Prayer CXLV
O Lord our God, we thank Thee that we can call on Thee as our future, and we beseech Thee that we may never forget that Thou art our Judge too; and so, whilst we draw near with all child-like confidence and love, may we come with deep reverence, and ever hearing the Voice that summons us to be holy as Thou art holy. Cleanse our poor hearts from all their weaknesses and follies, from their unreliableness and unworthiness. Deliver us from yielding up the treasures of our love and trust to any in competition with Thyself. And whilst we thankfully accept the blessings which Thou dost give us in our daily lives, and the joys of living in, and being loved by, and loving human hearts, help us to use all these as means to come nearer to Thyself; and may the ladder, having its foot, have its top in the heavens with the face of God Himself above.
O Lord! we come to Thee this morning, the creatures of Thy gracious hands, the recipients of a thousand mercies, made by Thee to possess Thee, and unmade by ourselves, so that we are unworthy of Thee, and unfit for Thee. But we pray Thee to help us against our baser selves, and to give strength to any feeble good that may be in us, and to quicken it into mighty power and more manifest dominion in our daily lives.
Lord! we are ever unable to judge ourselves. “We pray for the searchlight of the candle of the Lord to illuminate all our darkness; and may we recognise, and recognising abhor, and abhorring eject, our lurking evils and secret sins. Do Thou strengthen us day by day for the work of perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord; and not in His fear only, but in His love, and in the trust in the great and precious promises by which Thou dost reinforce all our weakness, and dost teach us to dare to expect things beyond our reach.
We pray for Thy grace to abide upon us, as we are here this morning. Lead us by the green pastures and the still waters of Thy great truth and love. We beseech Thee for wisdom to hear and to speak, and pray that in whatever else this service may fail, it may bring us all into real and happy touch with God manifest in His Son.
O Lord! bless us all in our daily callings and duties. We thank Thee that Thou hast given us work to do which we clearly see to be ours. Help us to look not every man on his own things, but also on the things of others, and not to count that we have fulfilled Thy will unless we have been helpers of many.
We beseech Thee to make us faithful stewards of whatever gifts, of every sort. Thou dost bestow upon us; and may that be as much a part of our day’s work as our professions or our callings. Some of Thy servants may be looking back with sad hearts; some may be looking forward with shrinking apprehension. Comfort them all! We thank Thee that as our day so may our strength be; and whatever Thy hand of providence lays upon us to bear, Thy hand of grace may strengthen us to carry.
We beseech Thee to bless all Christian people, and all workers for their fellows of all sorts; and to grant that the many earnest hearts that are seeking to spread truth and goodness, and above all, the Name of Jesus Christ throughout the world, may know and may see, in such measure as is good for them, that their labour is not in vain because it is in the Lord.
Take us now, O Lord, into Thy care; regard all the necessities of this nation; check and subdue our national sins; deliver us from our national weaknesses and errors; bring us to know and to recognise more practically, in our national and civic and social life, the rule of Jesus Christ, and His commandment as the golden law. And do Thou grant that, in like manner, all the nations of the world may be healed of their sorrows and gathered in, to couch, like a peaceful flock, round the feet, and to be guided by the rod and the staff of the One Shepherd.
Hear us; grant us Thy blessing and Thy help now, through Jesus Christ our Lord.