John Baillie's 'Prayer': a modern re-working of th

Introduction

When I first read John Baillie’s Diary of Private Prayer, I felt myself being taken into a holy place. I was bowled over by the man’s honesty before God and the very personal relationship he had with his Lord. I was taken to a place where I saw what true prayer can be.

I have reworked this wee book, not to improve it, but to make it easier to read in the modern idiom for people today. None of the changes are in any way a criticism of John Baillie’s content, but simply an attempt to make more readable something that was written nearly 80 years ago.

Use this and profit from it. You will not be disappointed!

Iain Greenshields

Dunfermline, April 2017

FIRST DAY MORNING

Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of You, let my first desire be to worship You, the first words that come from my mouth be to honour Your name, let my first action be to bow before you in prayer.

For Your perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:

For the love with which You love this world:

For the love with which You love me:

For the great and mysterious gift of life You have given to me:

For the indwelling of Your Spirit in my heart:

For all of the gifts of Your Spirit:

I praise and worship You, O Lord.

After this morning prayer is spoken, do not let me think my worship is ended and spend the rest of the day with no thought of You. Rather, from these moments of quietness let light, and joy, and power come into my life and remain there throughout the day.

Keep my mind sexually pure:

Keep me gracious and truthful in what I say:

Keep me faithful and diligent in my work:

Keep me with a humble estimation of myself:

Keep me honest, and generous in all of my relationships:

Help me to appreciate every good past memory:

As Your child keep me mindful of my eternal destiny.

O God, who has been a Refuge to my ancestors through the generations, be my Refuge today in every time and circumstance of need. Be my Guide when I doubt and go through dark times. Guard me against everything that threatens my peace. Be my strength when I am tested. Bring joy to my heart with Your Peace; Through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

FIRST DAY EVENING

O You who are without beginning or end, I turn my thoughts to You as the hours of darkness and sleep begin. O Sun of my soul, I rejoice to know that right through this night I will be watched by the unsleeping eye of the One who inhabits eternal light.

Into your care, O Father, I now commend my body and spirit. All day you have watched over my soul and Your nearer presence has filled my heart with peace. Let not one moment of this night pass without Your presence in my life.

Give me sound and refreshing sleep:

Keep me safe from all danger:

In my sleep, prevent me from having unsettling dreams:

If I should lie awake, unable to sleep, give me control over my thoughts:

Give me the wisdom to remember that night was created for the sleep of rest, and not for the embracing of anxious or distressing or shameful thoughts.

Give me the grace, if I am unable to sleep, to meditate on You.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed, I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night [ Psalm 63:5-6].

Into your care, O Father, I also commend my friends, earnestly asking you to keep them safe in spirit and body, and to be present in their hearts tonight as a Spirit of power and of joy and of rest.

I pray for…….and…….and…….. I pray also for all the people involved in my life, for those people I work with, for everyone in this community, especially visitors among us; and for this great world and its people, most of them unknown to me, but dear to Your heart; through Jesus Christ our One and Only Lord. Amen

SECOND DAY MORNING

O God my Creator and Redeemer, I will not go forward into this day unless you assure me of Your presence and blessing. Do not allow light and freshness of the new day, or the growing energy I feel in my body, or the interesting and challenging work ahead of me, deflect me from entering into this day without dependence on You. Every good gift and blessing I have comes from You. They are Your gifts to me, but You have the right to restrict them. These gifts of grace are not mine by right; but I hold on to them in faith; and only as I continually depend on You, the Giver, can I truly enjoy them.

I consciously put back into Your hands all that You have given me. I rededicate to Your service all the powers of my mind and body, everything I own, all my relationships. Everything belongs to You, O Father, to use in accordance with Your wisdom and will. Everything belongs to You, O Christ. Everything belongs to You, O Holy Spirit.

Today, as I speak, speak through me; be in my thoughts, and work in everything I do. And recognising that it is Your gracious will to use weak instruments like myself in the fulfilment of your purposes in this world, let my life be a channel through which even a little of Your divine love and mercy might touch the lives of those nearest and dearest to me.

In Your awesome presence, O God, I remember all my friends and neighbours, everyone in this community, and especially the poorest among us, sincerely asking You to give me the grace, as far as it is possible for me, to serve them in Your name.

O blessed Jesus, who used Your own most precious life to redeem Your people and gave no thought to personal ease, pleasure or personal status, but filled Your hours and days with deeds of self-denying love, give me the grace to walk the road you first walked; and to Your name be all glory and praise, even to the end of time. Amen.

SECOND DAY EVENING

O Father in heaven You created my body to serve You and my spirit to earnestly seek You; with sorrow and a repentant heart I acknowledge before You the faults and failures of this past day. Too long I have tried Your patience; too often I have betrayed the sacred trust you have given me to keep; yet when I come to you with a humble heart, as I do now, and earnestly ask you to take my sins and drown them in the sea of Your own infinite love; You are willing to receive me.

My failure to live up even to my own set standards:

My ability to deceive myself when tempted:

My choosing the poorer path when I know a better road:

O Lord, forgive.

My failure to live up to the standards I expect from other people:

My blindness to the suffering of people around me, and my slowness to learn from my own suffering:

My complacency when others are treated unjustly, because it does not touch my life, and my over-sensitivity when I or my friends are wronged:

My slowness to see the good in others and my slowness to see the sins in my own character:

My hard-heartedness towards the faults of those around me, and yet how easily I excuse my own:

My unwillingness to believe that You have called me to a relatively insignificant task, and yet You have called others to a greater task:

O Lord, forgive.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
   and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
   or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
   and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me [Psalm 51:10-12]

THIRD DAY MORNING

Lord of my life, I delight to keep your law, and I long to enjoy fellowship with You; in Your service, I desire above all else to be loyal to You, and I bow my heart before You as You send me out into this world to work another day.

