Prayer CI
O Lord, Who givest what Thou dost command, give unto us that new creature coming through faith by our participation in the life of Thy dear Son. Help us that our Christianity may not be concerned with outward things so much as with the recreation and renovation of our inmost nature. Help us to walk according to this rule, and thereby be of the true Israel of God, and have Thy praise on us and with us. We thank Thee that in all our weakness Thou art near us. Be our strength, and since Thou knowest our frame, and dost remember that we are dust, come and deliver us from the burden of our own weakness, and help us to grow in our possession and use of the life that is in Jesus.
Help us, O Lord, to bear one another’s burdens and our own, and to cast all upon Thyself. Some of us have heavy ones to carry, but do Thou be gracious unto us, and deliver us from the vain effort to be sufficient for ourselves, either in our duties or in our sorrows. We thank Thee that Thou sendest no man a warfare at his own charges, and art ever ready to bestow the power to do what Thy will enjoins or Thy providences point out as our duty. Help us to live in the peace of dependence upon Thyself, and in the joy of a felt communication from Thee of power according to our tasks and strength according to our day.
Be near us in all the variety of duty and of circumstances represented here before Thee amongst us this morning. Though we know so little, and can do less, to supply each other’s deepest needs, we thank Thee that we can help one another by common prayer. However diverse our various walks of life, we thank Thee that we may still be all doing the same thing; for though there be diversities of service it is the one Lord, and all His servants’ works are one, since they are all done for Him. May we carry the thought with us into all the great and small things of daily life, that great or small has nothing to do with the acceptance of our service; and that it is required of stewards that whether in regard to that which is least, or in regard to that which is much, a man may be found faithful. Make us increasingly so, we pray, and do Thou graciously keep Thy hands upon us to bless our work, and to prevent it from ever drawing us away from Thyself. And we would bring these our friends to Thy throne who are in sorrow; lovingly remember, O Lord, the many whom Thou dost love who are sick. Keep Thy children close to Thyself.
Accept us in our prayer for all who love Thee, who try to serve Thee. Pour out Thy blessing upon all professing Christians. May the lips of those who call themselves Thine bear witness for Thee, Whose they are and Whom they serve. Give Thy Holy Spirit’s influence to all true words spoken in the world for God and man. And may the Kingdom which is above all kingdoms of this world be established with righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, and be the possession of all mankind.
And now we pray Thee to hear us; we beseech Thy forgiveness, and commit ourselves to Thy gracious care in the confidence that Thou wilt be near us if we depart not far from Thee, and that Thou wilt keep us from departing from Thee if we leave ourselves in Thy hands. Pity and accept and answer us, O Lord, for Jesus Christ our Saviour’s sake.