THINGS NEEDFUL

Thou Eternal Source,

Author of all created being and happiness,

I adore thee for making man capable

of religion,

that he may be taught to say:

‘Where is God, my Maker, who giveth

songs in the night?’

But degeneracy has spread over our

human race,

turning glory into shame,

rendering us forgetful of thee.

We know it is thy power alone

that can recall wandering children,

can impress on them a sense of divine things,

and can render that sense lasting and effectual;

From thee proceed all good purposes and desires,

and the diffusing of piety and happiness.

Thou hast knowledge of my soul’s secret

principles,

and art aware of my desire to spread the gospel.

Make me an almoner to give thy

bounties to the indigent,

comfort to the mentally ill,

restoration to the sin-diseased,

hope to the despairing,

joy to the sorrowing,

love to the prodigals.

Blow away the ashes of unbelief by

thy Spirit’s breath

and give me light, fire, and warmth of love.

I need spiritual comforts

that are gentle, peaceful, mild, refreshing,

that will melt me into conscious lowliness

before thee,

that will make me feel and rest in thee

as my All.

Fill the garden of my soul with the wind of love,

that the scents of the Christian life may be

wafted to others;

then come and gather fruits to thy glory.

So shall I fulfil the great end of my being –

to glorify thee and be a blessing to men.

from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

A Prayer for the New Year

2013
 

NEW YEAR

O Lord,

Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed

in Thy presence, in Thy service, to Thy glory.

Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains,

sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from Thee,
but may rely on Thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth Thy praise;
testify Thy love,
advance Thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with Thee, O Father as my harbour,
Thee, O Son, at my helm,
Thee O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to Thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.

Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
Thy comforts to cheer,
Thy wisdom to teach,
Thy right hand to guide,
Thy counsel to instruct,
Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.
May Thy fear be my awe,
Thy triumphs my joy.

From The Valley of Vision page 112.

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What a great old prayer from The Valley of Vision as we start this new year.  In 2013 may we all "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Praise & Thanksgiving

Praise and Thanksgiving from Arthur G. Bennett’s The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (p.15)

O My God,

Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves thee, for my little vessel is as full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.

 

When I think upon and converse with thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for

• the soul thou hast created,
  • for adorning it,
  • for sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;
• for the body thou hast given me,
  • for preserving its strength and vigour,
  • for providing senses to enjoy delights,
  • for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
  • for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
• for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
  • for a full table and overflowing cup,
  • for appetite, taste, sweetness,
• for social joys of relatives and friends,
  • for ability to serve others,
  • for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
  • for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
  • for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
  • for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
• for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

Love Lustres at Calvary

My Father,

Enlarge my heart, warm my affections,

      open my lips,

   supply words that proclaim ‘Love lustres

     at Calvary.’

There grace removes my burdens and heaps them

     on thy Son,

   made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;

There the sword of thy justice smote the man,

     thy fellow;

There thy infinite attributes were magnified,

   and infinite atonement was made;

There infinite punishment was due,

   and infinite punishment was endured.

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,

   cast off that I might be brought in,

   trodden down as an enemy

     that I might be welcomed as a friend,

   surrendered to hell’s worst

     that I might attain heaven’s best,

   stripped that I might be clothed,

   wounded that I might be healed,

   athirst that I might drink,

   tormented that I might be comforted,

   made a shame that I might inherit glory,

   entered darkness that I might have eternal light.

My Saviour wept that all tears might be wiped

     from my eyes,

   groaned that I might have endless song,

   endured all pain that I might have unfading health,

   bore a thorny crown that I might have

     a glory-diadem,

   bowed his head that I might uplift mine,

   experienced reproach that I might receive

     welcome,

   closed his eyes in death that I might gaze

     on unclouded brightness,

   expired that I might for ever live.

O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou

     mightest spare me,

All this transfer thy love designed and

     accomplished;

Help me to adore thee by lips and life.

O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,

   my every step buoyant with delight, as I see my

     enemies crushed,

   Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,

   sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,

   hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open.

Go forth, O conquering God, and show me

   the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort and save.

from The Valley of Vision

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Need of Grace

O Lord,

Thou knowest my great unfitness for service,

         my present deadness,

         my inability to do anything for thy glory,

         my distressing coldness of heart.

I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable,

     and loathe and abhor myself.

