Puritan Prayer #1

Many, many thanks to Pastor Steve for jumping in to preach yesterday as I recovered from the flu. I'm feeling better. This week is our 2007 Grace Week of Prayer. I just came out of a sweet time of morning prayer with Jessica, Kayla, Amy, Armand and Tim.

I hope that you've made a commitment to pray with your family and with others in the church family in a special way this week. This week at "life together" I thought I'd highlight some Puritan prayers from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.

Here's the first which touches on some of the themes of Steve's message yesterday. . . . our condition apart from God's grace, our continuing need for God's grace . . .

Incomprehensible, great and glorious God, I adore Thee and abase myself.
I approach thee mindful that I am worse than nothing, a creature worse than nothing. My thoughts are not screened from Thy gaze, my secret sins blaze in the light of Thy countenance.

Enable me to remember that blood which cleanseth all sin, to believe in that grace which subdues all my iniquities, to resign myself to that agency which can deliver me from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

Thou hast begun a good work in me and canst alone continue and complete it.
Give me an increasing conviction of my tendency to err, and of my exposure to sin.
Help me to feel more of the purifying, softening influence of religion, its compassion, love, pity courtesy and employ me as Thy instrument in blessing others.

Give me to distinguish between the mere form of godliness and its power, between life and a name to live, between guile and truth, between hypocrisy and a religion that will bear Thy eye.

If I am not right, set me right, keep me right;
And may I at last come to Thy house in peace. Amen.