Prayer CXXIII
May we, O Lord, experience, and gladly submit to, that mighty working whereby Christ is able to subdue all things, even our wayward and rebellious hearts, unto Himself. Help us that, forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth unto the things that are before, we may press toward the mark; and as our souls follow hard after Thee may Thy right hand uphold us, and may we know ourselves increasingly to be sustained and impelled, as well as guided or directed by Thyself.
Thus, O Lord, we beseech Thee, be near us for all needful acts of selfsurrender and self-denial. May our estimate of things be plain and Christ-like, and so may we seek the best things first, and look upon all lesser good as best, by reason of its helping us to the possession of our true treasure. Strengthen us, we pray Thee, thus to handle the things seen and temporal, so that not only we may not finally lose but may daily, more completely possess, the things that are unseen and eternal.
We thank Thee for this morning’s opportunity of drawing near to Thee thus, and blessing Thee that our single and separate weaknesses gathered together may become strengths for each of us. We pray that Thou wouldst help us in all our worship, and take away anything in mind, body, or estate, which may interfere with our joyful and believing worship now. May we rise to communion with Thyself, and whatever there may be in our lives, in our characters, in our circumstances which might mar the completeness and the peacef ulness of our speech with God, and of His to us, may these things be all swept away. Use us as Thy vehicles and messengers; and grant, O Lord, we pray Thee, that none of us may turn a deaf ear to what God is saying to our souls and consciences.
We pray for one another, in all the variety of our condition. Comfort the sad hearts among us. Be very near to those who may be lonely and cast down. Breathe Thy grace which sustains and brings gladness even in darkness into all suffering, troubled souls. And grant, we beseech Thee, that the issue of every trial, great or small, which we meet with on our earthly course, may be to prepare us more and more for the inheritance of the saints in light. And from all of them may we hear the great Voice that says Come up hither.’ We thank Thee that there is changeless blessedness and peace and power; and we beseech Thee that we may not live down here, amongst the troubles and the cares and the changes, but have our lives hid with Christ in God.
O Lord! bless all whom we should remember before Thee. Specially we plead that Thou wouldst watch over our countrymen in peril of their lives, or facing the cruelties of heathen lands. We ask that if it be Thy will Thou wouldst restrain the wrath of men, that Thou wouldst make the remainder thereof to praise Thee. We stand silent before the awful sorrows which riot through the world rampant, and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst give us grace to trust in the darkness; and that Thou wouldst, in Thine own time, and in such measure as Thou seest to be best for Thy people, show us some gleams of light in the darkness that we may discern at least the beginnings of the fulfilment of the great promise that the kingdoms of this world shall be the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ.
The world waits, O Lord, and Thy saints cry to Thee. Make bare Thine arm and crush the evil. Now we pray Thee to hear us, to accept us in Thy mercy, and to grant us Thy blessing in our hour of service; through Jesus Christ our Saviour-Lord.