So this morning, as I am being intentional about renewing my mind, I came across a Puritan prayer that I used in my time with the Lord. Thought I would share part of it with you:
“O Lord who inhabitest eternity,
I thank thee for thy riches to me in Jesus, for the unclouded revelation of Him in thy Word, where I behold His Person, character, grace, glory, humiliation, sufferings, death, and resurrection; Give me to feel a need of His continual saviourhood, and cry with Job, ‘I am vile,’ with Peter, ‘I perish,’ with the publican, ‘Be merciful to me, a sinner.’
Subdue in me the love of sin. Let me know the need of renovation as well as of forgiveness, in order to serve and enjoy thee forever. I come to thee in the all-prevailing name of Jesus, with nothing of my own to plead – no works, no worthiness, no promises.
May I not be careless of thy favour or regardless of thy glory; Impress me deeply with a sense of thine omnipresence, that thou art about my path, my ways, my lying down, my end. Amen.”
All of this prayer pierced my heart – I have underlined a few of the lines that particularly stunned me – helping me realize how impotent my own praying is. Grace and Peace to you as you continue your pondering!
Amen.
Wow, this prayer has a lot of weighty thoughts. I too can identify with the subdue the sin nature in me and not being careless of favor.
thanks…
As I think about my birthday tomorrow, and the number that I will become, and as I clean out and clean up the home that we are about to move in to, in my own way I am renovating. making necessasry changes. And I can truly ask my heavenly Father, “Let me know the need of renovation as well as of forgiveness, in order to serve and enjoy thee forever. I come to thee in the all-prevailing name of Jesus, with nothing of my own to plead – no works, no worthiness, no promises.”
Shay, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I don’t put my thoughts into words like you and others, but I know what I feel in my heart, and you bring those words and thoughts to lie.
Blessings!
In our age of half sentences and abbreviations, these words are beautiful but, you’re right, the meaning is heart-piercing.Thanks so much for finding and sharing this.