant all things to us. In His name I now come before Thee, offer my prayer-no matter who I am as to my person-confident that it is "yea" and surely heard. Amen.

7

Preparatory to the Lord's Supper

O MY DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, I am a poor unworthy sinner, not fit to raise mine eyes and hands to Thee in prayer. But because Thou hast commanded us to pray and hast promised to hear us, and because Thou hast given us both the words and the manner of prayer through Thy dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ while on earth, I now pray thus:

OUR FATHER, who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

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