June 23, 2023

Prayer of Thanksgiving

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.

Psalm 88

O Lord, my God, my Savior, *

by day and night I cry to you.

Let my prayer enter into your presence; *

incline your ear to my lamentation.

For I am full of trouble; *

my life is at the brink of the grave.

I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; *

I have become like one who has no strength;

Lost among the dead, *

like the slain who lie in the grave,

Whom you remember no more, *

for they are cut off from your hand.

You have laid me in the depths of the Pit, *

in dark places, and in the abyss.

Your anger weighs upon me heavily, *

and all your great waves overwhelm me.

You have put my friends far from me;
you have made me to be abhorred by them; *

I am in prison and cannot get free.

My sight has failed me because of trouble; *

Lord, I have called upon you daily;
I have stretched out my hands to you.

Do you work wonders for the dead? *

will those who have died stand up and give you thanks?

Will your loving-kindness be declared in the grave? *

your faithfulness in the land of destruction?

Will your wonders be known in the dark? *

or your righteousness in the country where all is forgotten?

But as for me, O Lord, I cry to you for help; *

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

Lord, why have you rejected me? *

why have you hidden your face from me?

Ever since my youth, I have been wretched and at the point of death; *

I have borne your terrors with a troubled mind.

Your blazing anger has swept over me; *

your terrors have destroyed me;

They surround me all day long like a flood; *

they encompass me on every side.

My friend and my neighbor you have put away from me, *

and darkness is my only companion.

Image: “Give thanks!” by kevin dooley is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Greetings from the Episcopal Church in Delaware

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