Introduction
When I first read John Baillie’s Diary of Private Prayer, I felt myself being taken into a holy place. I was bowled over by the man’s honesty before God and the very personal relationship he had with his Lord. I was taken to a place where I saw what true prayer can be.
I have reworked this wee book, not to improve it, but to make it easier to read in the modern idiom for people today. None of the changes are in any way a criticism of John Baillie’s content, but simply an attempt to make more readable something that was written nearly 80 years ago.
Use this and profit from it. You will not be disappointed!
Iain Greenshields
Dunfermline, April 2017
FIRST DAY MORNING
Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of You, let my first desire be to worship You, the first words that come from my mouth be to honour Your name, let my first action be to bow before you in prayer.
For Your perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:
For the love with which You love this world:
For the love with which You love me:
For the great and mysterious gift of life You have given to me:
For the indwelling of Your Spirit in my heart:
For all of the gifts of Your Spirit:
I praise and worship You, O Lord.
After this morning prayer is spoken, do not let me think my worship is ended and spend the rest of the day with no thought of You. Rather, from these moments of quietness let light, and joy, and power come into my life and remain there throughout the day.
Keep my mind sexually pure:
Keep me gracious and truthful in what I say:
Keep me faithful and diligent in my work:
Keep me with a humble estimation of myself:
Keep me honest, and generous in all of my relationships:
Help me to appreciate every good past memory:
As Your child keep me mindful of my eternal destiny.
O God, who has been a Refuge to my ancestors through the generations, be my Refuge today in every time and circumstance of need. Be my Guide when I doubt and go through dark times. Guard me against everything that threatens my peace. Be my strength when I am tested. Bring joy to my heart with Your Peace; Through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen
FIRST DAY EVENING
O You who are without beginning or end, I turn my thoughts to You as the hours of darkness and sleep begin. O Sun of my soul, I rejoice to know that right through this night I will be watched by the unsleeping eye of the One who inhabits eternal light.
Into your care, O Father, I now commend my body and spirit. All day you have watched over my soul and Your nearer presence has filled my heart with peace. Let not one moment of this night pass without Your presence in my life.
Give me sound and refreshing sleep:
Keep me safe from all danger:
In my sleep, prevent me from having unsettling dreams:
If I should lie awake, unable to sleep, give me control over my thoughts:
Give me the wisdom to remember that night was created for the sleep of rest, and not for the embracing of anxious or distressing or shameful thoughts.
Give me the grace, if I am unable to sleep, to meditate on You.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed, I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night [ Psalm 63:5-6].
Into your care, O Father, I also commend my friends, earnestly asking you to keep them safe in spirit and body, and to be present in their hearts tonight as a Spirit of power and of joy and of rest.
I pray for…….and…….and…….. I pray also for all the people involved in my life, for those people I work with, for everyone in this community, especially visitors among us; and for this great world and its people, most of them unknown to me, but dear to Your heart; through Jesus Christ our One and Only Lord. Amen
SECOND DAY MORNING
O God my Creator and Redeemer, I will not go forward into this day unless you assure me of Your presence and blessing. Do not allow light and freshness of the new day, or the growing energy I feel in my body, or the interesting and challenging work ahead of me, deflect me from entering into this day without dependence on You. Every good gift and blessing I have comes from You. They are Your gifts to me, but You have the right to restrict them. These gifts of grace are not mine by right; but I hold on to them in faith; and only as I continually depend on You, the Giver, can I truly enjoy them.
I consciously put back into Your hands all that You have given me. I rededicate to Your service all the powers of my mind and body, everything I own, all my relationships. Everything belongs to You, O Father, to use in accordance with Your wisdom and will. Everything belongs to You, O Christ. Everything belongs to You, O Holy Spirit.
Today, as I speak, speak through me; be in my thoughts, and work in everything I do. And recognising that it is Your gracious will to use weak instruments like myself in the fulfilment of your purposes in this world, let my life be a channel through which even a little of Your divine love and mercy might touch the lives of those nearest and dearest to me.
In Your awesome presence, O God, I remember all my friends and neighbours, everyone in this community, and especially the poorest among us, sincerely asking You to give me the grace, as far as it is possible for me, to serve them in Your name.
O blessed Jesus, who used Your own most precious life to redeem Your people and gave no thought to personal ease, pleasure or personal status, but filled Your hours and days with deeds of self-denying love, give me the grace to walk the road you first walked; and to Your name be all glory and praise, even to the end of time. Amen.
SECOND DAY EVENING
O Father in heaven You created my body to serve You and my spirit to earnestly seek You; with sorrow and a repentant heart I acknowledge before You the faults and failures of this past day. Too long I have tried Your patience; too often I have betrayed the sacred trust you have given me to keep; yet when I come to you with a humble heart, as I do now, and earnestly ask you to take my sins and drown them in the sea of Your own infinite love; You are willing to receive me.
My failure to live up even to my own set standards:
My ability to deceive myself when tempted:
My choosing the poorer path when I know a better road:
O Lord, forgive.
My failure to live up to the standards I expect from other people:
My blindness to the suffering of people around me, and my slowness to learn from my own suffering:
My complacency when others are treated unjustly, because it does not touch my life, and my over-sensitivity when I or my friends are wronged:
My slowness to see the good in others and my slowness to see the sins in my own character:
My hard-heartedness towards the faults of those around me, and yet how easily I excuse my own:
My unwillingness to believe that You have called me to a relatively insignificant task, and yet You have called others to a greater task:
O Lord, forgive.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me [Psalm 51:10-12]
THIRD DAY MORNING
Lord of my life, I delight to keep your law, and I long to enjoy fellowship with You; in Your service, I desire above all else to be loyal to You, and I bow my heart before You as You send me out into this world to work another day.
For this new day, I humbly thank You for its vigour and it brightness: for the long hours that lie ahead waiting to be filled with happy and fruitful labour: for all the opportunities You will place before me: for all of its hope and potential.
I humbly ask that You to open my heart, to embrace with enthusiasm the potential and opportunities of the day. Do not allow me to forget any of the promises I made yesterday, and help me to put right yesterdays wrongs. Do not allow me to miss the opportunity to help someone in need. Do not allow me to neglect my responsibilities for this day, and do not permit me to overlook any sin in my life.
Where an action of mine can make this world a better place, where a word from me can bring hope to a downcast individual or strength to someone who is finding life tough, where a prayer from me can bring a flavour of Christ’s Kingdom into this world, then let me do and speak and pray
This day, O Lord
Give me a considerate heart:
Give me a humble disposition in all that I seek to be and do:
Give me patience:
Give me love:
Give me sexual purity:
Give me sincerity in what I say:
Give me consistency in my calling and work.
O You who, when the time was right, raised up our Lord Jesus Christ to bring hope to our hearts with an understanding of Your love, give me the grace to be worthy of His name. Amen.
THIRD DAY EVENING
You possess all wisdom, You are great, holy and full of compassion and mercy; You created me in Your own image. You have given me this wonderful and fulfilling life to live; You have established me in Your will and set the boundaries of my responsibilities; You have surrounded me with the gracious and good influence of friends and companions on the road of faith; You have established Your law at the root of who I am.
In my heart’s secret chamber, You are now waiting to meet and speak with me, freely offering me Your fellowship in spite of all my sins. Let me take advantage of this road You have opened so that I might have peace of mind. Let me approach Your presence with awe and humility. Let me carry into Your presence the spirit of my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Let me leave behind all worry, all corrupt feelings, all thoughts of meanness towards any other person, all hesitancy in surrendering to You, my will.
Knowing I am in Your will, brings me peace.
I desire to know You more than anything else.
“Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee” [Psalm 73:25]
In Your presence, O God, I am concerned not just for myself, but embrace everyone:
Of my friends, especially ………. and …………..:
Of those I have worked alongside today and those I have relaxed with:
Of those who are grieving:
Of those who are carrying the burden of others:
Of those who are working in difficult circumstances and situations, or feeling lonely while engaging in the work of Your Kingdom:
O You, the Father of us all, be near to us all tonight, and in your grace, watch over our souls. Hear my prayer for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.
FOURTH DAY MORNING
Almighty and eternal God,
You are hidden from my sight:
You are beyond anything I can understand:
The way You think is not the way I think:
You will and purposes are beyond my understanding.
Yet You have breathed Your Spirit into my spirit:
Yet You have put a desire in my mind to seek You:
Yet You have made it possible for me to love You:
Yet You have created a restlessness in me, that longs for the restful peace I can find in You:
Yet You have created in me a strong desire to know You, that makes me dissatisfied with even the best pleasures in this world.
O Lord God, I praise and honour Your name because You have secured my destiny, not leaving me to the poor alternatives I would have chosen or to the sinful desires that governed my life: Instead you have made me an heir of Your Eternal Kingdom.
I bless You for that knocking at the door of my heart that alerts me to Your waiting presence. I bless You for Your intervention into my life, and for the certain knowledge that, however weak I may be or fail, yet underneath me are Your everlasting arms.
Lord You alone know what is before me in this day, help me to ensure that in every hour I may stay close to You. Let me be in the world, yet not of it. Let me use the world without abusing it. If I buy anything let me not be possessed by my possessions. If I have nothing, let me feel rich in my heart. Let me today embark on no undertaking that is not in line with Your will for my life, nor shrink from any form of sacrificial service which You may ask of me. Suggest, direct, control every movement of my mind; for my Lord Christ’s sake. Amen.
FOURTH DAY EVENING
O You in whose sight every human heart is fully known and exposed – Gog forbid that I should seek to try and hide anything today that I have done or thought or imagined. What I could never allow another person to know, let me acknowledge in Your presence. Those things that I should have been ashamed to do, or think or feel, let no hypocrisy hold me back from confessing them now.
Dear Lord, who in compassion and mercy oversees all things, humbly and with heart-sorrow I sincerely desire Your forgiveness for the sins of this day;
For every weak and polluted thought that my mind has welcomed and savoured:
For every foolish word spoken in haste or anger:
For every failure to exercise self-control:
For every stumbling block whether by my actions of example, that I have put in another person’s path:
For every opportunity lost:
For times when I was lazy or spoke too much:
For this ………
And this ……...
