Prayer For A Farmer
I give thanks to you, Lord over all the earth.
I give thanks to you, Saviour, redeemer, forgiver of my sins.
I give thanks to you who made the sun and rain,
I give thanks to you for new growth that rises from fertile land.
I give thanks to you for harvests of grain, for nourishing bread.
I give thanks to you for fruit and vegetables, full of goodness.
I give thanks to you for refreshing milk and eggs freshly laid.
I give thanks to you for the hearty and healthy provision of meat and fish.
I give thanks to you for all your great bounty.
Surely we taste your goodness today with truly thankful hearts.
Amen.
As I rise with the dawn, I drink in the morning.
I taste the goodness of your creation and smell the crispness of new beginnings.
I sense you beside me, my good shepherd watching over me as I care for the farm.
I whistle a tune of praise as I go about my work.
I feel blessed to walk in the long lived rhythms of sowing, feeding and reaping.
Fill me anew today Lord with your Spirit.
Give me strength and health when I feel tired or weary.
I release my anxious thoughts to you,
Knowing that you hear my prayer.
Please bless my farm, my home, my family.
Please bless the work of my hands.
Please remind me each morning
To give thanks to you anew, my Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
Almighty Father,
We humbly ask that you remember us, your children.
You are the Great Vinedresser.
God,You are the Great Shepherd.
You make the sun to shine and the rain to fall,
God, You give growth to every plant,
You make every bud blossom and bring forth every fruit.
God, You fill our hills, pastures, and meadows with grass and grain.
You give life and health to each animal,
Even noticing when the sparrow falls from the sky.
You visit the earth and life springs from your footsteps,
Visit us today and bring forth life in our fields.
Visit us today and give health to our animals.
Almighty Father,
With every green shoot that rises from the dirt,
And with every new animal that is born,
Remind us of the spiritual life that is budding and being born in our lives.
And we will give you the praise that's due your name.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Eternal Father,
maker of heaven and earth,
we bless you and give you glory.
Bless this seed, and make it fruitful.
Look upon our work this season,
and grant that the seeds we plant
will produce plentiful crops,
providing work and food for many.
In your love, give us favorable weather
throughout this growing season.
Make us truly grateful for all our gifts,
and willing to share our goods and talents with others,
especially those without adequate food.
All praise and glory are yours, Almighty Father,
through your son Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Time just keeps moving on
And many years have come and gone
But I grow old without regret
My hopes are in what may come yet.
On the farm I work each day
This is where I wish to stay
I watch the seeds each season sprout
From the soil as the plants rise out.
I study nature and I learn
To know the earth and feel her turn
I love her dearly in all her seasons
For I have learned her secret reasons.
All that will live in the bosom of the earth
She is the loving mother of all birth
When my body is old and spent
And my soul to Heaven has went.
Please compost and spread me on this plain
So my body Mother Earth can claim
That is where I wish to be
Then nature can nourish new life with me.
So do not for me grieve and weep
I didn't leave, I only sleep
I am with the soil here below
Where I can nourish life of beauty and glow.
Here I can help the falling rain
Grow golden fields of ripened grain
From here I can join the winds that blow
And meet the softly falling snow.
O God, Source and Giver of all things,
Who manifests Your infinite majesty,
power and goodness in the earth about us,
we give You honor and glory.
For the sun and rain,
for the manifold fruits of our fields,
for the increase of our herds and flocks we thank You.
For the enrichment of our souls with divine grace, we are grateful.
Supreme Lord of the harvest,
graciously accept us and the fruits of our toil,
in union with Christ Your Son,
as atonement for our sins,
for the growth of Your Church,
for peace and charity in our homes,
for salvation to all.
Amen.
Lord, bless the land You've given me,
And may I always know
As I tend each crop and creature
You're the One who helps them grow.
Grant me the strength and wisdom
Please protect me from harm,
And thank You
For Your gracious gift-
The blessing of a farm.
Thank you, God, for farmers!
For those people who have touched the soil,
who have known it intimately,
the feel of it in their fingernails,
the taste of it, the way it smells after the rain.
For those who have cared for animals,
touched them, heard their cries,
nurtured them carefully.
Being a farmer can be a hard life,
the bills don't match the income,
the weather doesn't co-operate
or the markets are fickle.
Be with farmers, Lord,
and particularly the farming families in our church,
in hard times as well as good.
Help us to create a society where farmers are respected,
and compensated for their work fairly.
Help us to personally be thankful for their work,
that sustains us in the most basic way possible.
We pray for farmers and communities around the world
where the rain did not come,
or the rain came too hard, or too late,
for those whose soil is depleted,
or who cannot afford the cost of production.
So many in the world are hungry today
because of a poor or non-existent harvest,
or because war interrupted the harvest.
Open the hearts of the world, open our hearts,
to be generous, to share the bounty that you give us.
All of our farming relies on the good earth,
and we pray for the earth today too.
Help us take care of it, help us cherish it,
help us pass it on, safely, to a new generation.
Guide our governments to make wise decisions regarding the earth.
Particularly we pray for our Canadian politicians,
that you would open their eyes to the long term health of our rich land,
giving them the courage to make decisions that will benefit
Canadians a hundred years from now.
We are so thankful for the beautiful home you provide for us,
for Niagara, rich in soil and generous in weather,
a garden of delights for us who live here.
It's your gift, and we thank you for it.
Amen.