A Disciple's Renewal

0 God who saves me,

Help me.

I am so slow to learn,

   so prone to forget,

   so weak to climb;

I am in the foothills of faith when I should be

   on its heights;

It hurts me when I notice my graceless heart,

   my prayerless days,

   my lack of love,

   my laziness in the heavenly race,

   my dirty conscience,

   my wasted hours,

   my unspent opportunities.

I am blind while light shines around me:

   please open my eyes,

   and grind to dust my evil heart of unbelief.

Will you make it my chiefest joy to study you,

   think deeply about you,

   gaze on you,

   sit like Mary at your feet,

   lean like John on your hreast,

   appeal like Peter to your love,

   count like Paul all things excrement, compared to you.

O grant that I may grow and progress in grace

      so that I may have

   more decisiveness 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,

   please keep me from making the world my position;

May I never seek in the created

   what can be found only in the Creator;

Let my faith never cease from seeking you

   until it becomes sight.

Ride forth in me, O King of kings

      and Lord of lords,

   that I may live victoriously,

      and in victory accomplish my goal.