Week 2 Thursday Morning Prayer

LORD God Almighty, our Divine Preserver, who dost make our mornings and evenings happy, we come to renew our sacrifice of praise, and to offer once more our prayer to Thee in the holy name of Jesus Christ. We cannot pray unto Thee aright, O Lord, without the help of Thy Holy Spirit. It is the living that praise Thee, O Lord : the dead cannot. Make every one of us alive unto Thee, that with joyful lips we may glorify Thy great name.

Thy good gifts come to us, O Lord, with so much constancy, that we are in danger of forgetting the hand that bestows them. O Lord, keep us from this sin. Make us mindful of Thy goodness, and constant in our praises and our service. Let us eat our meat with gladness. Let us enjoy the comforts Thou givest, because they are Thy gifts to us. Keep us from abusing them by any reckless waste, or sinful indulgence of the flesh. Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, let us do all to Thy glory.

O Thou God of salvation, we bless Thee for the way of life opened up to us, guilty sinners, through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son, our Redeemer. We had no claim upon Thy grace. Freely and of Thine own mercy Thou didst give Him a ransom for us. We glorify Thee for the riches of Thy grace, for the completeness of His work, for the freeness of Thine offer. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ? What more could have been done for us than Thou hast done? And yet, Lord, we are by nature inclined to neglect it. Oh ! keep us from this sin. Create in every one of us a new heart—a heart that will believe in and love the Redeemer. Show to every one of us His fitness and His fulness, and make every one of us to rejoice in Him. Let all sorrows and trials endear Him to us the more. May we grow up into Him in all things, and do all our duties and bear all our trials in the strength He gives unto His people.

O God, our Lord, we cannot tell what Thou art preparing for us this day. Our lives are in Thy hands. We are content that they should be in Thy holy keeping. Help us in all such duty and effort as Thou shalt call us to this day, and maintain in us, we pray Thee, a single eye to Thy glory. Grant us the discretion with which good men manage their affairs. Keep us from making mistakes. Oh, give us sound judgment, and hopeful spirits, that we may not grow weary in well-doing ; and do Thou crown all our labors with Thy blessing.

Gracious Lord, who hast knit us together as the members of one family, help us to promote one another's good, to bear one another's burdens and to help one another. Provide for all our wants as a household. Let us not desire anything, our holy Father, of which we cannot tell Thee. Let us thus have happy fellowship with Thee, by Thy Spirit dwelling in us ; and let us have true communion with one another in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. And unto Him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.