God of glory,
you alone are true,
you alone are just.
In you are all things.
By you all things were made.
Hear my prayer, O Lord,
just as you heard the three young men
in the fury furnace.
Hear my prayer,
just as you heard Susanna and freed her
from the hands of two enemy witnesses.
Hear me,
just as you heard Peter on the sea,
and Paul in his chains.
Spare my soul.
Spare me from my deeds and from my sins.
Give me, O Lord, a holy mind to know you,
a perception that understands you,
a soul which knows you,
which seeks after the wisdom
you have brought to me,
a soul that knows you,
a heart that loves you,
a mind that thinks about your works,
eyes that see you,
a tongue that proclaims you,
associations that are pleasing to you,
endurance that holds on to you,
perseverance that waits for your final completeness,
at your resurrection
and the good reward you will give us, O Lord;
who lives and reigns forever. Amen.
Book of Cerne, 9th century
translated for Prayers of the Ancient Celtic Church
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For thus says the Lord God:
Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.
As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep
that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep,
and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered
on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
prayer & verse 