Rest for the Restless Heart

ALMIGHTY and Everlasting God, whom no man hath seen at any time, who art Spirit and the Father of our spirits, unto Thee do we come. When we think of Thee we are troubled, for we know we have not surrendered ourselves to Thy service, which is our highest good; yet we are drawn to Thee, and we say with one of old, "Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee." Bring us at this time into Thy banqueting-house, and may Thy banner over us be Love. We would tell Thee all our wants, our sorrows and our sins, that out of the fullness of Thy grace we may receive healing and forgiveness.

We lament our desires covetous of worldly things, the coldness of our affections, the prayerlessness of our lives, the want of relish for Thy law. Forgive us all that our resolves to lead the higher life have been so easily broken, and grant us true repentance, that henceforth we may build our lives on the abiding foundation of Thy holy will, as it is revealed in Jesus Christ. Cause us to walk in the paths of purity and sincerity, to renounce the hidden things of dishonesty, and to have no fellowship with the works of darkness. We pant for a purer air, a wider space. O God, lead us out of the twilight of our own dark, narrow souls into Thy glorious light, that we may be the children, not of the night, but of the day. Strengthen us, that we may finish the work Thou hast given us to do. Comfort us in the troubles that wait upon our earthly lot. Guide us through the shadows of time into Thy blessed eternity.

We invoke Thy blessing upon all who need Thee, and who are groping after Thee, if haply they may find Thee. Be gracious to those who bear the sins of others, who are vexed by the wrong-doing and selfishness of those near and dear to them, and reveal to them the glory of their fellowship with the sufferings of Christ. Brood in tenderness over the hearts of the anxious, the miserable, the victims of phantasmal fears and morbid imaginings. Redeem from slavery the men and women who have yielded to degrading habits. Put Thy Spirit within them, that they may rise up in shame and sorrow and make confession to Thee, "So brutish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee." And then let them have the glad assurance that Thou art with them, the secret of all good, the promise and potency of better things. Console with Thy large consolation, those who mourn for their loved dead, who count the empty places and long for the sound of a voice that is still. Inspire them with the firm conviction that the dead are safe in Thy keeping, nay, that they are not dead, but live unto Thee. Give to all sorrowing ones a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Remember for good all who are perplexed with the mysteries of existence, and who grieve because the world is so sad and unintelligible. Teach them that Thy hand is on the helm of affairs, that Thou dost guide Thine own world, and canst change every dark cloud into bright sunshine. In this faith let them rest, and by this faith let them live. These blessings we ask in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.