Prayer CIX
O Lord! our gracious God, Who in Jesus Christ dost call us to Thyself, weary and heavy laden we would come, for our souls need rest. We pray that Thou wouldst help every one of us to take upon us that easy yoke which helps us to draw the light burden of obedience to a loved Master’s commandments.
We pray Thee that Thou wouldst indeed manifest Thy love to each of our hearts. And oh! help us not to be disobedient to the heavenly vision, nor to turn away from the revelation of Thy grace. We need Thee for daily life, in all its continually recurring small duties, and in the great moments of it. We need Thee in our joys as much as in our sorrows. We need Thee in life as in death.
Preserve us from the thought that it is time to think of Thee when the sands are running low. Preserve us from looking upon Thy truth and the great message of Thy love in Jesus Christ as a thing that may be neglected till the end is near. Deliver us from the temptations so thickly sown in all our lives, and so seconded by our own weakness to put away from ourselves that which concerns us most. May we have the wisdom to seek the best things first, and to put the world second, and God and His will and His Kingdom in the foremost place. And may we order our lives by Heaven’s light and Heaven’s laws, and whatever other companionship we may have, or whatever solitude we may have to walk in, may we walk with God and realise Thy Presence, Thy thrilling Presence, Thy sanctifying, gladdening, strengthening, peace-giving presence, in every part of our experience of daily life.
O Lord! regard us here before Thee according to all the diversity of our necessities and characters. Thou dost appoint our paths for us. As we would believe. Thou art the Lord of circumstances; make us lords of them by the recognition of Thy presence in them. And whatever may be our present condition, whether of sorrow or joy, ease or trouble, help us in each of our duties and in all our lives. If any of us have to face temptations, either of a practical or an intellectual kind, do Thou strengthen us, we pray Thee, in the conflict. Be Thou our peace in heavy sorrows, our light in darkness. If any of us are called to face duties from which we shrink because they are disagreeable or hard, be Thou our strength. Teach us all what is Thy holy will, and make us careful so to live that we may never be out of hearing of the call of the great Shepherd.
We pray Thee to guide our thoughts when we try to speak a word in Thy Name. Be Thou our Strength, for our own strength is weakness. Move Thou upon the thoughts of those that hear, that the word which we can only address to the outward ear may become the engrafted word which is able to save the soul. Other teachers speak to us; do Thou, Lord, speak in us.
Hear us now, we beseech Thee; give us Thy gracious help in our worship; forgive all our imperfections and the iniquities of our holy things, and draw near to us in Thy grace and love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.