And this ……...
Grant that, as the days’ pass, Your Spirit may govern in my heart, giving me victory over these and all other sinful ways.
To your loving protection and care, O holy Father, I commend all who are dear to me, especially ………. and ………. Bless all those with whom I live, work, socialise and worship and give to them a satisfying sense of Your presence and power. Be with all those who tonight are in any danger or distress. Be in every hurting life, every broken home, everyone in pain, giving to all the blessing of Your peace. Amen.
FIFTH DAY MORNING
God of my forefathers, I earnestly come to you. You have been a place of safety for the good and the wise in every generation.
When history began, You brought intelligence and insight to people’s minds – Your Spirit breathed the Divine into their whole being and made them in Your image. Through all the ages You have been the one who gives life, is the source of all knowledge, and the never-ending supply of all goodness.
The Patriarchs trusted You and were never disappointed:
The Prophets sought to understand Your will, and You gave Your word for them to speak:
The Psalmists rejoiced in You and You were present in their songs:
The Apostles hoped and trusted in You and they were filled with Your Holy Spirit:
Those who gave their lives for the faith called upon You and you were present with them in their glorious deaths:
“This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” [Psalm 34:6]
O Lord, who was, and is, and is to come, I thank You that this Christian path I am walking, is no untried or uncharted territory, but a road well worn by all Your people, the apostles, the prophets and those who have been killed because of their faith. I thank You for sign posts and danger signals that have been placed along the way and the guidance given to me through the study of the Bible, the lessons of history, and the great teachers of the world.
Above all else I give You humble and glad thanks for the great gift of Jesus Christ, the Pioneer of our faith. I praise You for being born at this time, and in a land where the name of Jesus is known, and that I don’t have to face any temptation or difficult situations which He did not first face and overcome.
May it never be, Holy Lord, that I should fail to be a better person because of the lessons I learn from all the resources of the past, or that I should fail to enter into the glorious inheritance which You have prepared for me; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
FIFTH DAY EVENING
Almighty God, this is a special time set apart when I desire intimate fellowship with You. From all the rush and hassle of the day, from our world’s conflicting opinions, from the good and bad relationships with people, from the confused thoughts and pride rising up in my heart, I would turn aside and seek the intimacy of Your presence.
All day long I have worked hard; but now, with a still and quiet heart, and with Your eternity clearly in sight, I would seriously consider the direction my life has been taking.
May there descend upon me now, O God, a great sense of Your power and Your glory, so that I may see all the things of this world in their true context.
Help me to understand this great truth, that one day to You is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.
Give me such a personal knowledge of Your perfect holiness, in order to put into perspective my accomplishments and bring an end to my pride.
From Your generous heart show me such a vision of Your uncreated beauty and so I will never be satisfied with anything less.
Though earth and man were gone,
And suns and universes ceased to be,
And Thou were left alone,
Every existence would exist in Thee. [Emily Bronte: No Coward Soul is Mine].
I am content, O Father, to leave my life in Your hands, believing that the very hairs on my head are numbered by You. I am content to hand over my will to Your control, believing that I have been given by You a right relationship with Christ, I could never have accomplished myself.
I am content to commit to you everyone who has a special place in my heart, believing that Your love for them is greater than my own. I am content to commit to You all the causes for truth and justice in our world, and the coming of your Kingdom into people’s hearts, believing that my yearning for these things is a poor reflection of Your ultimate will. To You, O God, be glory forever and ever. Amen
SIXTH DAY MORNING
O God you proved Your love for our world by sending us Jesus Christ our Lord, and brought hope to our humanity by the knowledge of His presence. I give You thanks for Jesus Christ, Your greatest gift.
For the time my Lord Jesus spent here on earth:
For the love that was in everything he did:
For the words he spoke that guide and help me:
For obeying Your will by going to the Cross:
For his victory over death:
For the presence of His Spirit with me now:
I thank You O God.
May I always remember the blessed Life that was lived here on this earth. May I remember Him in all the things I do in my daily routine. Let me remember –
His profound desire, not to be served, but to serve others:
His sympathy and compassion for suffering people:
His bravery in the face of his own suffering:
His humility and gentleness, so that, He despised no-one even when
despised by others:
His consistency of life in keeping to the will of God for His life:
His straightforwardness:
His self-discipline:
His peaceful spirit:
His total dependence on You, His Father in Heaven:
In all of these ways, give me the grace to follow in His footsteps.
Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I commit my whole life to You. I hand over my soul to Your safe-keeping. I pledge my life to serving You. May today be one where I obey You and show love to others – a day of happiness and peace. May everything I say and do be consistent with the Good News of Christ. Amen.
SIXTH DAY EVENING
Dear God who is the source of all that is good and just and true, I lift up my soul to You.
O God, let Your Spirit now enter my heart.
At this moment, as I pray, let my whole being be honest and open to You; do not allow me to secretly try to hide anything from You.
O God, give me the power to consistently do Your good will.
As I bow before You in prayer, do not allow me to hold on to some secret sin that is cherished by me – create in me a repentant spirit.
O God, bless all the things I seek to do in Your name and make my works for You fruitful.
As I bow before You in prayer, prevent me from doing anything that I would be afraid to ask You to bless, because in my heart I know it is wrong.
O God, keep me sexually pure.
As I bow before You in prayer, do not allow me to harbour sexual lust and put off dealing with it till another day; prevent me from justifying sexual sin.
O God, bless every member of this household.
As I bow before You in prayer, prevent me from harbouring the sinful feelings of jealousy, bitterness or anger towards anyone in this home.
O God, bless those people who wish me ill or who have deliberately tried to hurt me in some way.
As I bow before You in prayer, please take away any desire there may be in me for revenge.
O God, let Your Kingdom come on earth.
As I bow before You in prayer, may I give my best efforts and years to the work of your Kingdom and not to lesser pursuits.
O Holy Spirit of God, as I rise from this time of devotion, prevent me from returning to godless thoughts and an empty way of living, but let the same mind that was in Christ also be in me.
SEVENTH DAY MORNING
O Lord and Creator of everything, by whose power the first light shone and who looked at the world’s first morning and said that it was good, I praise You for the light that now streams through my window to rouse me to the life of another day.
I praise You for the life that is vibrating through me:
I praise You for the bright and beautiful world I will go out into:
I praise You for the earth and sea and sky, for the roaming clouds and for the singing of the birds.
I praise You for the work You have entrusted to me to do:
I praise You for all the pleasures I enjoy in my leisure time:
I praise You for music and books and good company and for everything and everyone that brings me joy and happiness.
O God who Yourself are everlasting Mercy, give me a tender and compassionate heart towards all those for whom this morning brings less joy than it brings to me:
Those who are moving towards the end of their life here on earth:
Those who are confined to home and bed because of illness:
Those who are blind and cannot see and enjoy the light of day:
Those who are overworked and find little joy in life:
Those who are unemployed and cannot enjoy the dignity of work:
The grieving, whose hearts and homes are desolate:
And bestow Your mercy on them all:
O Light that never dims, as the light of this day streams through these windows and floods this room, so let me open the windows of my heart, that my life may be filled with the light of Your presence. Let every part of my being be filled with the light of Your presence. Let there be nothing within my life that would dim the brightness of Your presence. Let the Spirit of Him whose life was and is the light that brings hope to all, rule within my heart until evening. Amen
SEVENTH DAY EVENING
O Unique and Only Eternal Being, You live in everlasting light; now, as the world’s light fails, I seek the brightness of Your presence. You never grow weary or tired; now, as my limbs grow heavy and my spirit begins to tire, I commit my soul into Your safe-keeping.
You never sleep; now, as I lie down to sleep, I commit myself to Your care.
There has never been a moment when You have not seen and known all things; now, when I lie asleep and helpless, I rely completely on Your love.
Before I sleep, O God, I want to review all that has been done this day, in the light of Your eternity.
I remember with extreme sadness and self-reproach those things I should and could have done, but failed to accomplish.
I remember with a heavy heart and genuine sorrow, those harsh and unnecessary words that I have spoken.
I remember with shame all the sinful and shameful thoughts I have entertained.
Use these memories, O God, to rescue me, and then forever blot them out.
I remember with a glad heart the beautiful things of the world today:
It refreshes my soul to remember the kind deeds I have witnessed other people doing today:
I am so thankful for all the work You have given me strength to do today and the truths you have taught me.
Use these memories, O God, to humble me, and let them remain in me as a good example of how to live.
Before I sleep, I remember with joy those who love me and those whose friendship I so value and who have blessed my life. I rejoice as I remember……….. and…………..; knowing that though they have passed now through the mystery of death, they have not passed beyond Your love and care. I remember with joy my present fellowship with ……….. and……….and…………; they are special to me and I commit them to Your safe-keeping throughout this night. And for all those who this night have no-where to call home or for those who cannot sleep because of pain or anxiety, I ask for You to show them compassion in the name of our Lord Christ. Amen.
EIGHTH DAY MORNING
O God, who out of love and compassion for us sent Jesus Christ to bring hope into our dark lives, give me Your wisdom in order that I might benefit from the words He spoke and the grace to follow in His footsteps.
Jesus Christ said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him…”
O God, give me the grace to do this now.
Jesus Christ said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
O God, give me the grace today to consider, not what I can gain, but how I can serve and give.
Jesus Christ said, “But when you give to those in need, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”
O God, give me the grace to give to others with a humble heart and without looking for recognition, praise or reward.
Jesus Christ said, “Enter through the narrow gate”
O God, give me the grace today to walk the narrow path of service to You and to be honest in everything do.
Jesus Christ said, “Do not judge.”
O God, give me the grace today to take the plank out of my own eye, before I try to remove the speck from some other person’s eye.
Jesus Christ said, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”
O God, give me the grace today to live in such a way, that whatever else I lose, I will not lose my soul.
Jesus Christ said, “This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For to You is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever. Amen.
EIGHTH DAY EVENING
O God, Father of all, I now bring to You tonight all my concerns for this world. I unite myself with all the people, spread over this world today, who are calling out to you for their needs and the needs of the world we live in. Hear us all, O God, and look compassionately upon us in our need, since only You are able to satisfy the desires of our hearts.
