Today's Prayer

A Christian's Prayer

Blessed God,
Ten thousand snares are mine without
and within,
defend thou me;
When sloth and indolence seize me,
give me views of heaven;
When sinners entice me,
give me disrelish of their ways;
When sensual pleasures tempt me,
purify and refine me;
When I desire worldly possessions,
help me to be rich toward thee;
When the vanities of the world ensnare me,
let me not plunge into new guilt and ruin.

May I remember the dignity of my spiritual release,
never be too busy to attend to my soul,
never be so engrossed with time
that I neglect the things of eternity;
thus may I not only live, but grow towards thee.

Form my mind to right notions of religion,
that I may not judge of grace by wrong
conceptions,
nor measure my spiritual advances by the efforts
of my natural being.

May I seek after an increase of divine love to thee,
after unreserved resignation to thy will,
after extensive benevolence to my fellow
creatures,
after patience and fortitude of soul,
after a heavenly disposition
after a concern that I may please thee in public
and private.

Draw on my soul the lineaments of Christ,
in every trace and feature of which thou wilt
take delight, for I am
thy workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,
thy letter written with the Holy Spirit’s pen,
thy tilled soil ready for the sowing, then harvest.

(From The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan prayers and devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975, p.60)