Commontide

Preparation for Personal Prayer

Holy Spirit, breath of God and fire of love, I cannot pray without your aid: Kindle in me the fire of your love, and illumine me with your light; that with a steadfast will and holy thoughts I may approach the Father in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who reigns with you and the Father in eternal union. Amen.

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Commontide
Prayer
Prayers

For a Child, or for a Birthday

Watch over your child N., O Lord, as his days increase; bless him and guide him, and keep him unspotted from the world. Strengthen him when he stands; comfort him when discouraged or sorrowful; raise him up if he falls; and in his heart may your peace which passes understanding abide all the days of his life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

BCP 2019, p. 667

Found in the Prayer Book

This prayer appears in more than one place in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer.

  • Occasional Prayers
  • Thanksgiving Birth Adoption · as “Watch over your child”Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child

Provenance

BCP 1928

Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.

A tender little prayer for a growing child, first printed in the 1928 American Book of Common Prayer under the plain heading "For a Birthday," and carried, with only small wording changes, all the way to today's ACNA prayer book.