In particular I entrust to Your holy safe-keeping:
All tonight who are far from home and friends:
All tonight who are homeless, hungry or in any way deprived:
All who are in physical pain:
All who cannot sleep because they are nervous or anxious:
All who are facing danger:
All who have to work or keep watch over other people this night:
Give to all of them, I pray, such a sense of Your presence that it will turn their loneliness into comfort and their trouble into peace.
O most loving God, who through Your Son Jesus Christ clearly showed You love for us all, by healing the sick and bringing relief to those in pain, bring near Your blessing, I pray, to all those who serve You and the Gospel in Christ’s name:
All servants of the Gospel of Christ:
All social workers:
All those, from all countries, who have gone out in mission:
All doctors, nurses and other who faithfully look after the sick:
Accomplish through them You great purpose of displaying Your goodness and kindness to this world, and may they now have in their own hearts the joy of the presence of Christ.
And to me, as I lie down to sleep, grant, O gracious Father, the joy that comes of a life surrendered to Christ’s service and the peace of my sin forgiven through the power of His Cross. Amen.
NINTH DAY MORNING
Here I am, O God, I have little power, influence or wealth, yet I come and lift up my heart and voice in Your presence, the Creator, to whom all created things are as dust. You are hidden from our senses; You are great beyond anything we can imagine and Your power, which is absolute, is a mystery to me; Yet here I am, speaking in the familiar way of a child to a parent, a friend to a friend. If I could not speak in this way to you, I would have no hope in this world. For my power is so little, I can barely achieve anything. It’s not even through my own will I am here, for that is not enough to keep me on this path.
Of everything that will happen to me today, I will have chosen very little of it myself. It is You, O Hidden God, who gave me my abilities and destiny and chose where I would be born, live and die. It is You who has given me the power to exercise one gift and withheld the ability to do other things. It is You who hold in His hands the routines of this day and knows what the future holds for me – what I will achieve and what I will suffer. But because You are my Father, I am not afraid. It is because of Your Spirit working within my spirit that I know all is well. What I desire for myself, I find difficult to achieve, but what You want me to do, You will empower me to achieve. The good things I want to do, I do not achieve, but the good that You will me to do, You give me the power to achieve.
Dear Father, take this day into Your own care. Control all my thoughts and feelings. Direct all my activities. Instruct my mind. Empower my will. Take my feet and make them quick to do Your will. Fix the eyes of my soul on Your everlasting beauty. Here is my mouth; use it to speak meaningfully and be a witness to Your love. Make this day, a day of obedience, a day of Spirit-filled joy and peace. Make this day a little part of the Kingdom of my Lord Christ, in whose name these prayers are said. Amen.
NINTH DAY EVENING
O Merciful Father, you look upon our weaknesses with more compassion than anger, and more in love than anything else; let me now, in Your presence, have the secrets of my heart revealed.
Have I done anything today that has fulfilled the purpose for which I was called into this world?
Have I grasped those opportunities to serve You that You have placed in my path?
Have I carried out your will in everything asked of me today – leaving nothing out?
Give me the grace to answer honestly, O God.
Have I done anything that has reflected badly upon Your image in me?
Have I been lazy in body or lethargic in spirit?
Have I sinfully indulged any of my bodily desires?
Have I kept my imagination pure and wholesome?
Have I been thoroughly honest in all my financial dealings?
Have I been evidently sincere in all that I have professed to be, to feel and to do?
Have I tried today to see myself as others see me?
Have I made excuses for myself, while not making allowances for others?
Have I in my home been a peacemaker or have I caused arguments?
Have I been shown interest in noble causes and events abroad and failed to show love and respect towards those I know best?
Give me grace to answer honestly, O God.
O God whose infinite love, revealed in Jesus Christ, is the only thing with the power to destroy rebellion in my soul, give me the grace with each day that passes I may be more and more set free from those sins that principally control me. Amen.
TENTH DAY MORNING
“ 1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. [Psalm 63:1-3]
“164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.
165 Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” [Psalm 119:164-165]
“9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.” [Psalm 119:9]
“4 Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.” [Psalm 25:4,5]
“3 Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” [Psalm 141:3]
“133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” [Psalm 119:133]
“ 1 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?
2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; 3 whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbour, and casts no slur on others;
4 who despises a vile person but honours those who fear the LORD;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind;
5 who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things will never be shaken. [Psalm 15]
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. “[Psalm 19:14]
TENTH DAY EVENING
Almighty and ever blessed God, I thank You that your love has pursued me all through my life. I thank You that You have taught my mind with Your divine truth. I thank You that the foundation of my will is Your divine grace. I thank You for every evidence of Your Spirit’s guidance in my life, and for all those things that have happened in my life and experience, which at the time seemed no more than chance, yet afterwards it has been evident to me they are all part of Your gracious plan for the nurturing and improving of my whole being. Do not allow me to refuse to be guided by You or smother this light that You have established in me, but let me grow every day in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord and Master.
Yet it would be wrong of me to only think of myself and only pray for myself and my needs, as I now seek Your Presence. I remember, in Your Presence, anyone in this world who needs Your help. Especially tonight I think –
Of those who are facing powerful temptations in their lives:
Of those who feel overwhelmed by what they are facing in their lives:
Of those who are at a critical junction in their lives and have a significant decision to make.
Of those who are living with the fallout of bad and sinful decisions they made, even though they have repented of this a long time ago:
Of those, who because of adverse early circumstances, have never had a fair chance in life:
Of all those who have suffered a family bereavement:
Of all those Christian Missionaries from many countries who are far from home for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven:
Of all those who seek to exercise truth and justice and for whom it is a lonely task: Of………….and………and…………
Dear Father of us all, make me the human channel, so far as I am able, through which Your unique love and compassion may influence the hearts and lives of a few of those who have a special place in my heart. Amen.
ELEVENTH DAY MORNING
God, who is present everywhere, under whose all-seeing eye our lives are lived, may it be in that everything I say and do today, I will behave with consideration and respect. Let me be fair, honest and truthful in all my relationships. Do not allow any spiteful or degrading thoughts have a place in my mind. Let all my motives be transparent. Let my word be my bond. Do not allow me to use my position to take advantage of another person. Let me generous in my estimation of others. Do not allow me to get carried away with my own opinion of myself. Let me be loyal to my friends and generous to those people who oppose me. Let me face every difficult situation with courage. Do not let me ask or expect of myself more that I am capable of doing.
Yet Lord do not allow me to be complacent with any concept of personal improvement, apart from pursuing the ideal of being like Christ. Let the way he thought be the way I think. Do not let me be content until I become fully like Him. Let me listen to Christ’s question: “What are you doing more than others?” And so, may the trinity of graces, faith, hope and love be more and more an integral part of me, until everything I say and do reflects the gospel of Christ.
O Lord, whose love for all was proved in the passion and death of Jesus Christ our Lord, let the power of His Cross be with me today. Let me love as He loved. Even if I am to die in the process, let me be obedient. As I confidently trust in His Cross, let me not refuse to carry my own; yet as I carry my cross, let me carry it by the strength of His.
O Lord, You have given us the gift of our families, so I desire more than anything else Your blessing for all the members of this household, all my neighbours, and all my fellow citizens. Let Christ rule in every heart and His law be respected in every home. Let every knee bow before Him and every mouth confess Him as Lord. Amen.
ELEVENTH DAY EVENING
O Merciful heart of God, in a true spirit of sorrow and repentance I open my heart to You. While I pray, let me keep nothing hidden from You. The truth about who, and what I am humbles me, yet let me be honest and courageous enough to tell it as it is in Your presence. What I was not ashamed to think, do, or feel, let me not be ashamed to confess it to You. In Your wisdom use this painful time of confession as a means to make me hate the very sins I confess.
I confess the sin of laziness in this………..and this…………
I confess the sin of pride in this………..and this…………….
I have not delayed gratification in this………….and this…………
I confess to telling lies and being false in this………….and this……………
I confess to this…………..and this…………..dishonest behaviour.
I confess to these………….and these…………..ungracious and unloving words.
I confess to having harboured this…………..and this…………..evil thought.
I confess to this…………and this this……….wrong direction I have allowed my life to take.
I confess to this……….and this…………lack of spiritual discipline in my life.
Your love can come into our hearts like a fire and burn up all that is shameful and evil – let me now take to myself Your perfect righteousness and make it my own. Erase all my shortcomings and let my sins be forgiven and removed. Make me feel You working in my life, cleansing me from the contamination of past sins, loosing me from the grip of habitually evil ways, strengthening me in new good disciplines that come from a sincere heart, and guiding me in the way of eternal life. Lead me in battle Lord against my hidden sins. Ring fence my life with a wall of pure aspirations. Let Christ be formed at the core of my being, through faith. All this I ask for His holy name’s sake. Amen.
TWELFTH DAY MORNING
O Eternal God, though I cannot touch you with my hands or see You with my eyes, let me have a clear understanding of the reality of Your presence and power today. As I go forward into this working day may I not only be aware of the physical world around me, but be given the grace to understand that the world that I cannot see or touch is the most real of all. My life today will be lived in time, but I will also be concerned about eternal issues. I will look after the needs of my body, but more than anything I am concerned about the needs of my soul. My business today will be with material things, but behind them, let me always be aware of life’s spiritual dimension. Let me constantly be focussed on the fact that the things that matter are not money or possessions, houses or land, bodily satisfactions and comforts; but truth and honesty and gentleness and humility and care for others and a sincere love for You.
For the power You have given me to understand and live for the things I cannot see:
For the strong sense I have that this world is not my home:
For that restlessness at the heart of me that nothing in this created world can satisfy:
I give You thanks, O God.
For the welcomed invasion of my soul by Your Holy Spirit:
For the human love and goodness I see that speaks to me of You every day:
For the completeness of Your glory outpoured to us in Jesus Christ:
I give You thanks, O God.
I, a pilgrim of eternity, stand before You, O eternal One. Do not allow me to deaden or destroy the desire for You that restlessly works in my heart. Rather, let me yield to its control and go wherever it leads me. Make me wise enough today to see everything from the perspective of eternity, and give me the courage to face all the changes in my life that such a vision demands: through the grace of Christ my Saviour. Amen.
