Commontide

For Guidance

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

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Commontide
Prayer
Those in Need

For the Absent

O God, whose fatherly care reaches to the ends of the earth: We ask you graciously to behold and bless those we love who are now absent from us. Defend them from all dangers of soul and body, and grant that both they and we, drawing nearer to you, may be bound together by your love, in the communion of your Holy Spirit and in the fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

BCP 2019, p. 662

Provenance

1928 BCP, ACNA 2019

Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.

This prayer for those we love who are away from us appears at least as early as the 1928 American Prayer Book, in its household "Family Prayer" set; the 2019 ACNA prayer book kept it almost unchanged, just trading the old "thee" and "thou" for "you."