For this new day, I humbly thank You for its vigour and it brightness: for the long hours that lie ahead waiting to be filled with happy and fruitful labour: for all the opportunities You will place before me: for all of its hope and potential.

I humbly ask that You to open my heart, to embrace with enthusiasm the potential and opportunities of the day. Do not allow me to forget any of the promises I made yesterday, and help me to put right yesterdays wrongs. Do not allow me to miss the opportunity to help someone in need. Do not allow me to neglect my responsibilities for this day, and do not permit me to overlook any sin in my life.

Where an action of mine can make this world a better place, where a word from me can bring hope to a downcast individual or strength to someone who is finding life tough, where a prayer from me can bring a flavour of Christ’s Kingdom into this world, then let me do and speak and pray

This day, O Lord

Give me a considerate heart:

Give me a humble disposition in all that I seek to be and do:

Give me patience:

Give me love:

Give me sexual purity:

Give me sincerity in what I say:

Give me consistency in my calling and work.

O You who, when the time was right, raised up our Lord Jesus Christ to bring hope to our hearts with an understanding of Your love, give me the grace to be worthy of His name. Amen.

THIRD DAY EVENING

You possess all wisdom, You are great, holy and full of compassion and mercy; You created me in Your own image. You have given me this wonderful and fulfilling life to live; You have established me in Your will and set the boundaries of my responsibilities; You have surrounded me with the gracious and good influence of friends and companions on the road of faith; You have established Your law at the root of who I am.

In my heart’s secret chamber, You are now waiting to meet and speak with me, freely offering me Your fellowship in spite of all my sins. Let me take advantage of this road You have opened so that I might have peace of mind. Let me approach Your presence with awe and humility. Let me carry into Your presence the spirit of my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Let me leave behind all worry, all corrupt feelings, all thoughts of meanness towards any other person, all hesitancy in surrendering to You, my will.

Knowing I am in Your will, brings me peace.

I desire to know You more than anything else.

“Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee” [Psalm 73:25]

In Your presence, O God, I am concerned not just for myself, but embrace everyone:

Of my friends, especially ………. and …………..:

Of those I have worked alongside today and those I have relaxed with:

Of those who are grieving:

Of those who are carrying the burden of others:

Of those who are working in difficult circumstances and situations, or feeling lonely while engaging in the work of Your Kingdom:

O You, the Father of us all, be near to us all tonight, and in your grace, watch over our souls. Hear my prayer for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.

FOURTH DAY MORNING

Almighty and eternal God,

You are hidden from my sight:

You are beyond anything I can understand:

The way You think is not the way I think:

You will and purposes are beyond my understanding.

Yet You have breathed Your Spirit into my spirit:

Yet You have put a desire in my mind to seek You:

Yet You have made it possible for me to love You:

Yet You have created a restlessness in me, that longs for the restful peace I can find in You:

Yet You have created in me a strong desire to know You, that makes me dissatisfied with even the best pleasures in this world.

O Lord God, I praise and honour Your name because You have secured my destiny, not leaving me to the poor alternatives I would have chosen or to the sinful desires that governed my life: Instead you have made me an heir of Your Eternal Kingdom.

I bless You for that knocking at the door of my heart that alerts me to Your waiting presence. I bless You for Your intervention into my life, and for the certain knowledge that, however weak I may be or fail, yet underneath me are Your everlasting arms.

Lord You alone know what is before me in this day, help me to ensure that in every hour I may stay close to You. Let me be in the world, yet not of it. Let me use the world without abusing it. If I buy anything let me not be possessed by my possessions. If I have nothing, let me feel rich in my heart. Let me today embark on no undertaking that is not in line with Your will for my life, nor shrink from any form of sacrificial service which You may ask of me. Suggest, direct, control every movement of my mind; for my Lord Christ’s sake. Amen.

FOURTH DAY EVENING

O You in whose sight every human heart is fully known and exposed – Gog forbid that I should seek to try and hide anything today that I have done or thought or imagined. What I could never allow another person to know, let me acknowledge in Your presence. Those things that I should have been ashamed to do, or think or feel, let no hypocrisy hold me back from confessing them now.

Dear Lord, who in compassion and mercy oversees all things, humbly and with heart-sorrow I sincerely desire Your forgiveness for the sins of this day;

For every weak and polluted thought that my mind has welcomed and savoured:

For every foolish word spoken in haste or anger:

For every failure to exercise self-control:

For every stumbling block whether by my actions of example, that I have put in another person’s path:

For every opportunity lost:

For times when I was lazy or spoke too much:

For this ………

And this ……...

Grant that, as the days’ pass, Your Spirit may govern in my heart, giving me victory over these and all other sinful ways.

To your loving protection and care, O holy Father, I commend all who are dear to me, especially ………. and ………. Bless all those with whom I live, work, socialise and worship and give to them a satisfying sense of Your presence and power. Be with all those who tonight are in any danger or distress. Be in every hurting life, every broken home, everyone in pain, giving to all the blessing of Your peace. Amen.

FIFTH DAY MORNING

God of my forefathers, I earnestly come to you. You have been a place of safety for the good and the wise in every generation.

When history began, You brought intelligence and insight to people’s minds – Your Spirit breathed the Divine into their whole being and made them in Your image. Through all the ages You have been the one who gives life, is the source of all knowledge, and the never-ending supply of all goodness.

The Patriarchs trusted You and were never disappointed:

The Prophets sought to understand Your will, and You gave Your word for them to speak:

The Psalmists rejoiced in You and You were present in their songs:

The Apostles hoped and trusted in You and they were filled with Your Holy Spirit:

Those who gave their lives for the faith called upon You and you were present with them in their glorious deaths:

“This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” [Psalm 34:6]

O Lord, who was, and is, and is to come, I thank You that this Christian path I am walking, is no untried or uncharted territory, but a road well worn by all Your people, the apostles, the prophets and those who have been killed because of their faith. I thank You for sign posts and danger signals that have been placed along the way and the guidance given to me through the study of the Bible, the lessons of history, and the great teachers of the world.

Above all else I give You humble and glad thanks for the great gift of Jesus Christ, the Pioneer of our faith. I praise You for being born at this time, and in a land where the name of Jesus is known, and that I don’t have to face any temptation or difficult situations which He did not first face and overcome.

May it never be, Holy Lord, that I should fail to be a better person because of the lessons I learn from all the resources of the past, or that I should fail to enter into the glorious inheritance which You have prepared for me; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

FIFTH DAY EVENING

Almighty God, this is a special time set apart when I desire intimate fellowship with You. From all the rush and hassle of the day, from our world’s conflicting opinions, from the good and bad relationships with people, from the confused thoughts and pride rising up in my heart, I would turn aside and seek the intimacy of Your presence.

All day long I have worked hard; but now, with a still and quiet heart, and with Your eternity clearly in sight, I would seriously consider the direction my life has been taking.

May there descend upon me now, O God, a great sense of Your power and Your glory, so that I may see all the things of this world in their true context.

Help me to understand this great truth, that one day to You is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.

Give me such a personal knowledge of Your perfect holiness, in order to put into perspective my accomplishments and bring an end to my pride.

From Your generous heart show me such a vision of Your uncreated beauty and so I will never be satisfied with anything less.

Though earth and man were gone,

And suns and universes ceased to be,

And Thou were left alone,

Every existence would exist in Thee. [Emily Bronte: No Coward Soul is Mine].

I am content, O Father, to leave my life in Your hands, believing that the very hairs on my head are numbered by You. I am content to hand over my will to Your control, believing that I have been given by You a right relationship with Christ, I could never have accomplished myself.

I am content to commit to you everyone who has a special place in my heart, believing that Your love for them is greater than my own. I am content to commit to You all the causes for truth and justice in our world, and the coming of your Kingdom into people’s hearts, believing that my yearning for these things is a poor reflection of Your ultimate will. To You, O God, be glory forever and ever. Amen

SIXTH DAY MORNING

O God you proved Your love for our world by sending us Jesus Christ our Lord, and brought hope to our humanity by the knowledge of His presence. I give You thanks for Jesus Christ, Your greatest gift.

For the time my Lord Jesus spent here on earth:

For the love that was in everything he did:

For the words he spoke that guide and help me:

For obeying Your will by going to the Cross:

For his victory over death:

For the presence of His Spirit with me now:

I thank You O God.

May I always remember the blessed Life that was lived here on this earth. May I remember Him in all the things I do in my daily routine. Let me remember –

His profound desire, not to be served, but to serve others:

His sympathy and compassion for suffering people:

His bravery in the face of his own suffering:

His humility and gentleness, so that, He despised no-one even when

despised by others:

His consistency of life in keeping to the will of God for His life:

His straightforwardness:

His self-discipline:

His peaceful spirit:

His total dependence on You, His Father in Heaven:

In all of these ways, give me the grace to follow in His footsteps.

Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I commit my whole life to You. I hand over my soul to Your safe-keeping. I pledge my life to serving You. May today be one where I obey You and show love to others – a day of happiness and peace. May everything I say and do be consistent with the Good News of Christ. Amen.

SIXTH DAY EVENING

Dear God who is the source of all that is good and just and true, I lift up my soul to You.

O God, let Your Spirit now enter my heart.

At this moment, as I pray, let my whole being be honest and open to You; do not allow me to secretly try to hide anything from You.

O God, give me the power to consistently do Your good will.

As I bow before You in prayer, do not allow me to hold on to some secret sin that is cherished by me – create in me a repentant spirit.

O God, bless all the things I seek to do in Your name and make my works for You fruitful.

As I bow before You in prayer, prevent me from doing anything that I would be afraid to ask You to bless, because in my heart I know it is wrong.

O God, keep me sexually pure.

As I bow before You in prayer, do not allow me to harbour sexual lust and put off dealing with it till another day; prevent me from justifying sexual sin.

O God, bless every member of this household.

As I bow before You in prayer, prevent me from harbouring the sinful feelings of jealousy, bitterness or anger towards anyone in this home.

O God, bless those people who wish me ill or who have deliberately tried to hurt me in some way.

As I bow before You in prayer, please take away any desire there may be in me for revenge.

O God, let Your Kingdom come on earth.

As I bow before You in prayer, may I give my best efforts and years to the work of your Kingdom and not to lesser pursuits.

O Holy Spirit of God, as I rise from this time of devotion, prevent me from returning to godless thoughts and an empty way of living, but let the same mind that was in Christ also be in me.

SEVENTH DAY MORNING

O Lord and Creator of everything, by whose power the first light shone and who looked at the world’s first morning and said that it was good, I praise You for the light that now streams through my window to rouse me to the life of another day.

I praise You for the life that is vibrating through me:

I praise You for the bright and beautiful world I will go out into:

I praise You for the earth and sea and sky, for the roaming clouds and for the singing of the birds.

I praise You for the work You have entrusted to me to do:

I praise You for all the pleasures I enjoy in my leisure time:

I praise You for music and books and good company and for everything and everyone that brings me joy and happiness.

O God who Yourself are everlasting Mercy, give me a tender and compassionate heart towards all those for whom this morning brings less joy than it brings to me:

Those who are moving towards the end of their life here on earth:

Those who are confined to home and bed because of illness:

Those who are blind and cannot see and enjoy the light of day:

Those who are overworked and find little joy in life:

Those who are unemployed and cannot enjoy the dignity of work:

The grieving, whose hearts and homes are desolate:

And bestow Your mercy on them all:

O Light that never dims, as the light of this day streams through these windows and floods this room, so let me open the windows of my heart, that my life may be filled with the light of Your presence. Let every part of my being be filled with the light of Your presence. Let there be nothing within my life that would dim the brightness of Your presence. Let the Spirit of Him whose life was and is the light that brings hope to all, rule within my heart until evening. Amen

SEVENTH DAY EVENING

O Unique and Only Eternal Being, You live in everlasting light; now, as the world’s light fails, I seek the brightness of Your presence. You never grow weary or tired; now, as my limbs grow heavy and my spirit begins to tire, I commit my soul into Your safe-keeping.

You never sleep; now, as I lie down to sleep, I commit myself to Your care.

There has never been a moment when You have not seen and known all things; now, when I lie asleep and helpless, I rely completely on Your love.

Before I sleep, O God, I want to review all that has been done this day, in the light of Your eternity.

I remember with extreme sadness and self-reproach those things I should and could have done, but failed to accomplish.

I remember with a heavy heart and genuine sorrow, those harsh and unnecessary words that I have spoken.

I remember with shame all the sinful and shameful thoughts I have entertained.

Use these memories, O God, to rescue me, and then forever blot them out.

I remember with a glad heart the beautiful things of the world today:

It refreshes my soul to remember the kind deeds I have witnessed other people doing today:

I am so thankful for all the work You have given me strength to do today and the truths you have taught me.

Use these memories, O God, to humble me, and let them remain in me as a good example of how to live.

Before I sleep, I remember with joy those who love me and those whose friendship I so value and who have blessed my life. I rejoice as I remember……….. and…………..; knowing that though they have passed now through the mystery of death, they have not passed beyond Your love and care. I remember with joy my present fellowship with ……….. and……….and…………; they are special to me and I commit them to Your safe-keeping throughout this night. And for all those who this night have no-where to call home or for those who cannot sleep because of pain or anxiety, I ask for You to show them compassion in the name of our Lord Christ. Amen.

EIGHTH DAY MORNING

O God, who out of love and compassion for us sent Jesus Christ to bring hope into our dark lives, give me Your wisdom in order that I might benefit from the words He spoke and the grace to follow in His footsteps.

Jesus Christ said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him…”

O God, give me the grace to do this now.

Jesus Christ said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

O God, give me the grace today to consider, not what I can gain, but how I can serve and give.

Jesus Christ said, “But when you give to those in need, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”

O God, give me the grace to give to others with a humble heart and without looking for recognition, praise or reward.

Jesus Christ said, “Enter through the narrow gate”

O God, give me the grace today to walk the narrow path of service to You and to be honest in everything do.

Jesus Christ said, “Do not judge.”

O God, give me the grace today to take the plank out of my own eye, before I try to remove the speck from some other person’s eye.

Jesus Christ said, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

O God, give me the grace today to live in such a way, that whatever else I lose, I will not lose my soul.

Jesus Christ said, “This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For to You is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever. Amen.

EIGHTH DAY EVENING

O God, Father of all, I now bring to You tonight all my concerns for this world. I unite myself with all the people, spread over this world today, who are calling out to you for their needs and the needs of the world we live in. Hear us all, O God, and look compassionately upon us in our need, since only You are able to satisfy the desires of our hearts.

In particular I entrust to Your holy safe-keeping:

All tonight who are far from home and friends:

All tonight who are homeless, hungry or in any way deprived:

All who are in physical pain:

All who cannot sleep because they are nervous or anxious:

All who are facing danger:

All who have to work or keep watch over other people this night:

Give to all of them, I pray, such a sense of Your presence that it will turn their loneliness into comfort and their trouble into peace.

O most loving God, who through Your Son Jesus Christ clearly showed You love for us all, by healing the sick and bringing relief to those in pain, bring near Your blessing, I pray, to all those who serve You and the Gospel in Christ’s name:

All servants of the Gospel of Christ:

All social workers:

All those, from all countries, who have gone out in mission:

All doctors, nurses and other who faithfully look after the sick:

Accomplish through them You great purpose of displaying Your goodness and kindness to this world, and may they now have in their own hearts the joy of the presence of Christ.

And to me, as I lie down to sleep, grant, O gracious Father, the joy that comes of a life surrendered to Christ’s service and the peace of my sin forgiven through the power of His Cross. Amen.

NINTH DAY MORNING

Here I am, O God, I have little power, influence or wealth, yet I come and lift up my heart and voice in Your presence, the Creator, to whom all created things are as dust. You are hidden from our senses; You are great beyond anything we can imagine and Your power, which is absolute, is a mystery to me; Yet here I am, speaking in the familiar way of a child to a parent, a friend to a friend. If I could not speak in this way to you, I would have no hope in this world. For my power is so little, I can barely achieve anything. It’s not even through my own will I am here, for that is not enough to keep me on this path.

Of everything that will happen to me today, I will have chosen very little of it myself. It is You, O Hidden God, who gave me my abilities and destiny and chose where I would be born, live and die. It is You who has given me the power to exercise one gift and withheld the ability to do other things. It is You who hold in His hands the routines of this day and knows what the future holds for me – what I will achieve and what I will suffer. But because You are my Father, I am not afraid. It is because of Your Spirit working within my spirit that I know all is well. What I desire for myself, I find difficult to achieve, but what You want me to do, You will empower me to achieve. The good things I want to do, I do not achieve, but the good that You will me to do, You give me the power to achieve.

Dear Father, take this day into Your own care. Control all my thoughts and feelings. Direct all my activities. Instruct my mind. Empower my will. Take my feet and make them quick to do Your will. Fix the eyes of my soul on Your everlasting beauty. Here is my mouth; use it to speak meaningfully and be a witness to Your love. Make this day, a day of obedience, a day of Spirit-filled joy and peace. Make this day a little part of the Kingdom of my Lord Christ, in whose name these prayers are said. Amen.

NINTH DAY EVENING

O Merciful Father, you look upon our weaknesses with more compassion than anger, and more in love than anything else; let me now, in Your presence, have the secrets of my heart revealed.

Have I done anything today that has fulfilled the purpose for which I was called into this world?

Have I grasped those opportunities to serve You that You have placed in my path?

Have I carried out your will in everything asked of me today – leaving nothing out?

Give me the grace to answer honestly, O God.

Have I done anything that has reflected badly upon Your image in me?

Have I been lazy in body or lethargic in spirit?

Have I sinfully indulged any of my bodily desires?

Have I kept my imagination pure and wholesome?

Have I been thoroughly honest in all my financial dealings?

Have I been evidently sincere in all that I have professed to be, to feel and to do?

Have I tried today to see myself as others see me?

Have I made excuses for myself, while not making allowances for others?

Have I in my home been a peacemaker or have I caused arguments?

Have I been shown interest in noble causes and events abroad and failed to show love and respect towards those I know best?

Give me grace to answer honestly, O God.

O God whose infinite love, revealed in Jesus Christ, is the only thing with the power to destroy rebellion in my soul, give me the grace with each day that passes I may be more and more set free from those sins that principally control me. Amen.

TENTH DAY MORNING

“ ¹ You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
³ Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. [Psalm 63:1-3]

^“164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.
¹⁶⁵ Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” [Psalm 119:164-165]

“⁹ How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.” [Psalm 119:9]

“⁴ Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.
⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.” [Psalm 25:4,5]

“³ Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” [Psalm 141:3]

“¹³³ Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” [Psalm 119:133]

“ ¹ LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?

² The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; ³ whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbour, and casts no slur on others;
⁴ who despises a vile person but honours those who fear the LORD;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind;
⁵ who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things will never be shaken. [Psalm 15]

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. “[Psalm 19:14]

TENTH DAY EVENING

Almighty and ever blessed God, I thank You that your love has pursued me all through my life. I thank You that You have taught my mind with Your divine truth. I thank You that the foundation of my will is Your divine grace. I thank You for every evidence of Your Spirit’s guidance in my life, and for all those things that have happened in my life and experience, which at the time seemed no more than chance, yet afterwards it has been evident to me they are all part of Your gracious plan for the nurturing and improving of my whole being. Do not allow me to refuse to be guided by You or smother this light that You have established in me, but let me grow every day in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord and Master.

Yet it would be wrong of me to only think of myself and only pray for myself and my needs, as I now seek Your Presence. I remember, in Your Presence, anyone in this world who needs Your help. Especially tonight I think –

Of those who are facing powerful temptations in their lives:

Of those who feel overwhelmed by what they are facing in their lives:

Of those who are at a critical junction in their lives and have a significant decision to make.

Of those who are living with the fallout of bad and sinful decisions they made, even though they have repented of this a long time ago:

Of those, who because of adverse early circumstances, have never had a fair chance in life:

Of all those who have suffered a family bereavement:

Of all those Christian Missionaries from many countries who are far from home for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven:

Of all those who seek to exercise truth and justice and for whom it is a lonely task: Of………….and………and…………

Dear Father of us all, make me the human channel, so far as I am able, through which Your unique love and compassion may influence the hearts and lives of a few of those who have a special place in my heart. Amen.

ELEVENTH DAY MORNING

God, who is present everywhere, under whose all-seeing eye our lives are lived, may it be in that everything I say and do today, I will behave with consideration and respect. Let me be fair, honest and truthful in all my relationships. Do not allow any spiteful or degrading thoughts have a place in my mind. Let all my motives be transparent. Let my word be my bond. Do not allow me to use my position to take advantage of another person. Let me generous in my estimation of others. Do not allow me to get carried away with my own opinion of myself. Let me be loyal to my friends and generous to those people who oppose me. Let me face every difficult situation with courage. Do not let me ask or expect of myself more that I am capable of doing.

Yet Lord do not allow me to be complacent with any concept of personal improvement, apart from pursuing the ideal of being like Christ. Let the way he thought be the way I think. Do not let me be content until I become fully like Him. Let me listen to Christ’s question: “What are you doing more than others?” And so, may the trinity of graces, faith, hope and love be more and more an integral part of me, until everything I say and do reflects the gospel of Christ.

O Lord, whose love for all was proved in the passion and death of Jesus Christ our Lord, let the power of His Cross be with me today. Let me love as He loved. Even if I am to die in the process, let me be obedient. As I confidently trust in His Cross, let me not refuse to carry my own; yet as I carry my cross, let me carry it by the strength of His.

O Lord, You have given us the gift of our families, so I desire more than anything else Your blessing for all the members of this household, all my neighbours, and all my fellow citizens. Let Christ rule in every heart and His law be respected in every home. Let every knee bow before Him and every mouth confess Him as Lord. Amen.

ELEVENTH DAY EVENING

O Merciful heart of God, in a true spirit of sorrow and repentance I open my heart to You. While I pray, let me keep nothing hidden from You. The truth about who, and what I am humbles me, yet let me be honest and courageous enough to tell it as it is in Your presence. What I was not ashamed to think, do, or feel, let me not be ashamed to confess it to You. In Your wisdom use this painful time of confession as a means to make me hate the very sins I confess.

I confess the sin of laziness in this………..and this…………

I confess the sin of pride in this………..and this…………….

I have not delayed gratification in this………….and this…………

I confess to telling lies and being false in this………….and this……………

I confess to this…………..and this…………..dishonest behaviour.

I confess to these………….and these…………..ungracious and unloving words.

I confess to having harboured this…………..and this…………..evil thought.

I confess to this…………and this this……….wrong direction I have allowed my life to take.

I confess to this……….and this…………lack of spiritual discipline in my life.

Your love can come into our hearts like a fire and burn up all that is shameful and evil – let me now take to myself Your perfect righteousness and make it my own. Erase all my shortcomings and let my sins be forgiven and removed. Make me feel You working in my life, cleansing me from the contamination of past sins, loosing me from the grip of habitually evil ways, strengthening me in new good disciplines that come from a sincere heart, and guiding me in the way of eternal life. Lead me in battle Lord against my hidden sins. Ring fence my life with a wall of pure aspirations. Let Christ be formed at the core of my being, through faith. All this I ask for His holy name’s sake. Amen.

TWELFTH DAY MORNING

O Eternal God, though I cannot touch you with my hands or see You with my eyes, let me have a clear understanding of the reality of Your presence and power today. As I go forward into this working day may I not only be aware of the physical world around me, but be given the grace to understand that the world that I cannot see or touch is the most real of all. My life today will be lived in time, but I will also be concerned about eternal issues. I will look after the needs of my body, but more than anything I am concerned about the needs of my soul. My business today will be with material things, but behind them, let me always be aware of life’s spiritual dimension. Let me constantly be focussed on the fact that the things that matter are not money or possessions, houses or land, bodily satisfactions and comforts; but truth and honesty and gentleness and humility and care for others and a sincere love for You.

For the power You have given me to understand and live for the things I cannot see:

For the strong sense I have that this world is not my home:

For that restlessness at the heart of me that nothing in this created world can satisfy:

I give You thanks, O God.

For the welcomed invasion of my soul by Your Holy Spirit:

For the human love and goodness I see that speaks to me of You every day:

For the completeness of Your glory outpoured to us in Jesus Christ:

I give You thanks, O God.

I, a pilgrim of eternity, stand before You, O eternal One. Do not allow me to deaden or destroy the desire for You that restlessly works in my heart. Rather, let me yield to its control and go wherever it leads me. Make me wise enough today to see everything from the perspective of eternity, and give me the courage to face all the changes in my life that such a vision demands: through the grace of Christ my Saviour. Amen.

TWELFTH DAY EVENING

O God, in Your being, there are the treasures of complete wisdom and truth and holiness – may it be that through intimate fellowship with You, the genuine graces of Christian character will increasingly form within my soul:

The grace of a thankful and uncomplaining heart:

The grace to wait patiently for You to reveal Your will and without delay to respond to Your call:

The grace of courage, whether I am suffering or in danger:

The grace, a good soldier of Christ to endure hard times:

The grace to be bold when making a stand for what is right:

The grace of watchfulness over my life, in case I am enticed into temptation:

The grace to discipline my body:

The grace to be absolutely truthful:

The grace to treat other people, as I would like to be treated:

The grace of love, to save me from making hasty judgments:

The grace to be silent. to save me from speaking without thought and wisdom:

The grace of forgiveness towards anyone who has done me wrong:

The grace of a tender and compassionate heart towards people who are in going through hard times – whether self-inflicted or not:

The grace of faithfulness that continues to ask that You would answer prayer.

And now, O God, give me a peaceful mind, as I lie down to rest. Remain in my thoughts until I fall asleep. Do not allow me to overcome by anxiety over the small details of life. Do not allow troubling dreams to disturb my spirit, so that I might wake up refreshed in body, mind and spirit for the challenges of another day.

And Thou, O Lord! by whom are seen,

Thy creatures as they be,

Forgive me if too close I lean

My human heart on Thee! Amen. [John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) , "The Eternal Goodness",]

THIRTEENTH DAY MORNING

You are the hidden Source of Life. I desire to contemplate on the great and gracious plan through which a mere mortal like me is able to look to You and call You Father.

I the beginning You, the Uncreated One, exercised Your creative power:

And space and time and material substance came into being:

The atom and the molecule and crystalline structures:

And then the first germ of life:

And then the long process in the formation of life:

All things that crawl and fly, the creatures of the forest and the birds of the air and the fish in the sea:

And then the gradual formation of intelligence:

And at last the creation of human beings:

And the beginning of recorded history:

And the first altar, and the first prayer.

O hidden love of God, whose will it is that all created beings should live eternally in pure and perfect fellowship with Yourself, may I do nothing today that undermines Your gracious purpose for my life. Let me keep before my mind how this whole creation is groaning and labouring as it waits for the perfect appearance of the children of God; and let me welcome every influence of Your Spirit upon my life that may hasten the coming of Your Kingdom. When You knock on the door of my heart, do not let me keep you standing outside but welcome You into my life with joy and thanksgiving. Do not allow me to welcome anything into my life that might offend Your Presence; may there be no corner of my life that is closed to Your influence. Have Your own way with me, O God; use me in whatever way You choose, and change my life to conform to your will. Take my life and make it count both now and in the greater life that lies ahead; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THIRTEENTH DAY EVENING

O Heavenly Father, give me a heart like Jesus Christ, a heart more ready to serve than to be served, a heart moved by compassion towards those who are fragile and oppressed, a heart that longs to see the Kingdom of God established in our world.

I would pray tonight, O God, for all those different sorts of situations in people’s lives that Jesus gave special care and attention:

For those in need of food or drink or clothing:

For those who are sick and all who are very seriously ill:

For people born blind or who have become blind:

For the permanently injured and finding it difficult to walk:

For people suffering for leprosy:

For those in prison:

For those oppressed by any injustice:

For the lost sheep of our humanity:

For women who are engaged in prostitution:

For all those strangers who are lonely in our neighbourhood:

For everyone who is worried or anxious:

For those who are being faithful under difficult circumstances:

For those who are bravely fighting for unpopular causes:

For everyone who is faithfully working for the sake of the Kingdom:

May it be Lord, that although my life is fulfilled and relatively untroubled, I would not be insensitive to the needs of those less fortunate than myself – make me sensitive to their needs and enable me to carry them n my heart. If I should have to face really difficult times, don’t allow me to lick my wounds, as if I was the only one in the world suffering; instead let me give myself to the compassionate service of all who need my help. Let the power my Lord Christ be powerful in me and may I be filled with His peace. Amen.

FOURTEENTH DAY MORNING

O God who inhabits our poor and shabby human life, lifting it now and then above the weakness of our natural instincts and greed, allowing us to shine with His love and joy and peace, and making for us a mirror of the beauties of the Unseen Kingdom. I pray that my contribution to life today will be to reveal the beauty of Your Presence in this world rather than to obscure it.

Let me stand today –

For whatever is pure and true and right and good:

For the advancement of learning, science and education:

For living my life for a higher purpose that selfish goals and motives:

For the rights of the vulnerable and the oppressed:

For co-operation between employee and employer, and mutual respect between the two:

For the preservation of the good in our past traditions:

For the recognition of new movements of Your Spirit in the life of people in our own generation:

For the hope of more glorious days to come.

Today, O Lord –

Let me put justice before self-interest:

Let me put others before self:

Let me put the things of the spirit before the things of the body:

Let me put the attainment of a great vision before the enjoyment of personal pleasures:

Let me put principle above my own reputation:

Let me put You before anything else:

O Lord whose glory was once seen in a wonderful revelation in the face of Jesus Christ, give me a heart today like His – a brave heart, a true heart, a tender heart, a heart with great room in it, a heart fixed on Yourself; for His name’s sake. Amen.

FOURTEENTH DAY EVENING

O Divine Love, You stand constantly outside the closed doors of all our hearts, knocking over and over again, please give me the grace to open up every area of my life to You. Tonight, let every defence come down in order that the air of Your Spirit might breathe light and love into every area of my life.

Give me a listening ear, O God, in order to hear Your voice and its call to significant service. Too often I have turned a deaf ear to Your voice appealing to me, speaking to me – now give me the courage to say these words, “Here I am, send me.” And when any of Your children, come to you in their need of help, give them the openness of heart that will hear and respond to Your call to serve.

Give me an open mind, O God – a mind willing to embrace new insights that better reveal who You are. Never allow my past knowledge to become so static that I cannot learn new things. Give me the courage to change my mind, when it is necessary. Let me tolerant of the thinking and opinions of other people and welcome the truth every time I hear it, whatever its source.

Give me open eyes, O God to see all things in this world through the eye of faith. Let every good and beautiful thing that I see fill me with happiness and joy – enable me to see your eternal beauty in all You have created. Forgive me when in the part I have been blind and not seen the absolute glory of the natural world, the fascination and engagement of little children, the wonder of the human story, and every evidence of Your Presence in all these things.

Give me open hands, O God, always ready to share with anyone who is in need, the blessings with which You have enriched my life. Never allow me to be selfish and tight-fisted with my prosperity. Let me always see my money and all my worldly possessions as a trust to be used in this world for Your sake; to whom now be all honour and glory. Amen.

FIFTEENTH DAY MORNING

O God, who is eternal; without beginning or end, and are present everywhere at the same time, I desire to understand my destiny as a Your child. I am standing here, fragile and mortal in the midst of much of what seems permanent in nature. Every blessing to You Lord God for making me in your own image and breathing into me Your own life. Within this poor body, you have established my spirit through Your Spirit. Within this weak mortal person, You have planted Your strong permanent, immortal life. So, in this little room and during this short time, I can lift my mind beyond time and space to You, the uncreated One, until the light of your glory spreads into every part of my life.

Let me keep in mind that my mortal body is the servant of my immortal soul:

Let me always keep in mind that my life is short in terms of eternity:

Let me remember that I am not created to live here forever, but that this is only a place I am visiting for a while – a time of testing and discipling:

Let me use this world and do nothing to abuse it:

Let me live in this world but not for it:

Don not let my possessions possess me and remind me of my treasures in heaven:

Let me understand the passing nature of this temporary world and the permanence and glory of what is to come:

Let my world not be centred on me but on You:

Almighty God, who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and has given him a unique place of power, authority and glory, I thank You for the hope of eternal life with which you have refreshed and given hope to your people in all generations, and which is guaranteed to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FIFTEENTH DAY EVENING

O God of mercy, who cares for me so much as if You had no-one else to care for, yet You care for everyone in the same way You care for me. I come to You with my needs and the needs of everyone in this world.

In Your mercy, remember me, and keep me safe in Your grace. Forgive the inadequate use I have made today of the gifts You have given me and expect me to use for the benefit of others. Make up for the poor service I offered by the completeness of Your divine resources. Yet, as the days roll on may I be given strength from You in order that my gifts might be used to serve you well and may I be given the grace to sin less often. May Christ reign more and more in my heart and cleanse everything I do.

In Your mercy remember everyone in this world. Let this whole earth be filled with praise to You, and may people be filled with joy as they come to know You better. Let the earth be full of a sense of Your exceptional greatness. Let all the nations have a deep respect for You. Let Your glory rule in the most exalted and the most ordinary parts of this world. Let Your law be honoured in every home. Redeem this world’s life, O God and utterly transform it through the power of Your Holy Cross.

O God, who, despite our failings, graciously uses us in the working out of You will, I pray for the evangelization of this world. I pray for all missionaries who have gone out to foreign countries, especially………… I pray for everyone who is working for peace and understanding between nations, and for all who are striving to break down the walls that divide Jew and Gentile, oppressed and free, and to make everyone united in Christ Jesus. Encourage them with the joy of Your presence; and inspire in me the urgent desire to promote and support them, as far as I am able, in what they seek to do; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

SIXTEENTH DAY MORNING

^“9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.” [Isaiah 26:9]

Give me O Lord a strong and vivid sense that You are at my side. When I am among people or alone, about my work or relaxing, sitting down or moving about, may I be aware of Your presence accompanying me. By Your grace, O God I will go nowhere and do nothing, that I would not feel comfortable having You with me – I will entertain no relationship that would rob me of Yours. By Your grace, I will allow no thought to capture my mind that might get in the way of my relationship with You and I will not allow anything to be spoken by me that You would not enjoy hearing. Give me the courage to be like this and let Your peace rule in my heart.

“I steadier step when I recall

That, if I slip, Thou dost not fall.” [Arthur Hugh Clough (1819-1861)

"With Whom is no Variableness, Neither Shadow of Turning"

O You who are the Desire of all nations, and through knowing You we understand true love and power where there is salvation for all; quickly bring the day when all people shall acknowledge You as Lord. Quickly bring the time when the whole earth shall become the kingdom of Christ. Quickly bring the time when Your presence and Your will shall not only be found in the hearts of a few wise and brave people, but shall be found in the corridors of power, in every workplace, where we shop, in our cities and in the countryside. And whatever contribution I can make to the furthering of Your Kingdom, give me the grace today to begin this; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

SIXTEENTH DAY EVENING

O God, Your eternal love for our weak and struggling humanity was most perfectly revealed in the sacred life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ: Enable me to meditate of my Lord’s death so that having a united heart with Him in His distress, I may learn the secret of His strength and peace:

I remember Gethsemane:

I remember how Judas betrayed Him:

I remember how Peter denied Him:

I remember how they all deserted Him and ran away:

I remember the beatings:

I remember the crown of thorns:

I remember how they spat at Him:

I remember how they hit Him on the head with a club:

I remember how they drove nails through His hands and feet:

I remember His suffering and misery on the Cross:

I remember He was thirsty:

I remember how He cried out, My God, my God, why have You deserted me?:

We may not know, we cannot tell,

What pains He had to bear;

But we believe it was for us

He hung and suffered there.

May it be, O gracious God, that I, who kneel now before You, may belong to the great number of those people to whom eternal life and salvation have come through the Cross of Christ. Let the redeeming power that has flowed through every generation like a river, flow now into my soul. Here let me find forgiveness for my sin. Here let me learn to share with Christ the weight of the suffering of the world. Amen.

SEVENTEENTH DAY MORNING

Almighty God, you are present everywhere in the world around me, in my spirit within me, and in the unseen world above me. Let me carry with me through this day a very real sense of Your Power and Glory.

O God who is all around me, may it never be the case that today I would look at all You have created and give no thought to You, the Creator. Let the universe declare Your glory to me and let the hills speak of Your majesty. Let every lovely thing I see, speak to me of a beauty that does not diminish. Let the beauty of the earth remind me of the beauty of holiness that was revealed in Jesus Christ my Lord.

O God within me, give the grace today to be aware of the rousing of Your Spirit within my soul and enable me to listen thoughtfully to all that You have to say to me. Do not let the noises of the world so predominate, that I cannot hear You speak. Never let me change the clear meaning of Your commands; instead let me obey Your will in all things, through the grace of Jesus Christ my Lord.

O God above me, the God who lives in unapproachable light, teach me, I beg You, that even my most profound thoughts about You, are a poor and remote shadow in comparison to Your real and magnificent glory. Teach me that if You are seen in nature, You are greater than nature. Teach me that if You are in my heart, You are greater than my heart. Let my whole being rejoice in Your inexplicable and incomparable greatness. Let me be secure in the thought that You are utterly different from me, completely beyond anything that I can imagine, beyond anything my intellect can grasp or understand. Lord, Your deliberations and decisions are beyond my ability to grasp and Your will cannot be understood by a mere mortal like me.

O Lord, holy is Your name. Amen.

SEVENTEENTH DAY EVENING

I bless You, most holy God, for the deep, deep love that has made it possible for my spirit to meet Your Spirit. Even though I am a weak and flawed mortal I am thankful that I have unhindered access to the heart of Him who controls the universe.

With sorrow in my heart and true regret, I acknowledge in Your presence the very selfish thoughts that I allow to enter my mind and influence what I do.

I confess, O God –That often I encourage my mind to wander into forbidden territory and I have impure thoughts:

That often I am wasting my time on things that are not your will for my life:

That often, by concealing from people my real motives, I pretend to be better than I am:

That I am often honest because it is the right thing to do and not because I want to be:

That often when I am showing concern for my friends, I am only really looking after number one:

That often in sparing an enemy I am not doing it so much out of love for them but personal cowardice:

That often I do good works only to win the praise and approval of other people, and that I turn away from sin only because I am afraid I will be found out.

O holy One, let the fire of Your love enter my heart, and destroy all this web of meanness and falsehood, and make my heart just like the heart of a little child.

Give me grace, O God, to pray now with a pure and sincere heart for all those people I have encountered today. Let me remember now my friends with love and my enemies with forgiveness, leaving them all in Your care, as I now leave in Your care and protection my spirit and body; through Jesus Christ. Amen

EIGHTEENTH DAY MORNING

O God, your eternal presence is hidden from the natural eye, yet it is apparent to our minds and became human in and through Jesus Christ our Lord; I thank you that He has left me His example so that I can follow in His footsteps.

Jesus Christ said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”