Introduction
I have been collecting arrow prayers for a while now, so I could share them with you. Here is the definition of arrow prayers offered by Perplexity:
Arrow prayers are short, spontaneous prayers that can be quickly “shot up” to God during any situation.
Such situations can be ordinary, irritating, depressing, or trying. They can be wonderful, joyful, blissful or ecstatic. They can be uncomfortable, painful, or frightening; panic-stricken, dangerous, or fatal.
There are many potential opportunities every day for these brief, direct contacts with God, as part of our ongoing communion with Him.
Each section of today’s bog ends with an arrow prayer, by way of example. I also include a list of further examples towards the end of this article.
A car crash
I can personally testify to the immense help and comfort arrow prayers bring. When I accidentally crashed my car over a cliff, landing upside down on a solid rock foreshore, I spontaneously shouted, “Help me, Father!”, at the top of my voice.
The whole car was smashed, and I am severely claustrophobic. Somehow, I was able to release my seat belt, wind down the window, and inch my head out until it rested on the bare rocks. Then I laid still, filled with peace, needing nothing else. I have no idea how I managed to do these things, but it has always seemed to me that they were done with the help of an angel.
Within a few minutes, a coastal rescue team reached me. They had been having a training session close by, and went into full rescue mode. I don’t know how long it took, but they carefully extracted me from the car, immobilised me on a stretcher, and carried me to a place where we could climb up off the shore to the ambulance waiting above.
I could have been killed. I could have killed someone else. The tide could have been in, and I would have drowned. But apart from severe bruising, my only injury was a cracked vertebra. Thank you, Lord!
Small irritations
Arrow prayers can be used in many situations, every day, so I use them a lot. When something irritating happens, however small, I immediately say, “Thank you, Jesus.” This prayer was passed on to me by someone who remembered a nun always responding in this way to anything negative that happened. It lightens the moment instantly. God is good!
Fears and phobias
Here in my care home, the only way I can reach the ground floor is by using the lift. A staff member would willingly go with me, but I want to be as independent as possible. Each time I enter the lift alone, I make the sign of the cross, then reach out to God with an arrow prayer, which lasts as long as it takes for the lift to move, and the doors to open again. This is unbelievably helpful. Only God, and John, my husband of 48 years, can fully appreciate what a huge achievement it is for me to be using a small lift on my own. I praise your name!
Arrow prayers for others
Arrow prayers can also be for other people. For example, we can ask God to bless those who clean a toilet we have just used, or help someone we have just been listening to. In this brief way, I pray for all those who use the lift I’m in, people I see, greet, or chat with in the corridors and waiting rooms at my GP surgery and the hospital. In the past I used to say arrow prayers for those I passed in the street, or shopped alongside in a supermarket.
Arrow prayers are a very appropriate response to seeing or hearing about other people’s suffering of all kinds, whether we encounter them in person, in a newspaper, on TV, or by word of mouth. They are also a good way of responding when we hear an emergency vehicle. Lord, save them!
Examples of arrow prayers
So here is the list of arrow prayers I have collected to share with you. Clearly there are many, many more. Some come from the Bible, whilst others spring spontaneously to our lips. The key is to develop a habit of constantly watching out for opportunities to use them.
All arrow prayers can be said for the self, for others, or for a group of people, by using the pronouns I, her, him, us, or them, like this: Bless him/her/us/them, Lord! (Isaiah 19:25; NIV).
Finally, these prayers can be said silently, or aloud, according to your circumstances, and repeated over and over again, as many times as you need to, throughout any experience, however wonderful or dreadful:
Take heart! (John 16:33; NLT).
Jesus, I trust in you (Psalm 25:2; NIV).
Jesus, I cling to you (Psalm 63:8; NIV).
Lord, save me! (Matthew 14:30; NIV).
Lord help me! (Matthew 15:25; NIV).
I love you, Lord (Psalm 18:1; NIV).
My Lord and my God! (John 20:28; NLT).
Lord, use my suffering for others (Colossians 1:24; NIV).
Hear my prayer! (Psalm 143:1: NIV).
Have mercy on me, Lord! (Psalm 51:1; NIV).
Deliver me, Lord! (Psalm 71:4; NIV).
Thank you, Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NIV).
Your will be done, Lord (Matthew 6:10; NIV).
I am deeply sorry for what I have done (Psalm 38:18; NLT).
Forgive me, Lord (Luke 11:4; NIV).
Jesus
Of course, Jesus, as in all things, is the Master here. He is our constant example of how to use arrow prayers. Here are some examples from the final hours of his life:
- Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34; KJV).
- My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46; NIV).
- I thirst (John 19:28; NKJV).
- It is finished (John 19:30; NIV).
- Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46; NIV).
Conclusion
Arrow prayers can never replace our longer silent or spoken prayers, but they can help us to stay fully in touch with God each day, in every situation or need. For me, they are a vital part of fulfilling Paul’s advice to the Thessalonians: “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV).
References
O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me (Nehemiah 1:11; NLT).
In my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears… He reached down from heaven and rescued me (2 Samuel 22:7,17; NLT).