I ask not to be enrolled amongst the earthly great and rich, but to be numbered with the spiritually blessed.

Make it my present, supreme, persevering concern to obtain those blessings which are

spiritual in naure,

eternal in their continuance,

satisfying in their possession.

Preserve me from a false estimate of the whole or a part of my character;

May I pay regard to my principles as well as my conduct,

my motives as well as my actions.

Help me never to mistake the excitement of my passions for the renewing of the Holy Spirit,

never to judge my religion by occasional impressions and impulses, but by my constant and prevailing disposition.

May my heart be right with Thee, and my life as becometh the gospel.

May I maintain a supreme regard to another and better world, and feel and confess myself a stranger and a pilgrim here.

Afford me all the direction, defense, support, and consolation my journey here requires,

and grant me a mind stayed upon Thee.

Give me large abundance of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus,

that I may be prepared for every duty,

love Thee in all my mercies,

submit to Thee in every trial,

trust Thee when walking in darkness,

have peace in Thee amidst life’s changes.

Lord, I believe, help Thou my unbelief and uncertainties.

O LORD,

We commune with Thee every day, but week days are worldly days, and secular concerns reduce heavenly impressions.

We bless Thee therefore for the day sacred to our souls when we can wait upon Thee and be refreshed;

We thank Thee for the institutions of religion by use of which we draw near to Thee and Thou to us;

We rejoice in another Lord’s Day when we call off our minds from the cares of the world and attend upon Thee without distraction;

Let our retirement be devout,

our conversation edifying,

our reading pious,

our hearing profitable,

that our souls may be quickened and elevated.

We are going to the house of prayer, pour upon us the spirit of grace and supplication;

We are going to the house of praise, awaken in us every grateful and cheerful emotion;

We are going to the house of instruction, give testimony to the Word preached, and glorify it in the hearts of all who hear;

may it enlighten the ignorant,

awaken the careless,

reclaim the wandering,

establish the weak,

comfort the feeble-minded,

make ready a people for their Lord.

Be a sanctuary to all who cannot come,

Forget not those who never come,

And do Thou bestow upon us benevolence towards our dependants,

forgiveness towards our enemies,

peaceableness towards our neighbors,

openness towards our fellow-Christians.

Fight for me and my foes must flee;
Uphold me and I cannot fall;
Strengthen me and I stand unmoved, unmovable;
Equip me and I shall receive no wound;
Stand by me and Satan will depart;
Anoint my lips with a song of salvation
and I shall shout Thy victory;
Give me abhorrence of all evil,
as a vile monster that defies Thy law,
casts off Thy yoke,
defiles my nature,
spreads misery.

Teach me to look to Jesus on His cross
and so to know sin’s loathsomeness in Thy sight.

There is no pardon but through Thy Son’s death,
no cleansing but in His precious blood,
no atonement but His to expiate evil.

Show me the shame, the agony, the bruises of incarnate God,
that I may read boundless guilt in the boundless price;
May I discern the deadly viper in its real malignity,
tear it with holy indignation from my breast,
resolutely turn from its every snare,
refuse to hold polluting dalliance with it.

Blessed Lord Jesus, at Thy cross
may I be taught the awful miseries from which I am saved,
ponder what the word ‘lost’ implies,
see the fires of eternal destruction;
Then may I cling more closely to Thy broken self,
adhere to Thee with firmer faith,
be devoted to Thee with total being,
detest sin as strongly as Thy love to me is strong,
And may holiness be the atmosphere in which I live.

O Lord,

May I…

Never fail to come to the knowledge of the truth,

Never rest in a system of doctrine, however scriptural, that does not bring or further salvation, or teach me to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, or help me to live soberly, righteously, godly;

Never rely on my own convictions and resolutions, but be strong in Thee and in Thy might;

Never cease to find Thy grace sufficient in all my duties, trials, and conflicts;

Never forget to repair to Thee in all my spiritual distresses and outward troubles, in all the dissatisfactions experienced in creature comforts;

Never fail to retreat to Him who is full of grace and truth, the Friend that loveth at all times, who is touched with the feelings of my infirmities, and can do exceeding abundantly for me;

Never confine my religion to extraordinary occasions, but acknowledge Thee in all my ways;

Never limit my devotions to particular season but be in Thy fear all the day long;

Never be godly only on the Sabbath or in Thy house, but on every day abroad and at home;

Never make piety a dress but a habit, not only a habit ~ but a nature, not only a nature ~ but a life.

Do good to me by all Thy dispensations, by all means of grace, by worship, prayers, praises,

And at last let me enter that world where is no temple, but only Thy glory and the Lamb’s.

Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in You,
the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being.

Give me a deeper knowledge of Yourself
as Savior, Master, Lord, and King.

Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in Your Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from You.

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 You alone are seen in me,
Your beauty golden like summer harvest,
Your fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no master but You,
no law but Your will,
no delight but in You,
no wealth but that which You give,
no good but of that which You bless,
no peace but that which You bestow.

I am nothing but what You make of me.
I have nothing but what I receive from You.
I can be nothing but what grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing with living water.

- a prayer from The Valley of Vision

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