Edna Lister's Prayers for Parents and Children

"And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray." – Luke 11:1

Edna Lister composed these prayers at the request of a group of parents in May 1961, as a means of instructing their children. She believed that it was imperative for parents to begin fostering within their children the sense of being at one with God. Every child should know the truth that the soul is always at one with the Father. There is no separation in consciousness, nor can there be.

Prayers for Parents and Children

Love

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." – John 3:16.

Dear God, hear me when I lift up my hands in prayer unto thee. Hear me, O Lord when I lift up my eyes unto thee. Hear me, dear Jesus, when, I give thanks unto thee for thy loving protection. Let thy love keep me safe in thy heart. Do thou accept my love and gratitude for all thy loving help and care.

Faith

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith and quit ye like strong men." – 1 Corinthians 16:13.

Dear Lord, I pray thee to keep me in the faith. Help my faith to be strong enough to hold me in prayer. Let faith help me to know that our Heavenly Father shall touch my fields with His love. I know His love makes my grain to grow high and golden for the harvest. Make me a strong one in courage and faith.

Strength

"Trust ye in the Lord forever: For in the Lord is everlasting strength." – Isaiah 26:4.

O Lord, it is thy strength that upholds me, I cry unto thee to be filled with thine own great strength. Fill me now with thy strength that I may stand strong instead of weak. Make me ready to serve thee when thou dost call me to help my brother. I know my strength comes from thee. I come to thee now to be filled with thy strength everlasting.

Protection

"Behold, He that keeps thee shall neither slumber nor sleep." – Psalm 121:4.

Dear Father, I behold in thee my protection. Only thou art always awake. Only thy love can hold me safe while I sleep. Thou art my safety. Thou art my life. Watch over me both day and night. Thank thee for keeping me safe from all harm.

Praise

"That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To whom be praise and dominion forever. – 1 Peter 4:11."

Dear Lord Jesus, my heart is filled with praise unto thee. Thou only art great and mighty. Thy glory shines through me. I praise thy holy name. Thou hast all power over me and my soul glorifies and praises thee.

Joy

"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." – John 16:24.

O Lord, thou art the joy within my heart. The joy thou dost give unto me I spread abroad as I go forth in thy name. As I walk, I give thanks unto thee for leaving thy joy with me. Thy joy makes me sing songs of love and of gladness. My heart is singing a new song of joy. Thanks unto thee for the joy in my life.

Light

"Let your Light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." – Matthew 5:16.

Dear Father, let thy perfect Light shine upon me. Let the light of thy sun shine upon my household and upon my fields. Thank thee, Father, for the light of the sun by day, for the light of the moon, by night. Thank thee for thy beautiful stars in the heavens above me. Thy Light goes before me. Thy Light makes bright my Pathway before me. Thank thee, O dear Father, for thy wonderful Light.

Angel's Wings

"For He shall give His Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." – Psalm 91:11. "Under His wings shalt thou trust." – Psalm 91:4.

Dear Father, send thy Angels to guard my family. Let thy Angels walk with me wherever I go. Give thy Angels charge over me, Dear Lord. Protect me with thy wings of Light. Thank thee, Dear Father, for keeping me safe. Keep me under thy protecting wings of Light. Do thou spread thy beautiful Wings of Glory over me.

A Parent's Prayer

Edna Lister taught this prayer November 13, 1947, Tacoma, Washington. Scribes: Ruth Bender Collord and May Clark Wilder.

I will arise from the darkness and the depths of self. I will move into my Father's House, into my Room of Light prepared for me since the beginning.

I will surrender to be possessed of the Light! I will surrender to be used by the Light! I am become Light! I arise and ascend into the Heart of the Fire!

My eyes are perfect eyes in the image and likeness of my Father's, all-seeing, all-observing. I bless them, praise them and lift them to see all above, all below.

My hands are the perfect hands of God, used in His service, all-lifting, all-holding, all-blessing.

My lips are the lips of the Divine. My tongue is silver-tipped with the words of God, all-accepting, all-surrendering, all-merciful, all-loving, all-wise, all-discriminating.

My feet rejoice in glad tidings and they spread understanding as flowers wherever I tread.

As I have spoken unto Thee, O Father, so let me be Thy perfect ensample of a mother/father to these Thy children, who art a gift and trust from Thee. Amen.

A Child's Prayer

Edna Lister used this lecture study outline October 20, 1935, in Buffalo, New York.

Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
– A traditional English children's bedtime prayer

"Now I lay me down to sleep." How do you "lay me down"? What attitude do you hold, hopelessness, weariness and grief? Or do you lie down in childlike trust and anticipation, as if you were going somewhere?

Do you rest down or up in consciousness, heavily or lightly? What is sleep? What happens while you sleep? Do you want to receive spiritual dividends? What were your dreams as a child?

"I pray the Lord my soul to keep." The Lord is law, the Source. The keeper of your soul refers to Jesus' arms, as the Good Shepherd.

The embodied conscious soul withdraws in sleep to gain knowledge to know how to act the following day. What is prayer? Trust, confidence, love, devotion and praise.

"If I should die before I wake." What is death? To the carnal mind it is the death of the physical body. To the Christ mind, death is transition from dust to stardust, earthly to heavenly. You take one breath here and the next over there, awakening more gloriously than you can dream.

"I pray the Lord my soul to take." Commit your soul to Him to return to the Source, to a higher life and glory beyond compare. Death is entrance into life eternal.

{Today's Pioneering Mystics have changed one phrase of this prayer to read, "If I should fly before I wake." This serves as the starting point for training your child in the fact that he or she is escorted to the Childrens' Realm in Heaven every night to study tomorrow's lesson in preparation for the new day of service to God.}

A Child's Evening Prayer

Ere on my bed my limbs I lay,
God grant me grace my prayers to say:
O God! preserve my mother dear
In strength and health for many a year;
And, O! preserve my father too,
And may I pay him reverence due;
And may I my best thoughts employ
To be my parents' hope and joy;
And, O! preserve my brothers both
From evil doings and from sloth,
And may we always love each other,
Our friends, our father, and our mother,
And still, O Lord, to me impart
An innocent and grateful heart,
That after my last steep I may
Awake to thy eternal day! Amen.
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sibylline Leaves II: Love Poems.