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Summary
- Psalm 90:14 is a prayer for happiness in the Bible itself: “O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
- Scripture calls people happy (Psalm 144:15), and Jesus told his disciples to ask “that your joy may be full” (John 16:24); Paul lists joy among the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
- Short prayers cover mornings, contentment, laughter, work, the outdoors, friends and family, someone else’s happiness, a hard season, loneliness, loss and guilt.
- The General Thanksgiving, prepared by Bishop Edward Reynolds for the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, thanks God “for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life.”
- The 1928 Book of Common Prayer has “A Prayer for the Despondent” for someone “cast down and faint of heart.”
- Sadness that lasts for weeks can be depression, which a doctor can treat; prayer goes alongside that help.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1611), text of Project Gutenberg eBook no. 10 (Nehemiah 8:9–10; Psalm 30:5; 51:12; 90:14–15; 104:24; 118:24; 126:2; 144:15; Ecclesiastes 3:13; Habakkuk 3:18; John 16:24; Galatians 5:22; Philippians 4:4, 11). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
- The Book of Common Prayer (Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.), Standard Book of 1928. Morning Prayer, “A General Thanksgiving,” p. 19; Visitation of the Sick, “A Prayer for the Despondent,” p. 316. PDF facsimile: https://www.artisticdailyprayers.org/uploads/3/0/1/6/30164961/bcp1928std.pdf
- “The General Thanksgiving: A Rookie Anglican Guide.” Anglican Compass. https://anglicancompass.com/the-general-thanksgiving-a-rookie-anglican-guide/
- National Institute of Mental Health. “Depression.” https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. https://988lifeline.org/
- Samaritans. “Contact a Samaritan.” https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
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