A prayer in the morning, on waking

Master of the World, I opened my eyes and here I am, another day. The night passed over me without my noticing. I slept and did not guard myself, and You guarded me. The breath I am breathing now, the hands that move, the eyes that see the light: all of these came back to me without my asking and without my earning them. Before I get up, before I check what waited for me on the phone and what the day holds, I want to stop for one moment and thank You for life itself.

I know how quickly the morning is swallowed up. One thought about what I did not finish yesterday, one troubling message, and I am already running. Help me make the first thought of the day a thought toward You, and let the whole day flow from it. Let me get out of bed with a quiet heart and not in a panic, and begin the day from what I have, not from what I lack.

If I woke up tired, give me strength. If I woke up weighed down by something not yet resolved, let me remember that a new day is also a new chance. And if I woke up happy, let me hold on to that joy and not waste it on small things. The soul You returned to me this morning is clean, and I ask to keep it that way even when the day fills up.

And every morning that You wake me, let me remember that this day is a gift and not something to take for granted. Let me end it in the evening with thanks, just as I began it, and rise again tomorrow, with a joyful heart, to a new day that You give me.