After Prayer

clay and i read this the other night and it weighed heavy on me so i wanted to share it...it comes from a book called the valley of vision; its a plethora of puritan prayers....which could either sounds totally uninteresting to you or fascinating....

either way there is a beauty to how they write...

O God of Grace,

I bewail my cold, listless, heartless prayers;

their poverty adds sin to sin.

If my hope were in them I should be undone,

But the worth of Jesus perfumes my feeble

breathings, and wins their acceptance.

Deepen my contrition of heart,

Confirm my faith in the blood that washes

from all sin.

May I walk lovingly with my great Redeemer.

Flood my soul with true repentance

that my heart may be broken for sin and unto sin.

Let me be as slow to forgive myself

as thou art ready to forgive me.

Gazing on the glories of thy grace

may I be cast into the lowest depths of shame,

and walk with downcast head

now thou art pacified towards me.

O my great high Priest,

pour down upon me streams of needful grace,

bless me in all my undertakings,

in every thought of my mind,

every word of my lips,

every step of my feet,

every deed of my hands.

Thou didst live to bless,

die to bless,

rise to bless,

ascend to bless

take thy throne to bless

and now thou dost reign to bless.

O give sincerity to my desires,

earnestness to my supplications,

fervour to my love.