Prayer CL

Many, O Lord our God, are Thy wonderful words, and Thy thoughts which are to usward. We thank Thee for all those manifold and great reasons which we have to love Thee; and beseech Thee that we may not only recount them with our lives, but realise them in our deepest hearts, and thereby be drawn more than ever we have been to answering love which shall purge our hearts and fulfil all Thy law. May it be true of us that we delight to do Thy will, and that Thy law is within our hearts. May we make Thy commandments our joys. May we ever feel that nothing is so blessed as to yield to Thee, and in our daily obedience may we realise the great peace which they have who love Thy law.

We thank Thee, O Lord, for all Thy mercies lavished upon us, without stint and without interruption. We beseech Thee that the blessings which fill our daily lives, and escape our notice for the most part because they are continuous, may be more visible to us, and more felt by us than ever they have been. And may they lead us on into the depths of God, and draw us to desire, and so to possess, the richer blessings which Thou canst only bestow on hearts that seek Thee.

O Lord! preserve us from the folly and the sin of which we have been so often guilty, of letting what was meant to lead us to God keep us away from Him; and let the things seen and temporal, and all the varying manifestations of Thy unvarying love which come to us through them, draw us to desire more, and to be more fit to possess, the things unseen and eternal.

We come to Thee this morning feeling that unless Thy mercies were more than could be remembered, our sins, which are more than the hairs of our heads, would hinder us from looking up to Thee. But we thank Thee that Thou hast anticipated our need, and hast revealed Thy great love to us, that it may cheer us when we are cast down, and raise us again when we are burdened with the consciousness of demerit and unworthiness. May we never think of our own shortcomings without thinking of Thy goodness and love, and never think of Thy goodness and love without thinking of our shortcomings. Help us to be humble, in our confidence, and confident in our humility. When we draw near to Thee may we ever feel that Thou hast drawn near to us first, and most effectually, and that Thou art ready to put away from us all in us that comes between us and Thee. May we feel and realise that it is so now, and with emancipated and lightened hearts may we draw near to God, Who has drawn near to us.

We thank Thee for all Thy great mercies to us. We bless Thee for the recurrence of this day, for all of which it reminds us, of Him in Whom we are more than conquerors over death and the grave. We beseech Thee that Thou wouldst draw near to us now; help and bless and be with us in this our worship, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.