Prayer XLI

O Lord, Who hast taught us Thy last best name of Love, we thank Thee that when Thou lookest down from the height of Thy sanctuary it is to hear the moaning of the prisoner, and to loose those that are appointed to death. And we would lift up our eyes to Thee Who dwellest on high, and visitest us, with wondering thankfulness that Thou dost remember the Son of Man, and dost lavish upon us the gifts of Thy love.

We come to Thee now, O Lord, with many burdens, with many weights; and our hearts do not glow as they ought at the remembrance of Thy Name, nor do we aspire after Thee as we ought if we knew what the blessedness is. But we pray that notwithstanding our imperfection, and though our call to Thee be so feeble, Thou wouldst open Thine ear and hear, that Thou wouldst bow Thy heavens and come down. We believe that Thou canst touch our hearts. Surely Thou knowest the way to our spirits, and there is no gulf between us and Thee which Thy love and grace cannot triumphantly bridge over. Therefore we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst enter into our hearts now, and breathe upon us with Thy quickening breath, that we may know Thee, and love Thee, and cleave to Thee, and serve Thee.

We pray for pardon, O Lord, for the cleansing of all our evils from us. Subdue our evil, root out of us any inclinations that are contrary to Thy will and our highest good; and make us, we pray Thee, as Thou dost desire that we should be, pure and holy, and conformed to the image of thy dear Son. We pray that our relation to Thy holy law may be set right. We beseech Thee that Thy fatherly love, and the assurance of it, may fill our hearts and minds. We beseech Thee to loosen our hold upon anything that comes between us and the full surrender of ourselves to Thee, and the continuous discharge of our daily duties. Teach us our secret sins, and set them before us in the light of Thy countenance. And we pray that our knowledge of ourselves may go hand in hand with our knowledge of, and our faith in, Thy quickening and restoring grace; that we may never be driven either from our confidence by the sense of our unworthiness or be led to build presumptuously on our own deserts, in ignorance of Thy righteous judgments. Give us, as we are gathered here in Thy presence this morning, deeper and stronger desires than we often possess; and help us in receiving from Thy hand some measure of Thy great gifts intended for us in such services, to use the possession as a means of enlarging our desire, and of capacity for Thy gifts. Be with us in our worship, shed abroad Thy love upon our hearts, forgive all our sins, strengthen and help us as we wait before Thee, and accept us now, in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.