Through Stained Glass: Prayer of Protection

Protection.

That’s what Christ prayed to God for in his prayer for the disciples.

Jesus knew the difficulties facing the disciples, Jesus saw the crucifixion and resurrection in the distance and prayed that the disciples would be united and for their God’s protective presence for the disciples.

After all, God is like a mother hen who protects her chicks on her wings.

A few weeks ago in my preparation for a sermon, I stumbled across a Celtic prayer that I’ve incorporated into my own prayer life. It is called the ‘Caim Prayer,’ or the Circle Prayer. This prayer is a way to surround oneself with the protection and blessing of the Triune God. To perform the Caim Prayer, you stand up, point your right index finger at the ground and turn in a clockwise circle.  At certain positions, you will say prayers.

The purpose of this prayer is to imagine as you draw the circle on your hand, on a piece of paper, or as you spin around offering up prayer, that you are encircled in the protective love of the Triune God. Praying the circle prayer is a way to start your day with the reminder that you are in God’s love and God’s love is in you. And when you find yourself amidst a stormy season of life, the circle prayer can help you remember that the Holy One has removed all evil influence from your circle; and that you can be at peace within it.  You can even imagine this as a traveling circle, it is always around you when you walk it comes with you.

Christ prayed for the protection of the disciples, and Christ continues to pray for our protection. Remember this as you go about your day. When you see a circle, or a stop light, or a ring from your coffee mug on the newspaper, know you are not alone. The Triune God goes with you, protecting you from the toils and snares of the evil one.

Rest in the center of God. That's where we find our home. And there's no place like home!

There are many 'Circle Prayers' once can pray. Perhaps the most
famous is the St. Patrick Breastplate Prayer. It is quite long, but these
lines are both powerful and beautiful. May they become for you a source
of comfort, peace, and a guide to the protective peace of Christ.

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 down,
Christ when I arise,
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.

*Photo was taken by Kelli Woodford. Used with permission.