9/14/09

Consecration and Worship - The Prayer Used in Worship

In our worship services this week, I used the words of a prayer from The Valley of Vision (in leather or paperback), a collection of Puritan prayers. The editor of the collection, Arthur Bennett, has given this prayer the title, "Consecration and Worship." I thought it would be helpful to post the text of this prayer here, since sometimes there is so much content in these prayers, and expressed in such sophisticated (and outdated) language, it can be a bit challenging to discern upon one hearing what precisely is being expressed.

So without further adieu, here is the text from the prayer, "Consecration and Worship."

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My God,

I feel it is heaven to please Thee, and to be what Thou wouldst have me be. O that I were holy as Thou art holy, pure as Christ is pure, perfect as Thy Spirit is perfect! These, I feel, are the best commands in Thy Book, and shall I break them? must I break them? am I under such a necessity as long as I live here?

Woe, woe is me that I am a sinner, that I grieve this blessed God, who is infinite in goodness and grace! O if He would punish me for my sins, it would not would my heart so deep to offend Him; But though I sin continually, He continually repeats His kindness to me.

At times I feel I could bear any suffering, but how can I dishonour this glorious God? What shall I do to glorify and worship this best of beings? O that I could consecrate my soul and body to His service, without restraint, for ever! O that I could give myself up to Him, so as never more to attempt to be my own! or have any will or affections that are not perfectly conformed to His will and His love! But, alas, I cannot live and not sin.

O may angels glorify Him incessantly, and, if possible, prostrate themselves lower before the blessed King of heaven! I long to bear a part with them in ceaseless praise; but when I have done all I can to eternity I shall not be able to offer more than a small fraction of the homage that the glorious God deserves. Give me a heart full of divine, heavenly love.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting this prayer. I was wanting a copy of it (and I heard it twice!) ET