I am at a loss to know what thou wouldest have me do,

     for I feel amazingly deserted by thee,

     and sense thy presence so little;

Thou makest me possess the sins of my youth,

    and the dreadful sin of my nature,

    so that I feel all sin,

    I cannot think or act but every motion is sin.

Return again with showers of converting grace

    to a poor gospel-abusing sinner.

Help my soul to breathe after holiness,

    after a constant devotedness to thee,

    after growth in grace more abundantly every day.

O Lord, I am lost in the pursuit of this blessedness,

And am ready to sink because I fall short of my desire;

Help me to hold out a little longer,

    until the happy hour of deliverance comes,

    for I cannot lift my soul to thee

    if thou of thy goodness bring me not nigh.

Help me to be diffident, watchful, tender,

    lest I offend my blessed Friend

    in thought and behaviour;

I confide in thee and lean upon thee,

    and need thee at all times to assist and lead me.

O that all my distresses and apprehensions

   might prove but Christ’s school

   to make me fit for greater service

   by teaching me the great lesson of humility.

from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, page 99

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

Continual Repentance

O God of grace,

T hou hast imputed my sin to my substitute,

          and hast imputed his righteousness

     to my soul,

   clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe,

   decking me with jewels of holiness.

But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;

   my best prayers are stained with sin;

   my penitential tears are so much impurity;

   my confessions of wrong are so many

     aggravations of sin;

   my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with

     selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance;

I need my tears to be washed;

I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,

   no loom to weave my own righteousness;

I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,

   and by grace am always receiving change of

     raiment,

   for thou dost always justify the ungodly;

I am always going into the far country,

   and always returning home as a prodigal,

   always saying, Father, forgive me,

   and thou art always bringing forth

     the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it,

   every evening return in it,

   go out to the day’s work in it,

   be married in it,

   be wound in death in it,

   stand before the great white throne in it,

   enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of

   the exceeding sinfulness of sin,

   the exceeding righteousness of salvation,

   the exceeding glory of Christ,

   the exceeding beauty of holiness,

   the exceeding wonder of grace.

From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

Yet I Sin

Eternal Father,

T hou art good beyond all thought,

         But I am vile, wretched, miserable, blind;

My lips are ready to confess,

   but my heart is slow to feel,

   and my ways reluctant to amend.

I bring my soul to thee;

   break it, wound it, bend it, mould it.

Unmask to me sin’s deformity,

   that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it.

My faculties have been a weapon of revolt

     against thee;

   as a rebel I have misused my strength,

   and served the foul adversary of thy kingdom.

Give me grace to bewail my insensate folly,

Grant me to know that the way of transgressors

     is hard,

   that evil paths are wretched paths,

   that to depart from thee is to lose all good.

I have seen the purity and beauty of thy perfect law,

   the happiness of those in whose heart it reigns,

   the calm dignity of the walk to which it calls,

     yet I daily violate and contemn its precepts.

Thy loving Spirit strives within me,

   brings me Scripture warnings,

   speaks in startling providences,

   allures by secret whispers,

     yet I choose devices and desires to my own hurt,

   impiously resent, grieve,

   and provoke him to abandon me.

All these sins I mourn, lament, and for them

   cry pardon.

Work in me more profound and abiding repentance;

Give me the fullness of a godly grief

   that trembles and fears,

   yet ever trusts and loves,

   which is ever powerful, and ever confident;

Grant that through the tears of repentance

   I may see more clearly the brightness

   and glories of the saving cross.

from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, page 70

Short Comings

O Living God,

I  bless thee

      that I see the worst of my heart as well as

     the best of it,

   that I can sorrow for those sins that carry me

     from thee,

   that it is thy deep and dear mercy to threaten

     punishment so that I may return, pray, live.

My sin is to look on my faults and be discouraged,

   or to look on my good and be puffed up.

I fall short of thy glory every day by spending

     hours unprofitably,

   by thinking that the things I do are good,

     when they are not done to thy end,

     nor spring from the rules of thy Word.

My sin is to fear what never will be;

I forget to submit to thy will, and fail to be

   quiet there.

But Scripture teaches me that thy active will

   reveals a steadfast purpose on my behalf,

   and this quietens my soul,

   and makes me love thee.

Keep me always in the understanding

   that saints mourn more for sin than other men,

   for when they see how great is thy wrath

     against sin,

   and how Christ’s death alone pacifies that wrath,

   that makes them mourn the more.

Help me to see that although I am in the wilderness

   it is not all briars and barrenness.

