Praising God on Good Friday

In Psalm 31:5 (Psalm 31:6 in the New American Bible, Revised Edition, NABRE), we find this prophetic Bible prayer of faith:

“Into Your hand I commit* My spirit,
and You have redeemed Me,
LORD God of truth.”


In Luke 23:46 Jesus quotes that Bible prayer in Psalms but pluralizes God’s “hand.”

“And with a loud voice,
Jesus called out,
`Father, into Your hands
I commit* My Spirit,'
and having said this,
He breathed
forth the Spirit
with His very last breath.”


*Commit or Commend?

In KJV, NABRE, and other translations, the word “commend” is used, rather than “commit.” As Jesus Christ the Son of God hung on the cross, He surely committed Himself wholly to the Father. However, “commend” is even more awesome (in the truest sense) as the word indicates approval, praise, and applause!



© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s readings from many of the translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Praying in confession

Daniel 9:4-10

Praying to the LORD, I confessed:

O Lord, great God of Whom I am in awe,
You keep Your promises
and show mercy to those who love and obey You,
but we have sinned!
We’ve done wrong!
We have turned away from You
and what You told us is right and true.

We have not listened
to Your servants or the word You gave
to our leaders, our ancestors,
and the people of our land.

To You belongs righteousness, O LORD,
but to us belongs shame.

We, Your people near and far –
in all the lands to which You dispersed us
because of our disloyalty to You –
own our own shame.

We, the people and our leaders,
have not followed You nor obeyed You,
but even though we have rebelled
against You, O LORD God,
to You belong
mercy,
compassion,
and forgiveness.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Daniel 9 from some of the many translations of Holy Scripture found on Bible Gateway.

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Thank God for being with us!

Psalm 138: 1-3, 7-8

With all my heart, I give You thanks, O LORD.
Before the heavenly beings, I sing Your praise.

I bow down to You toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to You
for the love and truth in Your name –

Your name,
Your word
above all!

On the day I call,
You answer me
and increase the strength
in my soul.

Even if I find myself in the middle of trouble,
You protect me from the anger of others.

Your stretch out Your hand to me,
and the rightness of Your hand delivers me.

The Lord will fulfill
His purposes for me,
for Your steadfast love endures forever, O LORD,
and You will not let go
the work placed in Your hands.

© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 138 from many translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Praying through the ashes

A Bible prayer for Ash Wednesday to begin the church season of Lent

Psalm 51:1-10

Be merciful to me, O God!

In the greatness of Your mercy,
wipe out my sins
and wipe away the stains.

I’m aware of my faults,
and my rebellions against You
haunts me!

Against You – and You alone
have I sinned.

I’ve done wrong by You!
So You’d be right to judge me.
And You have every right
to condemn me.

I’ve gotten myself into trouble
since birth. I’ve been inclined
to be selfish
ever since my conception!

But You want me to get real.

You desire me to look inward –
with sincerity and truth –
and find Your wisdom
waiting for me there.

Purge my sins,
and I will be clean.
Cleanse me,
and I will be
as fresh as new snow.

Help me to hear
the sounds of joy and gladness.

Help me to be aware
that my brokenness is healed.

Hide my sins from Your face,
and blot out all ill will in me.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew
Your Spirit within me.


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 51 from many of the translations found on Bible Gateway.

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God prays creation into being

The very first prayers in the Bible resound with God’s poetic prayers and “Amen!”

Each “Let there be” begins an “Amen” to God’s prayers for us as our Heavenly Father and Creator God calls into being every living thing in the heavens and on the earth.

This poem prayer-a-phrases the beginning of that beginning as shown in today’s Bible reading from Genesis 1:

God’s Prayers for Creation
Genesis 1:1-13

In the beginning,
God….

In the beginning –

Chaos! Darkness!
A wasteland! A world
unformed….

Then a mighty wind –
Ruah –
swept over the waters,
the Spirit of God
hovered over the waters,

and God prayed:

“Let there be light,”
and the light answered
God’s prayer,
and it was good.

So God separated the light
from darkness.
God separated the waters above
and the waters below,
and the dry land appeared
at God’s calling,
and it was good.

Then God prayed:
“Let the earth bring forth,”
and the earth responded;
the earth obeyed,
and it was good.

© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Genesis 1 from translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Praying your praise

Psalm 29:1-2

Give glory to God,
all beings of God!

Give glory to the LORD
and God’s power!

Give to the LORD
the glory due His Name.

Bow down
in awe of God’s splendor.

Worship the LORD
in the beauty
of holiness.

Deck yourself out
in gorgeous garments
of praise!


© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 29 from translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Praying to know God’s ways

Psalm 25:4-9

Cause me to know Your ways, O LORD.
Teach me Your path for me.

Cause me to walk in Your truth (not mine!)
and teach me, O God of salvation.

Near You
all day
I wait.

And I remember Your mercies, O LORD,
for Your kindness stays with me –
from age to age.

You don’t even recall
my offenses or wrongs,
and yet You remember me!

For the sake of Your goodness, O LORD,
You – the Upright One, the Good One –
guide us in The Way.

Cause us to walk in Your court,
and teach us Your way
today.


© 2014, Mary Harwell Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Psalm 25 from translations found on Bible Gateway.

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