Faith

My God,

I bless you that you have given me eyes of faith,
   to see you as Father,
   to know you as a covenant God,
   to experience your love planted in me;
For faith is the grace of oneness
   by which I communicate my right to have you:
Faith casts my anchor upwards
   where I trust in you
   and engage you to be my Lord.
O be be pleased to live and move within me,
   breathing in my prayers,
   inhabiting my praises,
   speaking in my words,
   moving in my actions,
   living in my life,
   causing me to grow in grace.
Your plentiful goodness has helped me believe,
   but my faith is weak and wavering,
      its light dim,
      its steps tottering,
      its increase slow,
      its backslidings frequent
It should climb the heavens, but it lies groveling in the dust.
Lord, fan this divine spark into a glowing flame.
When faith sleeps, my heart becomes
   an unclean thing,
   the fount of every loathsome desire,
   the cage of unclean lusts
   all fluttering to escape,
      the poisonous tree of deadly fruit,
      the open ditch of earthly weeds.
Lord, awake faith to put forth its strength
   until all heaven fills my soul
   and all impurity is cast out.