TWELFTH DAY EVENING
O God, in Your being, there are the treasures of complete wisdom and truth and holiness – may it be that through intimate fellowship with You, the genuine graces of Christian character will increasingly form within my soul:
The grace of a thankful and uncomplaining heart:
The grace to wait patiently for You to reveal Your will and without delay to respond to Your call:
The grace of courage, whether I am suffering or in danger:
The grace, a good soldier of Christ to endure hard times:
The grace to be bold when making a stand for what is right:
The grace of watchfulness over my life, in case I am enticed into temptation:
The grace to discipline my body:
The grace to be absolutely truthful:
The grace to treat other people, as I would like to be treated:
The grace of love, to save me from making hasty judgments:
The grace to be silent. to save me from speaking without thought and wisdom:
The grace of forgiveness towards anyone who has done me wrong:
The grace of a tender and compassionate heart towards people who are in going through hard times – whether self-inflicted or not:
The grace of faithfulness that continues to ask that You would answer prayer.
And now, O God, give me a peaceful mind, as I lie down to rest. Remain in my thoughts until I fall asleep. Do not allow me to overcome by anxiety over the small details of life. Do not allow troubling dreams to disturb my spirit, so that I might wake up refreshed in body, mind and spirit for the challenges of another day.
And Thou, O Lord! by whom are seen,
Thy creatures as they be,
Forgive me if too close I lean
My human heart on Thee! Amen. [John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) , "The Eternal Goodness",]
THIRTEENTH DAY MORNING
You are the hidden Source of Life. I desire to contemplate on the great and gracious plan through which a mere mortal like me is able to look to You and call You Father.
I the beginning You, the Uncreated One, exercised Your creative power:
And space and time and material substance came into being:
The atom and the molecule and crystalline structures:
And then the first germ of life:
And then the long process in the formation of life:
All things that crawl and fly, the creatures of the forest and the birds of the air and the fish in the sea:
And then the gradual formation of intelligence:
And at last the creation of human beings:
And the beginning of recorded history:
And the first altar, and the first prayer.
O hidden love of God, whose will it is that all created beings should live eternally in pure and perfect fellowship with Yourself, may I do nothing today that undermines Your gracious purpose for my life. Let me keep before my mind how this whole creation is groaning and labouring as it waits for the perfect appearance of the children of God; and let me welcome every influence of Your Spirit upon my life that may hasten the coming of Your Kingdom. When You knock on the door of my heart, do not let me keep you standing outside but welcome You into my life with joy and thanksgiving. Do not allow me to welcome anything into my life that might offend Your Presence; may there be no corner of my life that is closed to Your influence. Have Your own way with me, O God; use me in whatever way You choose, and change my life to conform to your will. Take my life and make it count both now and in the greater life that lies ahead; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THIRTEENTH DAY EVENING
O Heavenly Father, give me a heart like Jesus Christ, a heart more ready to serve than to be served, a heart moved by compassion towards those who are fragile and oppressed, a heart that longs to see the Kingdom of God established in our world.
I would pray tonight, O God, for all those different sorts of situations in people’s lives that Jesus gave special care and attention:
For those in need of food or drink or clothing:
For those who are sick and all who are very seriously ill:
For people born blind or who have become blind:
For the permanently injured and finding it difficult to walk:
For people suffering for leprosy:
For those in prison:
For those oppressed by any injustice:
For the lost sheep of our humanity:
For women who are engaged in prostitution:
For all those strangers who are lonely in our neighbourhood:
For everyone who is worried or anxious:
For those who are being faithful under difficult circumstances:
For those who are bravely fighting for unpopular causes:
For everyone who is faithfully working for the sake of the Kingdom:
May it be Lord, that although my life is fulfilled and relatively untroubled, I would not be insensitive to the needs of those less fortunate than myself – make me sensitive to their needs and enable me to carry them n my heart. If I should have to face really difficult times, don’t allow me to lick my wounds, as if I was the only one in the world suffering; instead let me give myself to the compassionate service of all who need my help. Let the power my Lord Christ be powerful in me and may I be filled with His peace. Amen.
FOURTEENTH DAY MORNING
O God who inhabits our poor and shabby human life, lifting it now and then above the weakness of our natural instincts and greed, allowing us to shine with His love and joy and peace, and making for us a mirror of the beauties of the Unseen Kingdom. I pray that my contribution to life today will be to reveal the beauty of Your Presence in this world rather than to obscure it.
Let me stand today –
For whatever is pure and true and right and good:
For the advancement of learning, science and education:
For living my life for a higher purpose that selfish goals and motives:
For the rights of the vulnerable and the oppressed:
For co-operation between employee and employer, and mutual respect between the two:
For the preservation of the good in our past traditions:
For the recognition of new movements of Your Spirit in the life of people in our own generation:
For the hope of more glorious days to come.
Today, O Lord –
Let me put justice before self-interest:
Let me put others before self:
Let me put the things of the spirit before the things of the body:
Let me put the attainment of a great vision before the enjoyment of personal pleasures:
Let me put principle above my own reputation:
Let me put You before anything else:
O Lord whose glory was once seen in a wonderful revelation in the face of Jesus Christ, give me a heart today like His – a brave heart, a true heart, a tender heart, a heart with great room in it, a heart fixed on Yourself; for His name’s sake. Amen.
FOURTEENTH DAY EVENING
O Divine Love, You stand constantly outside the closed doors of all our hearts, knocking over and over again, please give me the grace to open up every area of my life to You. Tonight, let every defence come down in order that the air of Your Spirit might breathe light and love into every area of my life.
Give me a listening ear, O God, in order to hear Your voice and its call to significant service. Too often I have turned a deaf ear to Your voice appealing to me, speaking to me – now give me the courage to say these words, “Here I am, send me.” And when any of Your children, come to you in their need of help, give them the openness of heart that will hear and respond to Your call to serve.
Give me an open mind, O God – a mind willing to embrace new insights that better reveal who You are. Never allow my past knowledge to become so static that I cannot learn new things. Give me the courage to change my mind, when it is necessary. Let me tolerant of the thinking and opinions of other people and welcome the truth every time I hear it, whatever its source.
Give me open eyes, O God to see all things in this world through the eye of faith. Let every good and beautiful thing that I see fill me with happiness and joy – enable me to see your eternal beauty in all You have created. Forgive me when in the part I have been blind and not seen the absolute glory of the natural world, the fascination and engagement of little children, the wonder of the human story, and every evidence of Your Presence in all these things.
Give me open hands, O God, always ready to share with anyone who is in need, the blessings with which You have enriched my life. Never allow me to be selfish and tight-fisted with my prosperity. Let me always see my money and all my worldly possessions as a trust to be used in this world for Your sake; to whom now be all honour and glory. Amen.
FIFTEENTH DAY MORNING
O God, who is eternal; without beginning or end, and are present everywhere at the same time, I desire to understand my destiny as a Your child. I am standing here, fragile and mortal in the midst of much of what seems permanent in nature. Every blessing to You Lord God for making me in your own image and breathing into me Your own life. Within this poor body, you have established my spirit through Your Spirit. Within this weak mortal person, You have planted Your strong permanent, immortal life. So, in this little room and during this short time, I can lift my mind beyond time and space to You, the uncreated One, until the light of your glory spreads into every part of my life.
Let me keep in mind that my mortal body is the servant of my immortal soul:
Let me always keep in mind that my life is short in terms of eternity:
Let me remember that I am not created to live here forever, but that this is only a place I am visiting for a while – a time of testing and discipling:
Let me use this world and do nothing to abuse it:
Let me live in this world but not for it:
Don not let my possessions possess me and remind me of my treasures in heaven:
Let me understand the passing nature of this temporary world and the permanence and glory of what is to come:
Let my world not be centred on me but on You:
Almighty God, who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and has given him a unique place of power, authority and glory, I thank You for the hope of eternal life with which you have refreshed and given hope to your people in all generations, and which is guaranteed to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
FIFTEENTH DAY EVENING
O God of mercy, who cares for me so much as if You had no-one else to care for, yet You care for everyone in the same way You care for me. I come to You with my needs and the needs of everyone in this world.
In Your mercy, remember me, and keep me safe in Your grace. Forgive the inadequate use I have made today of the gifts You have given me and expect me to use for the benefit of others. Make up for the poor service I offered by the completeness of Your divine resources. Yet, as the days roll on may I be given strength from You in order that my gifts might be used to serve you well and may I be given the grace to sin less often. May Christ reign more and more in my heart and cleanse everything I do.
In Your mercy remember everyone in this world. Let this whole earth be filled with praise to You, and may people be filled with joy as they come to know You better. Let the earth be full of a sense of Your exceptional greatness. Let all the nations have a deep respect for You. Let Your glory rule in the most exalted and the most ordinary parts of this world. Let Your law be honoured in every home. Redeem this world’s life, O God and utterly transform it through the power of Your Holy Cross.
O God, who, despite our failings, graciously uses us in the working out of You will, I pray for the evangelization of this world. I pray for all missionaries who have gone out to foreign countries, especially………… I pray for everyone who is working for peace and understanding between nations, and for all who are striving to break down the walls that divide Jew and Gentile, oppressed and free, and to make everyone united in Christ Jesus. Encourage them with the joy of Your presence; and inspire in me the urgent desire to promote and support them, as far as I am able, in what they seek to do; through Jesus Christ. Amen.
SIXTEENTH DAY MORNING
“9 My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.” [Isaiah 26:9]
Give me O Lord a strong and vivid sense that You are at my side. When I am among people or alone, about my work or relaxing, sitting down or moving about, may I be aware of Your presence accompanying me. By Your grace, O God I will go nowhere and do nothing, that I would not feel comfortable having You with me – I will entertain no relationship that would rob me of Yours. By Your grace, I will allow no thought to capture my mind that might get in the way of my relationship with You and I will not allow anything to be spoken by me that You would not enjoy hearing. Give me the courage to be like this and let Your peace rule in my heart.
