A Conversation About Rejoicing

Remember, O my soul,

It is your duty and privilege to rejoice in God;
He requires it of you for all his favors of grace.
Rejoice then in the Giver and his goodness,
Be happy in him, O my heart, and in nothing but God
   for whatever a person trusts in,
   from that he expects happiness.

He who is the basis of your faith
   should be the substance of your joy.
From where, then, does heaviness and dejection come
   when joy is planted in you,
      promised to you by the Father,
      granted to you by the Son,
      formed in you by the Holy Spirit,
      made yours by grace,
      given to you as your birthright by believing?

Are you seeking to rejoice in yourself
   from an evil motive of pride and self-reputation?
You have nothing of your own but sin,
   nothing to move God to be gracious
   or to cause his grace towards you to continue.
If you forget this you will lose your joy.
Are you grieving under the weight of indwelling sin?
Let godly sorrow work repentence,
   as the true spirit which the Lord blesses,
   and which creates fullest joy;
Sorrow for self opens rejoicing in God,
Self-loathing draws down divine delights.
Have you sought joys in some comfort of this world?
Look not below God for happiness;
   fall not asleep in Delilah's lap.
Let God be all in all to you
   and joy in the fountain that is always full.

After Prayer

O God of grace,

I mourn over my cold, lifeless, heartless prayers;
   their poverty adds sin to sin.
If my hope were in them I would be undone,
But the worth of Jesus perfumes my feeble breathings, and wins their acceptance.
Deepen my heart of repentence,
Confirm my faith in the blood that washes from all sin.
May I walk lovingly with my great Redeemer.
Flood my soul with true repentence
   that my heart may be broken for sin and unto sin.
Let me be as slow to give my sin a pass
   as you are ready to forgive me.
Gazing on the glories of your grace
   may I be cast into the lowest depths of shame,
   and walk with downcast head
   now that your anger towards me has been removed.
O my great High Priest,
   pour down upon me streams of needed grace,
   bless me in all my undertakings,
      in every thought of my mind,
      every word of my lips,
      every step of my feet,
      every deed of my hands.
You lived to bless,
   died to bless,
   rose to bless,
   ascended to bless,
   took your throne to bless,
   and now you reign to bless.
O give sincerity to my desires,
   earnestness to my supplications,
   and fervor to my love.

Requests

O God,

May I never be a black spot or a blank spot in life,
   never cause the way of truth to be spoken of as evil,
   or make my freedom an opportunity for my sinful nature.
May I, by love, serve others, and please my neighbor for his good to build him up.
May I pay attention to the little things as well as the big things in my faith walk,
   pursuing things that are lovely and of good reputation.
May my profession of the gospel be not only powerful, but also pleasant and inviting.
May I hold out Jesus' way
   with my temperament as well as my tongue,
   with my life as well as my lips.
May I say to all I meet,
   "I am traveling to the place the Lord has chosen,
   come with me for your good."
May I be prepared for whatever this short, changing, uncertain life may bring,
   living usefully in it,
   journeying comfortably through it,
   and passing safely out of it.
May I be, in character and conduct, like
   the dew of heaven,
   the salt of the earth,
   the light of the world,
   and the fullness of the fountain.
May I never
   be ashamed of Jesus or his words,
   be kept by fear from doing something I know I should do
   or be discouraged from attempting to do it because of my weakness.
May I see all things in a heavenly light so that they may inform my judgment
   and sanctify my heart.
And by all the ways you discipline me through circumstances,
   and all the helps provided me by the Christian faith
   may I be increasingly prepared for
      life's remaining duties,
      the solemnity of my dying hour,
      and the joys and services
         that lie beyond the grave.

The Throne

O God of my delight,

Your throne of grace
   is the pleasure ground of my soul.
It is here that I receive mercy in time of need,
   here I see the smile of your reconciled face,
   here joy pleads the name of Jesus,
   here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit,
      anoint the shield of faith,
      put on the helmet of salvation,
      gather manna from your Word,
      am strengthened for each conflict,
      emboldened for the upward race,
      empowered to conquer every foe;
Help me to come to Christ
   as the fountainhead of descending blessings,
   as a wide open flood-gate of mercy.
I'm amazed at my unthinking foolishness, that
   with such enriching favors within my reach
   I am slow to extend my hand to take them.
Have mercy upon my deadness for your Name's sake.
Enliven me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal.
Strengthen me that I may cling to you
   and not let you go.
May your Spirit within me draw all blessings
   from your hand.
When I don't move forward, I slide backward.
Let me walk humbly because of the good deeds I have not done
   and the bad things I have done.
Impress on my mind the shortness of time,
   the work to be engaged in,
   the report of my life that will be recorded,
   the nearness of eternity,
   the fearful sin of despising your Spirit.
May I never forget that
   your eye always sees,
   your ear always hears,
   your recording hand always writes.
May I never stop pursuing you until Christ is
   the pulse of my heart;
   the spokesman of my lips,
   the lamp of my feet.

