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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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Prayer
Prayers

For the Spirit of Prayer

O Almighty God, you pour out on all who desire it the spirit of grace and of supplication: Deliver us, when we draw near to you, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

BCP 2019, p. 647

Provenance

US Episcopal, c. 1789

Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.

A collect for inner readiness at prayer, drawing its opening phrase from Zechariah's prophecy of a poured-out spirit of supplication and closing with Jesus's own words about worship in spirit and truth. A fixture of the American Book of Common Prayer since at least the nineteenth century.