I have bread from heaven, streams from the rock,

   light by day, fire by night,

   thy dwelling place and thy mercy seat.

I am sometimes discouraged by the way,

   but though winding and trying it is safe

     and short;

Death dismays me, but my great high priest

   stands in its waters,

   and will open me a passage,

   and beyond is a better country.

While I live let my life be exemplary,

When I die may my end be peace.

from The Valley of Vision, page 85

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Privileges

O Lord God,

Teach me to know that grace precedes,

         accompanies, and follows my salvation,

   that it sustains the redeemed soul,

   that not one link of its chain can ever break.

From Calvary’s cross wave upon wave of grace

   reaches me,

   deals with my sin,

   washes me clean,

   renews my heart,

   strengthens my will,

   draws out my affection,

   kindles a flame in my soul,

   rules throughout my inner man,

   consecrates my every thought, word, work,

   teaches me thy immeasurable love.

How great are my privileges in Christ Jesus!

Without him I stand far off, a stranger, an outcast;

   in him I draw near and touch his kingly sceptre.

Without him I dare not lift up my guilty eyes;

   in him I gaze upon my Father-God and Friend.

Without him I hide my lips in trembling shame;

   in him I open my mouth in petition and praise.

Without him all is wrath and consuming fire;

   in him is all love, and the repose of my soul.

Without him is gaping hell below me, and eternal

     anguish;

   in him its gates are barred to me by his precious

     blood.

Without him darkness spreads its horrors in front;

   in him an eternity of glory is my boundless

     horizon.

Without him all within me is terror and dismay,

   in him every accusation is charmed into joy and

     peace.

Without him all things external call for my

     condemnation;

   in him they minister to my comfort,

   and are to be enjoyed with thanksgiving.

Praise be to thee for grace,

   and for the unspeakable gift of Jesus.

from The Valley of Vision - A Collection of Puritan Prayers Page 158

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

The Grace of the Cross

O MY SAVIOR,
I thank Thee from the depths of my being
    for Thy wondrous grace and love
    in bearing my sin in Thine own body on the tree.
May Thy cross be to me
     as the tree that sweetens my bitter Marahs,
     as the rod that blossoms with life and beauty,
     as the brazen serpent that calls forth the look of faith.
By Thy cross crucify my every sin,
use it to increase my intimacy with thyself;
make it a ground of all my comfort,
    the liveliness of all my duties,
    the sum of all Thy gospel promises,
    the comfort of all my afflictions,
    the vigor of my love, thankfulness, graces,
    the very essence of my religion,
and by it give me that rest without rest,
    the rest of ceaseless praise.

OH MY LORD AND SAVIOR,
Thou hast also appointed a cross for me to take up and carry,
    a cross before Thou givest me a crown.
Thou hast appointed it to be my portion,
     but self-love hates it,
     carnal reason is unreconciled to it,
     without the grace of patience I cannot bear it,
       walk with it, profit by it.
Oh blessed cross, what mercies dost thou bring with thee.
Thou art only esteemed hateful by my rebel will,
     heavy because I shirk thy load.
Teach me, gracious Lord and Savior,
     that with my cross Thou sends promised grace
     so that I may bear it patiently,
     that my cross is Thy yoke which is easy,
     and Thy burden which is light.

From Valley of Vision – A Collection of Puritan Prayers  page 172

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"He is Risen!"
ah

Calvary's Anthem

Calvary's Anthem

Heavenly Father,
Thou hast led me singing to the cross
     where I fling down all my burdens and see them vanish,
     where my mountains of guilt are leveled to a plain,
     where my sins disappear, though they are the greatest that exist,

    and are more in number than the grains of fine sand;

For there is power in the blood of Calvary
     to destroy sins more than can be counted
     even by one from the choir of heaven.
Thou hast given me a hill-side spring
     that washes clear and white,
    and I go as a sinner to its waters,
    bathing without hindrance in its crystal streams.
At the cross there is free forgiveness for poor and meek ones,
    and ample blessings that last for ever;
The blood of the Lamb is like a great river of infinite grace
     with never any diminishing of its fullness
     as thirsty ones without number drink of it.

