Prayer LXXVIII
O Lord! our Father, if we knew Thee as Thou art, and ourselves as we are, how easy and blessed it would be for us to come into Thy presence with ardent love, with grateful thanksgiving, with unshaken trust, and with earnest petitions. But we thank Thee that though we but dimly see Thee, and but partly know the depth of our own necessities, Thou dost welcome even our imperfect petitions and our imperfect love and trust; and so we would draw near to Thee now with thankfulness that Thou dost let us come, and that Thou dost inhabit even the praises of Israel, and dwell with us who are so far beneath Thee. Lift us, we beseech Thee, nearer to Thyself, and may the gracious influences of Thy Divine Spirit work upon all our hearts now, and bring us into true fellowship with Thee.
We bless Thee for a renewed opportunity of uniting with one another in calling upon Thee, and we thank Thee for all the strength which in time past has been given to Thy people when they have made supplication in Thy Name. May we each of us bring Christ with us into our gathering. We do bring weakness and coldness, and our presence will chill rather than warm our brethren’s hearts. But we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst be near us all, and breathe Thy grace upon each of us. Help us now to realise to Whom we speak, and through Whom we speak, and who we are that speak, that our petitions may be in accordance with Thy holy will, and in some measure in accordance with the greatness of our necessities, and the still greater greatness of Thy gifts.
O Lord! when we begin to think of what we need, we know not which to speak to Thee of first; but we bless Thee that all is gathered together in one; that we do not need many things, but the one thing. We pray Thee that more and more Thy love may root itself in our hearts, that more and more we may live by the power of the Christ that lives in us, that more and more we may be able to subdue wandering and rebellious wills, and more and more receive into waiting and wide-opened hearts the fullness of God, and then all things will be well with us.
Strengthen us by Thy all-powerful and all- victorious grace for all our work, for all our difficulties, for all our sorrows and trials. Help us in everything to recognise Thy presence and Thy hand, and to set ourselves to our various occupations, feeling that in them all we may worship, and that in them all we have a right to expect Thy presence and Thy help. And do Thou clear our eyesight that we may behold the things that are not yet as though they were; and may find in the future, which is made sure to all believing souls by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and His sitting at Thy right hand, the great recompense of reward, the lustre and light of which shall shine down upon our earthly paths, and make all things blessed and easy for us. Abide with us day by day, teach us Thy holy will in each new circumstance that meets us. Guide us by Thy counsel in everything large and little which we have to undertake, to reflect upon, and to decide about. And give us, we pray Thee, grace with which to recognise Thy will and submit to it, and try to carry out Thy will. Help us to conquer the evil in ourselves, any inclination or habits contrary to Thy holy purpose concerning us, even our sanctification. And strengthen us, we pray Thee, for the daily conflict. May the peace of God be in our hearts in the midst of it, and make us more than conquerors through Christ that loveth us.
We beseech Thee to give us Thy blessing now, and some word which shall be in accordance with Thy holy will, and be of use to us in our daily life and
Christian experience. We thank Thee for all the times when we have found Thee when we sought Thee thus. We bless Thee for past days of mercy and goodness granted to this people. We praise Thee that Thou art still with us, and beseech Thee not to leave us nor forsake us, but make this congregation more and more a power for God in this city; and make each of us more and more worthy to be, and to call ourselves, disciples of Jesus Christ. May men take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus. Give us Thy presence now, we pray; let the word of the Lord run and be glorified. We commend one another to Thy gracious care; we pray for all, present or absent, who may be in our hearts, especially for any that are in any kind of trouble or sorrow, and beseech Thee that Thou wouldst succour and sustain Thy children; when Thou dost send Thy strokes send also Thy solace, and grant that all Thy people may, being exercised by Thy discipline, reap hereafter ’ the peaceable fruit of righteousness.’
Accept us as we come to Thee now, O Lord! Speak in us, speak through us, speak to us. May we have the hearing ear, and the understanding heart, and the obedient hand, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.