Men Ought Always To Pray

Colossians 4:2

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

 

O God,

Praise waiteth for thee,

                and to render it is my noblest exercise;

This is thy due from all thy creatures,

                for all thy works display thy attributes

                and fulfil thy designs;

The sea, dry land, winter cold, summer heat,

                morning light, evening shade are full of thee,

                and thou givest me them richly to enjoy.

Thou art King of kings and Lord of lords;

At thy pleasure empires rise and fall;

All thy works praise thee and thy saints bless thee;

                Let me be numbered with the thy holy ones,

                resemble them in character and condition,

                sit with them at Jesus' feet.

May my religion be always firmly rooted in thy Word,

                my understanding divinely informed,

                my affections holy and heavenly,

                my motives simple and pure,

                and my heart never wrong with thee.

Deliver me from the natural darkness of my own mind,

                from the corruptions of my heart,

                from the temptations to which I am exposed,

                from the daily snares that attend me.

I am in constant danger while I am in this life;

Let thy watchful eye ever be upon me for my defence,

Save me from the power of my worldly and spiritual enemies

                and from all painful evils to which I have exposed myself.

Until the day of life dawns above

                let there be unrestrained fellowship with Jesus;

Until fruition comes, may I enjoy the earnest of my inheritance

                and the firstfruits of the Spirit;

Until I finish my course with joy may I pursue it with diligence,

                in every part display the resources of the Christian,

                and adorn the doctrine of thee my God in all things.

~The Valley of Vision

 Puritan Prayers and Devotions