O Lord, for ever will thy free forgiveness live
     that was gained on the mount of blood;
In the midst of a world of pain
     it is a subject for praise in every place
    a song on earth, an anthem in heaven,
    its love and virtue knowing no end.
I have a longing for the world above
     where multitudes sing thy great song,
     for my soul was never created to love the dust of earth.
Though here my spiritual state is frail and poor,
     I shall go on singing Calvary's anthem.
May I always know that a clean heart full of goodness
     is more beautiful than the lily,
that only a clean heart can sing by night and by day,
that such a heart is mine when I abide at Calvary.

From The Valley of Vision - A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions page 173

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"He is Risen!"

ah

The Deeps

Lord Jesus,

Give me a deeper repentance,

         a horror of sin,

         a dread of its approach;

Help me chastely to flee it,

   and jealously to resolve that my heart

     shall be thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust,

   that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,

     the ground of my rest,

     the spring of my being.

Give me a deeper knowledge of thyself

   as Saviour, Master, Lord, and King.

Give me deeper power in private prayer,

   more sweetness in thy Word,

   more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,

   and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.

Plough deep in me, great Lord,

     heavenly Husbandman,

   that my being may be a tilled field,

   the roots of grace spreading far and wide,

   until thou alone art seen in me,

   thy beauty golden like summer harvest,

   thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no Master but thee,

   no law but thy will,

   no delight but thyself,

   no wealth but that thou givest,

   no good but that thou blessest,

   no peace but that thou bestowest.

I am nothing but that thou makest me,

I have nothing but that I receive from thee,

I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,

   and then fill me to overflowing

     with living water.

The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions  Page 75

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Paradoxes

Paradoxes

O CHANGELESS GOD,
Under the conviction of Your Spirit I learn that
     the more I do, the worse I am,
     the more I know, the less I know,
     the more holiness I have, the more sinful I am,
     the more I love, the more there is to love.
O wretched man that I am!
O Lord,
     I have a wild heart,
     and cannot stand before You;
I am like a bird before a man,
How little I love Your truth and ways!
I neglect prayer,
     by thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly,
     by knowing You have saved my soul.
Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be an evangelical hypocrite,
     who sins more safely because grace abounds,
     who tells his lusts that Christs blood cleanses them,
     who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved,
     who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives unholily.
My mind is a bucket without a bottom,
     with no spiritual understanding,
     no desire for the Lords Day,
     ever learning but never reaching the truth,
     always at the gospel-well but never holding water.
My conscience is without conviction or contrition,
     with nothing to repent of.
My will is without power of decision or resolution.
My heart is without affection, and full of leaks.
My memory has no retention,
     so I forget easily lessons learned,
     and Your truths seep away.
Give me a broken heart that yet carries home the water of grace.


Taken from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1975), p. 72.

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

FREEDOM

O Holy Father, thou hast freely given thy Son

O Divine Son, thou hast freely paid my debt,

   O Eternal Spirit, thou hast freely bid me come,

   O Triune God, thou dost freely grace me with salvation.

Prayers and tears could not suffice to pardon my sins,

   nor anything less than atoning blood,

   but my believing is my receiving,

   for a thankful acceptance is no paying of the debt.

What didst thou see in me?

   that I a poor, diseased, despised sinner

     should be clothed in thy bright glory?

   that a creeping worm

     should be advanced to this high state?

   that one lately groaning, weeping, dying,

     should be as full of joy as my heart can hold?

   that a being of dust and darkness

     should be taken like Mordecai from captivity,

       and set next to the king?

     should be lifted like Daniel from a den

       and be made ruler of princes and provinces?

Who can fathom immeasurable love?

As far as the rational soul exceeds the senses,

   so does the spirit exceed the rational in its

     knowledge of thee.

Thou hast given me understanding to compass the earth,

   measure the sun, moon, stars, universe,

   but above all to know thee, the only true God.

I marvel that the finite can know the Infinite,

   here a little, afterwards in full-orbed truth;

Now I know but a small portion of what I shall know,

   here in part, there in perfection,

   here a glimpse, there a glory.

To enjoy thee is life eternal, and to enjoy is to know.