“I steadier step when I recall
That, if I slip, Thou dost not fall.” [Arthur Hugh Clough (1819-1861)
"With Whom is no Variableness, Neither Shadow of Turning"
O You who are the Desire of all nations, and through knowing You we understand true love and power where there is salvation for all; quickly bring the day when all people shall acknowledge You as Lord. Quickly bring the time when the whole earth shall become the kingdom of Christ. Quickly bring the time when Your presence and Your will shall not only be found in the hearts of a few wise and brave people, but shall be found in the corridors of power, in every workplace, where we shop, in our cities and in the countryside. And whatever contribution I can make to the furthering of Your Kingdom, give me the grace today to begin this; through Jesus Christ. Amen.
SIXTEENTH DAY EVENING
O God, Your eternal love for our weak and struggling humanity was most perfectly revealed in the sacred life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ: Enable me to meditate of my Lord’s death so that having a united heart with Him in His distress, I may learn the secret of His strength and peace:
I remember Gethsemane:
I remember how Judas betrayed Him:
I remember how Peter denied Him:
I remember how they all deserted Him and ran away:
I remember the beatings:
I remember the crown of thorns:
I remember how they spat at Him:
I remember how they hit Him on the head with a club:
I remember how they drove nails through His hands and feet:
I remember His suffering and misery on the Cross:
I remember He was thirsty:
I remember how He cried out, My God, my God, why have You deserted me?:
We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains He had to bear;
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.
May it be, O gracious God, that I, who kneel now before You, may belong to the great number of those people to whom eternal life and salvation have come through the Cross of Christ. Let the redeeming power that has flowed through every generation like a river, flow now into my soul. Here let me find forgiveness for my sin. Here let me learn to share with Christ the weight of the suffering of the world. Amen.
SEVENTEENTH DAY MORNING
Almighty God, you are present everywhere in the world around me, in my spirit within me, and in the unseen world above me. Let me carry with me through this day a very real sense of Your Power and Glory.
O God who is all around me, may it never be the case that today I would look at all You have created and give no thought to You, the Creator. Let the universe declare Your glory to me and let the hills speak of Your majesty. Let every lovely thing I see, speak to me of a beauty that does not diminish. Let the beauty of the earth remind me of the beauty of holiness that was revealed in Jesus Christ my Lord.
O God within me, give the grace today to be aware of the rousing of Your Spirit within my soul and enable me to listen thoughtfully to all that You have to say to me. Do not let the noises of the world so predominate, that I cannot hear You speak. Never let me change the clear meaning of Your commands; instead let me obey Your will in all things, through the grace of Jesus Christ my Lord.
O God above me, the God who lives in unapproachable light, teach me, I beg You, that even my most profound thoughts about You, are a poor and remote shadow in comparison to Your real and magnificent glory. Teach me that if You are seen in nature, You are greater than nature. Teach me that if You are in my heart, You are greater than my heart. Let my whole being rejoice in Your inexplicable and incomparable greatness. Let me be secure in the thought that You are utterly different from me, completely beyond anything that I can imagine, beyond anything my intellect can grasp or understand. Lord, Your deliberations and decisions are beyond my ability to grasp and Your will cannot be understood by a mere mortal like me.
O Lord, holy is Your name. Amen.
SEVENTEENTH DAY EVENING
I bless You, most holy God, for the deep, deep love that has made it possible for my spirit to meet Your Spirit. Even though I am a weak and flawed mortal I am thankful that I have unhindered access to the heart of Him who controls the universe.
With sorrow in my heart and true regret, I acknowledge in Your presence the very selfish thoughts that I allow to enter my mind and influence what I do.
I confess, O God –That often I encourage my mind to wander into forbidden territory and I have impure thoughts:
That often I am wasting my time on things that are not your will for my life:
That often, by concealing from people my real motives, I pretend to be better than I am:
That I am often honest because it is the right thing to do and not because I want to be:
That often when I am showing concern for my friends, I am only really looking after number one:
That often in sparing an enemy I am not doing it so much out of love for them but personal cowardice:
That often I do good works only to win the praise and approval of other people, and that I turn away from sin only because I am afraid I will be found out.
O holy One, let the fire of Your love enter my heart, and destroy all this web of meanness and falsehood, and make my heart just like the heart of a little child.
Give me grace, O God, to pray now with a pure and sincere heart for all those people I have encountered today. Let me remember now my friends with love and my enemies with forgiveness, leaving them all in Your care, as I now leave in Your care and protection my spirit and body; through Jesus Christ. Amen
EIGHTEENTH DAY MORNING
O God, your eternal presence is hidden from the natural eye, yet it is apparent to our minds and became human in and through Jesus Christ our Lord; I thank you that He has left me His example so that I can follow in His footsteps.
Jesus Christ said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”
O God, persuade my heart to take this advice.
Jesus Christ said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.”
O God, persuade my heart to take this advice.
Jesus Christ said, “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.”
O God, persuade my heart to take this advice.
Jesus Christ said, “Don't be afraid; just believe.”
O God, persuade my heart to take this advice.
Jesus Christ said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
O God, persuade my heart to take this advice.
Jesus Christ said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
O God, persuade my heart to take this advice.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
EIGHTEENTH DAY EVENING
Divine Father You always wait to show mercy to everyone who returns to You with a humble heart and truly sorry for their sin – hear this humble petitioner who needs Your help. With confidence and hope I set out this morning into the opportunities of a new day; but now I am before You ashamed and burdened with the memories of things undone, that ought to have been done, and things done that I ought never to have done. Please come to me, O God, and heal and clean out my life. May I grasp and understand the salvation You have offered to me through Jesus Christ my Lord.
For a deceitful heart and twisted thoughts:
For cutting words spoken deliberately:
For thoughtless words spoken in haste:
For envious and interfering eyes:
For ears that enjoy sin and do not rejoice in the truth:
For greedy hands:
For feet that linger in sin and wander the path of disobedience:
For proud looks:
Have mercy upon me, O God.
If we say that we do not sin, we are deceiving ourselves.
Almighty God, Spirit of purity and grace, in asking for Your forgiveness I cannot claim it is my right to be forgiven – I can only cast myself on Your limitless love.
I merit nothing and deserve nothing:
I cannot plead mitigating circumstances:
I cannot blame my human weakness:
I cannot plead that the power of temptation was too great for me:
I cannot excuse myself by saying other people led me astray:
I can only say, “For the sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son, my Lord, forgive me.” Amen.
NINETEENTH DAY MORNING
All blessing to You, most gracious God; You have caused another day to dawn. All blessing to You for sending me into this new day with good health and a vigorous capacity to work and carry out the duties and responsibilities of another day. Please walk with me through this day until its end, and protect me from any sinful inclination, so that when evening comes I will have no reason to feel shame and guilt.
Dear God, You have graciously called me to be Your servant, I wait in anticipation for You command and direction. Enable my spirit to be in a continual state of readiness in order to be ready to do Your will at any moment in this day.
Let me keep the edges of my mind sharp and alert:
Let me keep my thinking straight and true:
Let me keep my emotions under control:
Let me keep my will ready to serve:
Let me keep my body fit and healthy:
Let me remember Him whose sole desire it was to do the will of Him who sent Him.
O Lord of the vineyard, I earnestly ask for Your blessing upon every person who serves You, by being hard-working and faithful in their various callings; they bear their share of this world’s burdens, and go about their daily tasks in a straightforward manner and with integrity of heart.
For all who work with animals or on the land:
For all who work in factories or industry:
For all who work in shops and supermarkets:
For all who work in research and development:
For all who work in offices:
For all who are homemakers:
Dear Lord, I pray.
In Your great mercy save us all from the temptations that so easily pull us down, and bring us at the last to eternal life, by the power of the Holy Cross. Amen.
NINETEENTH DAY EVENING
Most gracious God, let us now rejoice in the love that You have shown to our poor human race by opening up to us a way to be delivered from our sin and lack of wisdom.
O God the Father, I praise You for Your unique and great love; even when we had gone completely off the rails, You earnestly came looking for us, saving us from the consequences of our actions by sending Your Son to suffer and die so that our relationship with You might be restored.
O God the Son, I praise You for Your unique and great love; by humbling Yourself for my sake, and for the sake of all Your people, You agreed to share our everyday life, live in the midst of all our sin and dishonour, endure the utter pain of Your most blessed Cross of suffering for us and die for us so that we might be set free from our slavery to sin and enter into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
O God the Holy Spirit, I praise You for Your unique and great love; where You fill my whole, unworthy, life every day with the peace and joy of knowing that my sins are forgiven, allowing me to share with all of God’s people in the blessings of my Lord’s Incarnation, of His Suffering for us and His death on the Cross, and of His Resurrection and Ascension to the place of all authority in Your presence.
O holy and blessed Trinity, let me now so live in the mystery of this heavenly love, so that all hatred and cruelty might be completely removed from my life. Let me love You, in the same way as You first loved me; and by loving You, let me also love my neighbour; and by loving You and my neighbour, let me be freed from all false love of myself; and to You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be all glory and praise forever. Amen
TWENTIETH DAY MORNING
Almighty God, in Your infinite wisdom You have willed that I should live my life at this time and for this purpose; let me go out into the world today with a determined and faithful heart. It is Your good will not to give me a perfect knowledge of all things but do not withhold from me the grace to understand the essence of Your Kingdom. You have given me a little power to fulfil my own ambitions and desires; now give me Your invincible power to do Your perfect will. If it is Your will that through hard work and suffering I should walk in Your will; travel with me on this journey.
Let me face everything You send into my life with the pool of strength You supply:
When everything is going well in my life and witness, let me be humble enough to let Your Word grow in heart:
When You call me to go through dark times of trial, let me depend on You rather than seeking ways to circumvent my trials:
Do not let me pass by any opportunity to serve You that You will place in my path today, and save me from falling foul of any temptation that may lurk in the day ahead:
Do not let the sins of yesterday be repeated in my life today; nor in my life today do anything sinful that will affect my life tomorrow.
O God of my ancestors, who in every generation has brought faith and hope to the souls of Your people, I give You thanks for the gift of memory and history that has preserved the stories of faithful service. I thank you for the lives of Your people and for their example – help me to imitate them. I thank You for the memory of……… and……… and………..; for apostles, prophets and for those who gave their lives for the gospel; but most of all I thank You for the Incarnation of Your dear Son, in whose name these prayers are said. Amen.
