Prayer CXXIV

With thankful love, O Lord, and lowly hearts we would come into Thy presence, and bless Thee that we can do so with confidence and children’s dispositions. Thou art our Father, though we have been but prodigal children. Our transgressions are many; blessed be Thy name! Thy mercies are more than they. Our hearts fail us, so that we cannot look up; but Thou hast opened our eyes to see how much stronger Thou art than our sin, and how Thy love is not turned away even by transgressions multiplied seventy times seven. And so we would put away all our fears with them, and ask Thee not that we may be delivered from the consciousness of our unworthiness, but that it may be deepened, if only there always go with it, and triumph over it, the assurance of Thy continual rescuing and cleansing life. We would not forget our sin. It is good for us to remember it for warning, for humility, for the larger and more wondering apprehension of Thy great mercy which persists through it all. We would not forget our sin, but we pray that it may never come between us and Thee. We ask that we may not lose consciousness of it, and so sink into foolish self-complacency or stolid indifference as to whether we are right or wrong, good or evil; but we pray that it may never haunt and harass, but may ever pass into the loving contemplation of that great mercy which blotteth out our sins as a cloud, and as a thick cloud our transgressions.

Look upon us this morning, O Lord! We have brought many hindrances along with us, and we feel these most when we try to rise toward Thee. But we beseech Thee that nothing within us, and nothing around us, may draw us away from Thee, or impede our rising towards Thee, being borne up by faith and love.

Help us, we pray Thee, to approach Thee now with glad and grateful hearts, making mention of Thy great mercies to us, and wisely including in the list of Thy mercies our sorrows, pains, and losses. We thank Thee for all the way by which Thou hast led us; surely the diverse workings of Thy hand have one uniform purpose; and through summer and winter, storm and calm, Thou dost seek for the ripening of the seed of the Kingdom in all our natures and characters.

We pray that we may estimate our daily circumstances as Thou dost judge them; and use them all, of whatever complexion they are, for the one purpose for which life as a whole, and in each of its moments and details, is given to us, that we may be partakers of Thy holiness. Deliver us thus, we pray Thee, O Lord, keeping in view the supreme end for which we are here, from many short-sighted murmurings and mournings, from much perplexed wondering at Thy dark providences, either as regards ourselves or as regards others; and help us to live in the sunshine of Thy face, whatever there may be of weather round about us.

We pray Thee to accept our thanks for all Thy great mercies to us day by day. We pray Thee to deepen in us the consciousness of our peaceful dependence upon Thee; and of our strenuous endeavour to please Thee. May we carry into all our lives, in their small as in their great moments, the sense of Thy presence, and the wish to order our conversation so as to please Thee; and in whatever we do may we set the Lord always before us, and whatever comes may we not be greatly moved.

We thank Thee that Thou hast gathered us together this morning thus. We pray for Thy gracious presence and help as we wait before Thee now. We bring Thee our thanks for those great gifts of Thy love which this day brings to our mind; and we beseech Thee that we may be partakers of the power of Christ’s Resurrection, and dying indeed unto sin may we live unto God; and being raised from the dead with Him may ‘even now with Him sit together in heavenly places ’ at the right hand of God.

Help us, we beseech Thee, in our worship; pardon all our shortcomings and sins; accept and bless us as we draw near to Thee now, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.