The Prayer of Love

Gracious Lord,

Your name is love,
   and so, in love receive my prayer.
My sins are more than the wide sea's sand,
   but where sin abounds,
   there is grace more abundant.
May you look to the cross of your beloved Son,
   and view the preciousness of his atoning blood;
Listen to his never-failing intercession,
   and whisper to my heart, "Your sins are forgiven,
      be of good cheer, lie down in peace."
Grace surges like rapids from heaven and flows forever,
   and mercy never wearies in bestowing benefits.
Grant me more and more
   to prize the privilege of prayer,
   to come to you as a sin-soiled sinner,
   to find pardon in you,
   to talk with you;
   to know you in prayer as
      the path on which my fead tread,
      the latch upon the door of my lips,
      the light that shines through my eyes,
      the music of my ears,
      the marrow of my understanding,
      the strength of my will,
      the power of my love,
      the sweetness of my memory.
May the matter of my prayer be always
   wise, humble, submissive, obedient, scriptural, Christ-like
Give me unwavering faith
   that prayer requests are never in vain,
   that if I seem not to obtain my petitions
      I will have larger, richer answers,
      surpassing all that I ask or think.
Unsought, you have given me
   the greatest gift, the person of your Son,
   and in him you will give me all I need.

Meeting God

Great God,

In public and private, in church and home,
   may my life be steeped in prayer,
   filled with the spirit of grace and supplication,
   each prayer perfumed with the incense of atoning blood.
Help me, defend me, until from praying ground
I pass to the realm of unceasing praise.
Urged by my need,
   invited by your promises,
   called by your Spirit,
   I enter your presence
      worshipping you with godly fear,
      awed by your majesty, greatness, glory,
      but encouraged by your love.
I am all poverty as well as all guilt
   having nothing of my own with which to pay you back,
But I bring Jesus to you in the arms of faith,
   pleading his righteousness to offset my iniquities,
   rejoicing that he will weigh down the scales for me,
   and satisfy your justice.
I bless you that great sin draws out great grace,
   that, although the least sin
      deserves infinite punishment
      because it is done against an infinite God,
   yet there is mercy for me,
      for where guilt is most terrible,
      there your mercy in Christ is most free and deep.
Please bless me by revealing to me more of Christ's saving merits,
   by causing your goodness to pass before me,
   by speaking peace to my repentant heart;
Strengthen me to keep going after you until Christ
      shall reign supreme within me,
   in every thought, word, and deed,
   in a faith that purifies the heart,
      overcomes the world,
      works by love,
      fastens me to you,
      and ever clings to the cross.

Living By Prayer

O God of the open ear,

Will you teach me to live by prayer
      as well as by providence,
   for myself, my soul, my body, my children, my family, my church?
Please give me a heart that is moldable to your will;
   so that I might live in prayer,
   and honor you,
   being kept from evil, known and unknown.
Help me to see the sin that is present in everything I do,
   yet to also see the good that can come from all things as well.
Let me know that the work of prayer is to change what I want to be what you want,
   and that without this, it is foolishness to pray;
When I try to change your will to mine I am trying to command Christ,
   to be above him, and wiser than he:
      this is my sin and pride.
I can only succeed when I pray
   according to your principle and promise,
   and to be done with as it pleases you,
   according to your sovereign will.
When you command me to pray
      for pardon, peace, brokenness,
   it is because you will give me the thing promised,
      for your glory,
      as well as for my good.
Help me not only to desire small things
   but with holy boldness to desire great things
      for your people, and for myself,
      that they and I might live to show your glory.
Please teach me
   that it is wisdom for me to pray for all I have,
      out of love, willingly, not of necessity;
   that I may come to you at any time,
      to present my needs properly to you;
   that my great sin lies in not keeping in mind
      the goodness of your ways;
   that remembering this truth is one way
      that I can feel your presence;
   that there is no worse way for me to be
      than being controlled by my own lusts for my own purposes.