TWENTIETH DAY EVENING
I call to you, LORD, come quickly to me;
hear me when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. [Psalm 141:1,2]
Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.[Psalm 103:1-5]
But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from wilful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. [Psalm 51:1-3]
Be my rock of refuge,
to which I can always go; [Psalm 71:3a]
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, LORD,
make me dwell in safety. [Psalm 4:8]
Amen
TWENTY-FIRST DAY MORNING
O Holy Spirit of God, come and visit this soul of mine and stay within in it until the end of this day. Inspire all my thoughts. Saturate my imagination. Guide all my decisions. Come and be present where I make all my fundamental decisions and order all my actions. Be with me in times of silence and when I speak, when I am busy and when I am resting, when I am with people and when I am alone, in the freshness of the beginning of the day and when I am tired at night; and give me the grace at all times to rejoice in your mysterious company.
My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame[1]
Accompany me today, Invisible Spirit, everywhere I go, but stay with me when I am at home and with my family. May I always show understanding and be considerate to those people closest to my heart, and give me the grace to also show this to everyone I meet this day. May I always show my household the same consideration and graciousness that I would show to strangers. Let love today begin at home.
Be present with me, gracious Presence of God, during those times I devote to study and reading today’s news. Guide my mind to read the right books and, having chosen them, to read them in such a way that I am willing to learn lessons that will change my life. When I read to enhance my faith, may I read in such a way that I am drawn closer to You. When I read for recreation, may there be nothing in what I read that would take me away from You. May everything I read so refresh my mind that I seek after everything that is pure, right and true.
Let me have a special sense of You being near to me, O God, when I pray, and when I am involved in public worship, or when I receive the Blessed Sacrament; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen
[1] Last line of a hymn by George Croly, called “Spirit of God descend upon my heart.”
TWENTY-FIRST DAY EVENING
Creator of everything that exists, I lift my heart in thanks to You for all today’s blessings:
Simply for the joy of living:
For all the sights and sounds around me:
For the peace of the countryside and the busyness of the town:
For friendship and good company:
For the gift of being able to work and giving me the skills and the strength to carry out all my tasks:
For time to relax and enjoy leisure activities once the day’s work is done, and for the health and a cheerful heart to enjoy my leisure time:
Yet let me never presume, O Eternal Father, that my life here is permanent. Let me always remember that I am a visitor and a pilgrim here on earth. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. [Heb13:14] By Your grace, prevent me from becoming so immersed in the enjoyment of living here on earth; that I fail to long even more for the purer joys of heaven. Do not allow the happiness of this day ensnare me to the extent that it becomes an end in itself and makes me focus too much on the things of this world. And if, instead of happiness there have been times when I have suffered disappointment or defeat; and if there has been any sorrow overtaken me when I expected joy; or any illness when I had hoped for good health; give the grace to accept any adversity for Your hand as a loving reminder from You that this world is not my home.
I thank you Lord that You have placed eternity in my heart and that nothing in this earth can bring me ultimate satisfaction. I thank You that every present joy is so mixed with sadness and unrest that it always leads me to contemplate on the most perfect blessedness that is yet to come. And more than anything else I thank You for the certain hope and promise of eternal life You have given to me in the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
TWENTY-SECOND DAY MORNING
With a humble heart I kneel before You and worship You before I set about the tasks of a new day. I thank You for assuring me that I shall not have to face anything today on my own or in my own strength, but that I shall be at all times accompanied by Your presence and strengthened by Your grace. I thank You that right through our lives there are the footprints of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ walking with us; who for our sake became human and experienced all our human feelings, needs and trials. I thank You for the spiritual protection that will support me with as I go about my daily tasks. For the angels who do Your will, for all Your people who have completed their pilgrimage on earth, for patriarchs, prophets and apostles, for everyone who has laid down their life for the faith, for every holy and humble man and woman of God, for my own dear departed friends, especially………..and…………., I bless and worship Your great name.
I rejoice, O God, that You have called me to be a member of the Church of Christ. Let me be conscious of being part of this unique community of people wherever I go; and let the thought of this cheer me up when I feel lonely, protect me when I am in company, strengthen me when I am tempted and encourage me to do the right thing and do it in love.
O Lord Jesus Christ, You called Your disciples to shine as lights in a dark world; with shame and an ashamed heart I acknowledge in Your presence the many faults and weaknesses that Your Church are guilty of as we represent You in this generation; and especially I acknowledge with regret my own part in this. Forgive me, I beg You, for the weakness of my witness and the poverty of my love, and the carelessness of my passion for the gospel. Make me a more worthy follower of Him who cared for the poor and the oppressed, and who could never see disease without seeking to heal it – or any kind of human need without giving His time to offer help.
Let Your power, O Christ, be in all of us, to share the world’s suffering and redress its wrongs. Amen.
TWENTY-SECOND DAY EVENING
My Day’s work is done Lord and I come aside from all other concerns and activities once more to You. Everything comes from You, everything lives through You and everything finds its purpose in You. This morning I went into the day with Your blessing and all day You have sustained me by Your grace and now I ask that You bring rest and peace to me. I direct to You everything that concerns me or causes me to worry or be anxious; I leave with You everything I did today in Your name. Empower everything I did today that is in Your will and forgive everything that missed the mark. Everything good I have done today, graciously bless it; and if I have done any harm, cancel out its effect through Your almighty power.
O Lord, I remember in Your presence tonight all the workers of this world:
People who work with their hands or their intellect:
People who work in cities or in the countryside:
Women who have made it their aim to look after house and family full time:
Employers and employees:
Those who give direction and those who work it out:
People whose work involves danger:
People whose work is monotonous or unrewarding:
People who are unemployed or unable to work:
People who work in the service of the poor, the healing of the sick or in the proclamation of the gospel at home or abroad.
O Christ you came to serve and not be served, have mercy on everyone who work conscientiously to serve to do good to others in our society. O Christ You fed the hungry crowd with loaves and fish, have mercy on everyone who works to earn a living. O Christ You called people to come to You when they were weary and burdened, have mercy on everyone who is stretched beyond their limits in life. And to You, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all glory and praise. Amen.
TWENTY THIRD DAY MORNING
Holy Father, every good thing comes from You; let the Christian graces of faith hope and love be firmly established in me every day.
O God, I believe –
That in wisdom and righteousness You rule over all things:
That it is right for You to demand my total obedience to Your will:
That in Jesus Christ You have shown me a way of salvation through which all my sins can be completely removed:
That if I truly repent, You are willing to forgive and save me –
O God, I hope –
That You will continue to show me mercy every day:
That sin will weaken its hold on my will:
That every day I might grow in grace and true holiness:
That I might look forward to a more perfect holiness when my life here on earth ends:
For a day when I shall know fully even as I am fully known.
O God, I love You –
Who Yourself are love:
Who in love created me and in love still preserves me:
Who loved me so much that You sent Your Son to suffer and die in order that I might live with You:
Who has commanded me to show my love for You by, for Your sake, loving my neighbour.
Help my lack of faith, O God, and give me greater patience in my hope, and make me more consistent in my love. In loving let me believe and in believing let me love; and in loving and believing let me hope for a more perfect love and resolute faith, through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
TWENTY THIRD DAY EVENING
Everlasting God, let Your eternal light now shine on all my past days. O holy God, let the light of Your perfect righteousness fall on my sinful ways. O most merciful God, let the light of Your love penetrate the most secret corners of my heart and overcome the darkness of sin within me.
Is my life consistent with what my conscience knows is right?
Am I demanding of others a higher standard than I am demanding of myself?
Am I less charitable towards the faults of my neighbour than I am of my own?
Am I publically saying one thing and privately doing another?
O God, let my answers in Your presence be truthful.
Do I ever allow the demands for physical satisfaction to take priority over spiritual growth?
When the way ahead is not clear to me, on what basis do I make a decision?
Do I ever allow my own personal interest and gain take priority over the interests of the community I live in?
O God, let me be truthful as I answer in Your presence.
In my daily life, am I facing the stresses of life with courage and determination?
Am I grateful for my many blessings?
Is my personal happiness too dependent on money? On success? On what other people think of me?
Do I care about other people as much as I do about myself – especially when times are hard?
O God, let me be truthful as I answer in Your presence.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Amen
TWENTY FOURTH DAY MORNING
O God, who is forever blessed, You have given me the night to rest and the day to work and serve You. May it be that the sleep of the night will give me strength to serve You, for Your glory, in the day that lies ahead. Do not allow laziness to be part of my life this day, but make me attentive to my tasks and obedient to Your will.
Teach me today in every circumstance to be fruitful by imitating Jesus rather than allowing sin to take root in my life.
When I feel disappointed, grow in me the fruit of patience:
When I am successful, give me a thankful heart:
When I have to face difficulties, grow in me the fruit of persistence:
When I am in danger, give me courage:
When someone rebukes me, grow in me the fruit of longsuffering:
When I am given praise, give me the grace to be humble:
Let me use material blessings with self-control:
When I suffer physical pain, grow in me the fruit of endurance:
O Lord Jesus Christ, who endured the Cross, spurning its shame, with an eye on the joy that lay beyond it; and is now seated on the throne of God; let me think about You who endured the opposition of sinners in case I grow weary in my service for Your Kingdom.
But that toil shall make thee
some day all mine own,
and the end of sorrow
shall be near my throne."1
Holy God, I remember before You my family and friends especially.......... and ........... urging You, out of Your great love to keep them free from sin, control all they do today so that they walk in Your most perfect will. Amen.
1.Hymn “Christian dost thou see them” from 7th Century.
TWENTY FOURTH DAY EVENING
To You, my heavenly Father, be all praise and glory because day by day you richly endow my life with so many blessings:
A home to share, family to love, and friends to take pleasure in:
A valuable place in life and fulfilling work to do:
A beautiful world to live in, blue skies above and good air to breathe:
Healthy exercise and the simple pleasures of life:
My country’s history and the memory of great people as an example:
Good books to read and fulfilling hobbies to enjoy:
So many things to learn and know about and the skills of science to assist me:
Wonderful thoughts and insights that fill my mind and have their origin in You:
Many happy days, and a sense of inner peace when I endure hard times:
The peace that is beyond human comprehension that comes from You living in my soul:
The faith that sees beyond death to the hope of eternal life beyond the grave:
I thank You, O Lord God, that You have undeservedly given your blessings to our world, but in Jesus Christ You have done greater things than You have ever done before:
Make my home a sweeter place to be and deepen my relationship with my friends:
Turn my sorrows into joy, and transform my attitude to pain:
Rob death of its apparent victory:
Renew our world:
Making peace more peaceful and joy more joyful and our faith and hope more certain. Amen.
TWENTY FIFTH DAY MORNING
O God of the ages, may it be that I, who has inherited eternal life, may not fail to profit from the wisdom which you have imparted to Your servants in the past.
A wise man wrote, “The world is too much with us; late and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.” [Wordsworth]
A wise man said, “Our wills are ours to make them Thine.” [Tennyson]
A wise king said, “Nothing for me is too early or too late which is due time for Thee.” [Marcus Aurelius]
A wise man said, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.” [William Carey]
A wise man said, “In His will is our peace.” [Dante]
A wise woman said, “The divine moment is the present moment.”
A wise woman said, “He asks too much to whom God is not sufficient.”
O God give me the grace to profit from these insights.
A wise man prayed, “Give me what Thou commandest, and command what Thou wilt.” [Augustine]
A wise man prayed, “My past life hide; my future guide.” (Quod vixi tege, quod vivam regim)
O God me the grace to pray these prayers.
May it be Father, that I may go about today’s tasks with a constant awareness of the heritage that I come from and the great cloud of witnesses that always surround me, and that knowing these I will be restrained from sinful ways and inspired to do Your will. Keep me thus in the strength of Jesus Christ my Lord until evening. Amen
TWENTY FIFTH DAY EVENING
Holy God, in whose service I have, for many years, dedicated my life; I stand in Your presence with sorrow and a heavy heart because I am still so prone to sin and so little inclined to obedience:
So much attached to the pleasures of life around me, so negligent in my relationship to You:
So quick to please the demands of my body, so slow to feed my soul:
So greedy for the present enjoyments of this life, so indifferent to the everlasting blessings that wait for me:
So much of a tendency to laziness, so disinclined to work:
So eager to enjoy leisure, so slow to pray:
So quick to look after my own interests, so reluctant in the service of other people:
So eager to get things, so reluctant to give:
So impressive in my profession of faith, so poor in my practice:
So full of good intentions, so slow to fulfil them:
So severe with my neighbours, so self-indulgent:
So quick to find fault, so resentful when people find fault with me:
So lacking in ability for great tasks, so discontented with small ones:
So weak when facing adversity, so proud and self-satisfied in prosperity:
So helpless without You, and yet so little desire to be bound to You.
O merciful heart of God, please give to me Your forgiveness again. Notice my sorry condition and in Your great mercy wipe it out and remember it no more. Give me faith to grasp Your holiness and to rejoice in the righteousness of Christ my Saviour; that resting on His merits rather than my own, I more and more become like Him and be at one with You in obedience, like Him. All this I ask for in His holy name. Amen.
TWENTY SIXTH DAY MORNING
O God I owe you the gift of living through this day, give me the wisdom to use it fruitfully. God forbid, that I should blemish the brightness of this morning with any sinful thoughts or darken the day with any shameful actions. Let Your Holy Spirit breathe into me today pure and heavenly desires. Let Your truth educate my mind. Let Your justice and righteousness be enthroned in my life and rule over my will, that is so disposed to sin. Let Christ be formed in me, and let me learn, like Him, to be humble, gentle, careful in how I speak, helpful in what I do and quick to do my Father’s will.
O God, You fill the whole earth with your mercy and grace, and it is not your will that any should perish in death; I call down Your blessing today on everyone who is making an effort to make this world a better place. I pray especially for –
All who are working to for purer and more just laws:
For all who are working for peace between the nations:
For all who are labouring to heal diseases and find new cures:
For all who are engaged in the relief of poverty:
For all who are seeking to rescue those lives that have gone badly wrong:
For all who are working to restore the broken unity of Your Holy Church:
For all who preach the gospel:
For all who are missionaries to other lands:
Break the power of all the forces of cruelty and injustice. Defeat all selfish and worldly-minded intentions and ideologies and promote everything that is in the will of Christ and done to honour His blessed name. Amen.
TWENTY SIXTH DAY EVENING
Gracious God, at the end of another day, I seek Your presence, sincerely asking that You create a little pool of heavenly peace within my heart as I lie down to sleep. Let all the day’s business and worries now give way to a time of personal remembrance, as I wait for You and reflect on Your love.
Tonight, dear Father, give me a deeper sense of gratitude for all Your grace and mercy to me. Your goodness to me has been wonderful. At no moment in this day has your gracious care been absent from my life. At no moment have I been asked to face anything in my own strength. When I was too busy with relatively insignificant issues and failed to remember You; You, with this universe to govern, were not too busy to remember me.
I am bitterly disappointed in myself that I am constantly confessing to You, how often I forget You and how frail my love for You is; how inconsistent and lacking in vitality is my desire to know You. How many of Your clear commands have I disobeyed today? How many times could I have shown Your love by serving other people, but stood back and did nothing? – in withholding my service from even the least of Your people I have failed to love You.
Dear Lord, if this evening I think about myself and my own circumstances and the things I have done this day in an attempt to serve You, then I can have no peace before I go to sleep – only a deep sense of failure in my spirit and a profound sense of depression. Rather, Father, let me think about You and rejoice that Your love is great enough to forgive and remove the guilt of all my sins. Christ, Lamb of God, let me consider You and depend completely on Your righteousness, not proud of what I am as I stand in Your presence, but rejoicing in who You are, and what You have done for me. Holy Spirit, influence my thoughts, and work within my mind so that as the days pass I will be more and more transformed in order to be as righteous as Jesus Christ my Lord; to whom be glory forever. Amen.
TWENTY SEVENTH DAY MORNING
Make it possible today for me, O Gracious God, to carry with me throughout this day, the memory of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ my Lord.
For Your love as our Father so clearly shown in Jesus Christ Your well-beloved Son:
For Him being prepared and willing to suffer for our sakes:
For the Redeeming love and passion that filled his heart:
I praise Your holy name.
For the power of His Cross throughout every generation since He came to earth:
For everyone who has been willing to “take up their cross and follow Him:”
For the noble company of those people who were executed and killed for the sake of the gospel, so that others might live:
For all those people who have suffered with the honourable reason of serving Christ; for pain, bravely endured, for the sorrows of this world that have been used in order to build up eternal joys:
I praise and bless Your holy name.
O Lord my God, You dwell in a blessed state of serene peace and joy that lies beyond the reach of mortal pain; yet, You look upon us in all our sorrows with love and tenderness of a different kind; I urge You to give me grace to understand the suffering and hardships I am called to face. Deliver me from being anxious. Give me a big heart to bear my own burden and a willing heart to bear the burdens of other people. Give me a believing heart to lay all my burdens at Your feet.
Glory be to You, O Father, and to You, O Christ, and to You, O Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
TWENTY SEVENTH DAY EVENING
I falter where I firmly trod,
And falling with my weight of cares
Upon the great world's altar-stairs
That slope thro' darkness up to God,
I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope, [Tennyson]
Eternal God, in every generation You have brought hope and joy to so many, and have given people the power to seek you, and in seeking, to find You. Give to me a clearer vision of Your truth, a greater faith in Your power, and more confident assurance of Your love.
When the path in life before me seems dark, give me the grace to put my hand in Yours and trust You:
When there is so much I do not understand, let me be all the more faithful to the little that I do clearly understand:
When I look to the future and can see it clearly, let me rejoice that at least I know my next step:
When who You are, is mostly hidden from my understanding, let me still clearly do what You command:
When insight falters, let obedience stand firm:
What I lack in faith let me repay in love:
Infinite God, Your glory is hidden from us and from my sight, I thank you that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to be a light in a dark world. O Christ, Light of Light, I thank You that in Your unique holy life you opened up the eternal mystery with a shaft of that light, so that in seeing You we see Him who no person, at any time, has seen.
Dear God, if I still cannot find You, then journey with me as I search my heart for anything in me that might obscure Your presence; let me confess my sins in Your presence and receive Your word of forgiveness in Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
TWENTY EIGHTH DAY MORNING
Lord my God, permit me to go forward and work through another day, constantly surrounded by Your loving kindness. I commit myself to Your loyal service and do so in Your strength and not my own.
Today let me be seen as a Christian not just by what I say but also by what I do:
Let me follow with determination in the footsteps of my Master:
Let me be disciplined and careful in everything I do:
Let there be no self-pity or self-indulgence in my life today:
Let my thinking be sharp, my speech to the point and honest, and my actions full of integrity and decisive.
Lord, I am praying not just for myself but everyone in my house, for all my friends and fellow workers, asking You to watch over them with Your Fatherly love. I also pray –
For everyone today who has to make a significant, life-changing, decision:
For everyone today who will be involved in settling significant negotiations between people and nations:
For everyone who is responsible for forming and informing public opinion:
For everyone who is working for truth in a world of ignorance and sin:
For everyone who is weary from excessively hard work and for those who are unemployed:
Christ my Lord, who for the sake of my brothers and sisters, set aside all the comforts of this earth, may it never be that I live to satisfy myself. Amen.
TWENTY EIGHTH DAY EVENING
You live in unapproachable Light; how then can I fold these guilty hands in prayer in Your presence? How can I speak to You tonight with lips that today have spoken false and rude words?
A heart that is hardened with bitter emotions:
An ungoverned tongue:
An anxious outlook:
An unwillingness to bear the burdens of others:
Too much willingness to let others bear my burdens:
High sounding principles and intentions allied to low attainments:
Fine words that hide ungodly thoughts:
A friendly face that masks a cold heart:
Many neglected opportunities and many neglected talents:
Much love and beauty appreciated and many blessings received with an unthankful heart:
All these I confess to You, O God.
I thank You, loving Father, that even though You are holy and awe-inspiring, You have proved Yourself to be available to mortals like me who go astray, and hear our prayers; I especially thank You and praise You that in the gospel of Jesus Christ You have opened up a new and living way into Your presence and that You make Your mercy free to everyone who have nothing else to rely on. Let me now find peace of heart by running from myself and finding a safe place in You. Let the depression I feel over my miserable sins give way to joy in Your delightful goodness. Let depression of mind make way for a new impetus in my heart to serve You. Let me lie down tonight thinking, not of myself and all that concerns me; or of my own hopes and fears or even my own sins that are well known to You,; but of other people who need Your help and of anything I might be able to do to help them in Your name. Amen.
TWENTY NINTH DAY MORNING
Almighty and most merciful Father, whose power and love work in tandem for the protection and safe-keeping of Your children, give me grace this day to put my trust in You.
Father, I pray –
For the faith to believe that You rule the world in truth and righteousness:
For faith to believe that if I make it my supreme priority to seek Your Kingdom and Righteousness, You will provide for all my secondary needs:
For the faith not to be anxious about tomorrow, but to believe that You have always been there for me in the past and that You do not change:
For the faith to see Your purpose of love revealing itself in the events of this point in history:
For the faith to be calm and brave in the face of the kind of trials that might threaten my peace as I serve You and do Your will:
For the faith to believe in the power of Your love to melt my hard heart and remove all my sin:
For the faith to put my confidence in love rather than force, when people may harden their hearts against me:
For the faith to believe in the ultimate victory of Your Holy Spirit over disease, death and all the powers of darkness:
For the faith to grow as a person through suffering and to recognise that this is Your calling for me to endure such times and circumstances:
For the faith to leave in Your hands the wellbeing of everyone who is dear to me, especially.......... and .............
O God, in whom past generations trusted and were not disappointed, rid my life of any consuming anxieties and paralysing fears. Give me a cheerful and optimistic spirit, and peace in doing Your will; for Christ’s sake. Amen.
TWENTY NINTH DAY EVENING
God who is immortal, eternal, invisible, it is with a glad and thankful heart I remember all that You have done for this world and everyone in it:
You have been a companion for the courageous:
You have supported the loyal:
You have been a light to those who are lost:
You bring joy to the pilgrim:
You are a guide to the pioneer:
You are a helper to those who work:
You are a safe place for those who are broken-hearted:
You are a deliverer for the oppressed:
You are a support to those who are tempted:
You are a strength to the victorious:
You are a Ruler of those who rule:
You are a friend of the poor:
You rescue those who are perishing:
You are hope to the dying.
Give me the faith that You can be all I need, if only I set aside my pride and independent spirit, and put my trust only in You.
May it never happen that because I find it difficult to live a consistently good life, I become careless or feel despair or hopelessness. Help me to keep at the forefront of my mind that this human existence was divinely lived and that He overcame all the temptations known to us, that I now feel so hard to resist.
Show Your loving-kindness, Lord, to all who are in need of Your help. Be with those who are weak and make them strong, and with those who are strong to make them gentle. Bring comfort and joy to those who are lonely and Your presence to those who are caught up in the unhappiness of solitude. Make the Church be successful in her great task and grant Your blessing to everyone who worked in Christ’s name today. Amen.
THIRTIETH DAY MORNING
Creator Spirit, You are everlastingly present in our world, enduing it with beauty and colour, something that no human being can copy; give me today a mind and heart to rejoice in Your creation.
May it never be that I should walk through this world and fail to appreciate its beauty:
May it never be that the love of money and what it can buy, should replace my appreciation and love for the countryside and all it contains:
May it never be that whether I work in a factory, office or study that I should forget Your great and overarching sky:
May it never be that when Your creation is welcoming the morning with songs and shouts of joy, I alone should wear a dull and gloomy face:
Let the energy and power which, in Your wisdom, You have filled every living creature, be in me today, that I may not live in this creation contributing little and moaning about life:
More than anything give me the grace to embrace the various beauties of this earth so that You empower me within to rise up within my soul to know You.
O God, Your divine tenderness is greater than any human love, give to me a kind and gentle heart towards all living things. Do not allow me to harm any of Your creation. Let me be concerned about the welfare of young children, those who are ill and the poor; remembering that what I do to and for the least of Your people I am doing to and for You, Jesus Christ, my Lord.
THIRTIETH DAY EVENING
Almighty and ever blessed God, at no time in history have you failed to leave this world without a witness as to Your will, but have in every age raised up good and godly people to lead us in the way of faith and love; I praise You for the gift of the apostle Paul. I thank you for the determination You gave him to bring the gospel to western world – a light that had been lit in the east.
Paul said, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” [Eph 4:31-32]
O God move my heart to follow in this way.
Paul said, “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” [Rom 13:14]
O God move my heart to follow in this way.
Paul said, “No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave.” [1 Cor 9:27]
O God move my heart to follow in this way.
Paul said, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” [Phil 2:3]
O God move my heart to follow in this way.
Paul said, “Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.””[1 Cor 1:31]
O God move my heart to follow in this way.
Paul said, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” [Col 4:2-3]
O God, I pray tonight for all who are following in the footsteps of Paul and are working hard to bring the light of the gospel where it is not known. Amen.
THIRTY FIRST DAY MORNING
All glory to You, Lord, my King! With reverence I honour and welcome You at the beginning of another day. My praise, love and loyalty are given to You, most High Lord!
Prevent my thoughts today from becoming preoccupied only with the affairs of this world. In Your great love, You have given me the ability to consider, and meditate upon, the unseen and eternal realities of Your Kingdom; may I never be content with only the things I can see, touch and feel. Help me each day to strengthen my hold on the unseen reality of Your Kingdom, and so increase my sense of its reality in my life; and so, attach my soul to the holy realities of Your Kingdom that for me are drawing nearer each day as I come to the conclusion of this earthly pilgrimage. May I not grow attached to the things of this earth, but be more and more conformed to the life of the world to come, which will become my ultimate reality.
Lord, You see and know all things, I pray that You will give me the grace to know You in such a way, that I will understand, from Your perspective, who I truly am, and will understand how You really feel about me. Give me an appreciation and understanding of my life in its eternal perspective. Show me my smallness and Your infinite greatness. Show me my sin and Your perfect righteousness. Show me my comparative lack of love and Your endless love. Yet, in Your mercy, show me that, small as I am, I can take refuge in Your greatness and not be afraid; though I am sinful, I can depend completely on Your righteousness to make me whole; and though I lack consistent love in my life, I can immerse myself in Your forgiving love. Cause my thoughts this day to consider often the life and death of Jesus Christ my Lord, so that I may see everything through the reality of the redemption which You have freely given to me in His name. Amen.
THIRTY FIRST DAY EVENING
Lord, You are as much my God at night when I sleep as during the day when I am awake. You are the one to whom the very stars are obedient and so as darkness approaches I too would submit my will to Your will.
From the stirrings of self-will within my heart:
From weak-willed avoidance of essential responsibilities:
From a defiant recoil from suffering that would be good for my soul:
From discontentment with my life’s circumstances:
From jealousy of others, whose life seems better than mine:
From not valuing one gift You have given me, because You have not given me five or ten:
From unwholesome pride:
From undisciplined thoughts:
From and unwillingness to learn and grow as a person and an un-readiness to serve You and others.
G God, set me free.
O God my Father, who is often closest to me, when I am, in my heart, far from You; and who is near at hand even when I feel You have forsaken me; in Your mercy grant that the defeat of my self-will may be the victory in me of Your eternal purpose.
May I grow more sure of the reality of Your person and presence and power in my life:
May I have a clear understanding of the meaning and purpose of my life here on earth: May I have a strong hold on eternal life:
May I look more and more to those things I cannot see:
May my desires grow less undisciplined and my thought-life become more pure:
May my love for everyone grow deeper and more tender and may I be more willing to help carry the burdens of other people.
To Your care, O God, I commend my soul and the souls of everyone I love and who love me; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SUNDAY MORNING
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty; the universe and the earth are full of Your glory.; to You exalted Lord, be glory forever
O God, I long for Your blessing on this refreshing day of rest. Give me joy in worship today and a glad heart when I sing praises to You. May my spirit as well as my body be refreshed today. Give me the grace to bring together all my fragmented thoughts and make sense of my life. Help me to stand aside from all the busyness of day to day living in order that I might consider the meaning of my life and future destiny. May Jesus Christ accompany me in my thoughts, so that his divine nature might be more and more rooted at the core of my being. May He be in me, and may I be in Him; even as You are in Him. May I find rest in being in You and in Christ.
You are the source and ground of all truth. You are the Light of lights, who opens the minds of people to understand how life works, guide me today in the hours I will spend reading. Give me the grace to choose the right books to read and to read them in the right way. Give me the wisdom to know when to stop and when to persevere in my reading. Let the Bible have its proper place and as I read it may the Holy Spirit make me sensitive to His stirring up my soul.
I pray for every human heart that comes to You today with a sincere desire; and for every group of men and women who meet together to praise and honour Your name. However they worship, graciously accept their humble prayer and praise and lead them into eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SUNDAY EVENING
Holy Spirit of God, You are a gracious and willing guest in every heart that is humble enough to receive You; be present now in my heart and guide my prayer.
For all the gracious opportunities and privileges I enjoyed today, I give You thanks, O Lord.
For the rest I have enjoyed today, from all of the day to day work and tasks:
For the invitation to keep this day set apart to You:
For the place of prayer and the ministry of public worship:
For the blessed sacrament in which as often as we eat and drink, we are remembering our Lord’s death and experiencing His living presence:
For of all the earthly symbols that have reminded me today of eternal realities, and how positively this has impacted on my soul:
For the books I have read, and for the music I have listened to, that have uplifted me:
For today’s enjoyable conversations:
For the Sabbath peace in Christian homes:
For the inner peace that has been supreme in my heart.
May it be that the spiritual refreshment I have enjoyed today might influence me throughout the week ahead. It is a fountain of strength. It is a purifying and refreshing wind that will blow through every aspect of my living. It is a light to illumine the decisions I will make. O God, enable me to discipline my will so that when I am stressed I will be influenced by those things I prayed for when I was at peace.
As I lie down to sleep, I commit everyone who is dear to me into your constant care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.