Introduction
Many Christians struggle to express themselves in prayer. They don’t know what to say, or they fear that they may not be approaching God properly. Of course, God delights in any communication from a heart that is solely focused on Him. But just as the disciples asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray,” many believers today could benefit from having prayer modeled to them.
Many of the great songs of the church, both old and new, are essentially prayers that express our commitment to God and ask for His help, guidance, and inspiration. We sing these songs in corporate or private worship, but most of us rarely draw on them in our own prayers (although if you start using Dick Eastman’s prayer wheel, that may change, since five of the sixty minutes are reserved for singing).
In this section of my book, I have collected a very partial selection of songs that I hope will strengthen your prayer life. These hymns and praise songs capture key themes of living a life of Theopraxy. This is an extremely incomplete collection, but serves as an illustrative sampling of what exists.
Due to copyright restrictions, I will simply hyperlink to the lyrics of these songs in the ebook version. If you are reading a printed copy of this book, you may want to download an ebook version to access these lyrics or do an Internet search for them.
“Lord, Speak to Me That I May Speak,” by Frances R. Havergal
“Open My Eyes, That I May See,” by Clara H. Scott
“Savior, Teach Me, Day by Day,” by Jane Eliza Leeson
“Trust and Obey,” by John H. Sammis
“Wherever He Leads I’ll Go,” by B. B. McKinney
“Living for Jesus,” (verse 1 and refrain) by Thomas O. Chisholm
“Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken,” by Henry Francis Lyte
“Be Thou My Vision,” by Ian Lynn
“Blessed Assurance,” by Fanny Crosby
“Have Thine Own Way, Lord,” by Adelaide A. Pollard
“I Surrender All,” by Judson W. Van De Venter
“In Christ Alone,” (verses 1, 4) by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
“Take My Life and Let It Be,” by Frances Ridley Havergal
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” by Helen Howarth Lemmel
“Do Everything,” by Steven Curtis Chapman
“Live Like That,” by Sidewalk Prophets
“Keep Making Me,” by Sidewalk Prophets
“Thrive,” by Casting Crowns
“So Will I,” by Hillsong United
“Every Time I Breathe,” by Big Daddy Weave
“All In,” (portions) by Matthew West
“Everything,” by TobyMac
“You’re Worthy of My Praise,” by Jeremy Camp
“As the Deer,” by The Maranatha Singers
“Be Glorified,” by Chris Tomlin
“Breathe,” by Jonny Diaz
“Draw Me Close,” by Michael W. Smith
“Every Move I Make,” by David Crowder Band
“Holiness,” by Micah Stampley
“I Give You My Heart,” by Hillsong Worship
“In the Secret,” by Andy Park
“Jesus Lover of My Soul,” by Paul Oakley
“Knowing You,” by Graham Kendrick
“Lord Reign in Me,” by Brenton Brown
“One Pure and Holy Passion,” by Passion Conferences
“Step by Step,” by New Kids On The Block
“The Potter’s Hand,” by Hillsong Worship
“When I Look Into Your Holiness,” by Kent Henry
“Whatever You Ask,” by Steve Camp
“Better Is One Day,” by Matt Redman
“I Will Worship,” by David Ruis
“Refiner’s Fire,” by Brian Doerksen
“My Life Is in You, Lord,” by Daniel Gardner
I will close this appendix with an ancient prayer song that magnificently describes the Theopraxic life:
As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me,
the wisdom of God guide me.
May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me, the word of God speak for me.
May the hand of God protect me,
the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me,
the host of God save me.
May Christ shield me today.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen