Tuesday, August 10, 2010

"A Present Salvation"

One of the many good characteristics of the prayers contained in the terrific little book "The Valley of Vision" is humility.  God is always exalted.  Here's the prayer I read today:

Creator and Redeemer God,
Author of all existence, source of all blessedness, I adore thee for making me capable of knowing thee, for giving me reason and conscience, for leading me to desire thee; I praise thee for the revelation of thyself in the gospel, for they heart as a dwelling place of pity, for thy thoughts of peace towards me, for they patience and thy graciousness, for the vastness of thy mercy.  Thou hast moved my conscience to know how the guilty can be pardoned, the unholy sanctified, the poor enriched. May I be always amongst those who not only hear but know thee, who walk with and rejoice in thee, who take thee at thy word and find life there. Keep me always longing for a present salvation in Holy Spirit comforts and rejoicings, for spiritual graces and blessings, for help to value my duties as well as my privileges.  May I cherish simplicity and godly sincerity of character. Help me to be in reality before thee as in appearance I am before men, to be religious before I profess religion, to leave the world before I enter the church, to set my affections on things above, to shun forbidden follies and vanities, to be a dispenser as well as a partaker of grace, to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good. O God, make me worthy of this calling, that the name of Jesus may be glorified in me and I in him.

Beautiful.