Keep me in the freedom of experiencing thy salvation continually.

from The Valley of Vision page 56

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Soli Deo Gloria

ah

Man A Nothing

O LORD,
I am a shell full of dust,
     but animated with an invisible rational soul
     and made anew by an unseen power of grace;
Yet l am no rare object of valuable price,
     but one that has nothing and is nothing,
     although chosen of thee from eternity,
          given to Christ, and born again;
I am deeply convinced of the evil and misery of a sinful state,
     of the vanity of creatures,
     but also of the sufficiency of Christ.
When thou wouldst guide me I control myself,
When thou wouldst be sovereign I rule myself.
When thou wouldst take care of me I suffice myself.
When I should depend on thy providings I supply myself,
When I should submit to thy providence I follow my will,
When I should study, love, honour, trust thee, I serve myself;
I fault and correct thy laws to suit myself,
Instead of thee I look to man's approbation,
     and am by nature an idolater.
Lord, it is my chief design to bring my heart back to thee.
Convince me that I cannot be my own god, or make myself happy,
     nor my own Christ to restore my joy,
     nor my own Spirit to teach, guide, and rule me.
Help me to see that grace does this by providential affliction,
     for when my credit is god thou dost cast me lower,
     when riches are my idol thou dost wing them away,
     when pleasure is my all thou dost turn it into bitterness.
Take away my roving eye, curious ear, greedy appetite, lustful heart;
Show me that none of these things
     can heal a wounded conscience,
     or support a tottering frame,
     or uphold a departing spirit.
Then take me to the cross and leave me there.

From The Valley of Vision page 91.

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Soli Deo Gloria
ah

New Year

O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed

     in Thy presence, in Thy service, to Thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains,

     sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from Thee,
but may rely on Thy Spirit
     to supply every thought,
     speak in every word,
     direct every step,
     prosper every work,
     build up every mote of faith,
     and give me a desire
               to show forth Thy praise;
               testify Thy love,
               advance Thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
     with Thee, O Father as my harbour,
             Thee, O Son, at my helm,
             Thee O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
                    my lamp burning,
                    my ear open to Thy calls, 
                    my heart full of love,
                    my soul free.

Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
     Thy comforts to cheer,
     Thy wisdom to teach,
     Thy right hand to guide,
     Thy counsel to instruct,
     Thy law to judge,
     Thy presence to stabilize.
May Thy fear by my awe,
     Thy triumphs my joy.

From The Valley of Vision page 112.

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Happy New Year, may God bless you and your family in 2011!

Soli Deo Gloria
ah

Year's End

O Love beyond Compare,
Thou art good when thou givest,
     when thou takest away,
     when the sun shines upon me,
     when night gathers over me.
Thou hast loved me before the foundation of the world,
     and in love didst redeem my soul;
Thou dost love me still,
     in spite of my hard heart, ingratitude, distrust.
Thy goodness has been with me another year,
     leading me through a twisting wilderness,
     in retreat helping me to advance,
     when beaten back making sure headway.
Thy goodness will be with me in the year ahead;
I hoist sail and draw up anchor,
With thee as the blessed pilot of my future as of my past.
I bless thee that thou hast veiled my eyes to the waters ahead.
If thou hast appointed storms of tribulation,
     thou wilt be with me in them;
If I have to pass through tempests of persecution and temptation,
     I shall not drown;
If I am to die,
     I shall see thy face the sooner;
If a painful end is to be my lot,
     grant me grace that my faith fail not;
If I am to be cast aside from the service I love,
     I can make no stipulation;
Only glorify thyself in me whether in comfort or trial,
     as a chosen vessel meet always for thy use.

Taken from The Valley of Vision page 111.


____
Soli Deo Gloria
ah

A Disciple's Renewal

O My Savior, 
     help me.
I am so slow to learn, so prone to forget, so weak to climb;
I am in the foothills when I should be in the heights;
I am pained by my graceless heart,
     my prayerless days,
     my poverty of love,
     my sloth in the heavenly race,
     my sullied conscience,
     my wasted hours,
     my unspent opportunities.

I am blind while light shines around me:
     take the scales from my eyes,
     grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.

Make it my chiefest joy to study thee,
    meditate on thee,
    gaze on thee,
    sit like Mary at thy feet,
    lean like John on thy breast,
    appeal like Peter to thy love,
    count like Paul all things dung.

Give me increase and progress in grace so that there may be
     more decision in my character,
     more vigor in my purposes,
     more elevation in my life,
     more fervor in my devotion,
    more constancy in my zeal.

As I have a position in the world,
     keep me from making the world my position;

May I never seek in the creature
     what can be found only in the creator;

Let not faith cease from seeking thee until it vanishes into sight.

Ride forth in me, thou king of kings and lord of lords,
     that I may live victoriously, and in victory attain my end. 


taken from The Valley of Vision page 184.


A great prayer to pray and reflect on at the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.

Soli Deo Gloria,
ah