“Oh Lord, I’ve never lived where churches grow.
I love creation better as it stood
That day You finished it so long ago
And looked upon Your work and called it good.”
That’s the cowboy’s faith in four lines: plain, outdoors and grateful. Ranchers and rodeo riders still pray in that spirit, in the barn before dawn, behind the chutes, and in cowboy churches that meet in sale barns and arenas across the country.
Historical Context
A Cowboy’s Prayer
Lord, thank you for this land, these animals and this work.
Give me a good horse, a steady hand and a straight word.
Keep me humble when things go right
and keep me going when they don’t.
Watch over my family and my herd.
When my last trail ends, let me ride home to you.
Amen.
A Rodeo Prayer Before the Ride
Lord, I’m not asking you to let me win.
I’m asking you to keep me and this animal safe,
to let me ride the best I can,
and to help me take whatever comes like a cowboy.
Amen.
A Rancher’s Prayer for Rain
Lord, the grass is short and the tanks are low.
Send rain on this dry ground.
Give me patience, and give my neighbours patience too.
St Isidore, pray for us.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- Before a rodeo, behind the chutes.
- At branding, calving and round-up.
- In a drought.
- At a cowboy’s funeral.
Scripture Connection
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” — Psalm 23:1-2
David was a herdsman before he was a king, and Psalm 23 is a stockman’s psalm. Anyone who has moved cattle to fresh grass and water knows exactly what it’s describing.
Related prayers
For other outdoor work, see the Loggers Prayer and Hunting Prayer. For horses, the Prayer for Horses. For weather, the Weather Prayer.