Week 3 Wednesday Morning Prayer

HOLY Lord God of Hosts! thou author of our being ; thou Lord of heaven and earth ! How could we have dared to speak to Thee, or to raise our eyes to the place where Thine honor dwelleth, hadst thou not opened a way of access through the Lord Jesus Christ ! He is our only Saviour. Lord, we disclaim all others, and cling to His cross as the only refuge of our guilty souls.

We grieve to think of our base ingratitude toward Thee, who art so worthy of the best of our hearts' affections. We are pained to think what trifles draw our hearts from Thee, and how they are prone to settle upon earthly things. O God, for Thy mercy's sake, give us the victory over ourselves. We acknowledge that we are insufficient, of ourselves, to control the passions of our minds. We ask deliverance from self. O our Father, hear us, and send the Holy Ghost into our hearts, to reign and rule over every thought within. We wish to be brought under the power of the Spirit. We long for the conquest of sin, for the subduing of self to the service of Jesus ; and that the leaven of the Spirit may work itself into all we think, or do, or say. We wish that the life which we now live may be by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us, and gave Himself for us. We wish to have sin and the flesh crucified. We would not spare the most beloved earthly object that interferes with our devotedness to Thee. Lord, we desire to be wholly Thine. Take from us what Thou wilt, so that Thy love be left to us. Oh, hide not the light of Thy blessed countenance, our Father, and we shall be happy, though stripped of every earthly possession.— Whom have we in heaven to plead for us, but Thee, O adorable Jesus ? Whom, then, upon earth should we desire in comparison of Thee? Other lords have dominion over us ; but from henceforth thou shalt be our ALL-IN-ALL. We make, not this promise, O Lord, trusting to our own strength, for we have had painful experience of our helplessness. But we make it in reliance upon Thy promise, that thou wilt give the Holy Spirit to them that ask it ; that Spirit which is able to keep the lamp of love alive. Dispel every cloud of unbelief, and warm our hearts with the beams of Thy love. Knit our hearts to Thee in a bond that no earthly power can sever, so that we may each be enabled to say — "To me to live is Christ — to die is gain."

We beseech Thee also, our Heavenly Father, for our country, that its rulers may be guided and governed by Thee, and that they who frame our laws may be directed from above. Make our judges a terror to evil doers, and restrain iniquity in our land. Establish Thy fear in the hearts of our fellow-citizens that they may be gathered with us finally into Thine everlasting kingdom through Jesus Christ.

And, O blessed Jesus, who art dishonored by the works of Thine own hands, and despised by a world which Thou hast made, teach us so to love Thee as to love the time of Thine appearing, and to pray, with all our hearts, that Thy kingdom may come, when Thy will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven ; when Thou shalt bind the enemy, and rule the world in righteousness. From the power of the enemy of our souls, do Thou this day deliver us, and enable us to maintain an unceasing conflict with whatever opposes our spiritual growth and enjoyment.

Now, unto Him that is able to keep us from falling, to the only wise God our Saviour, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, both now and for ever. Amen.