Choices

This morning we read a beautiful prayer from Arthur Bennett’s  Valley of Vision, simply titled: Choices.

The full prayer is here, but here’s some excerpts:

Help me to place myself always under thy guiding
and guardian care,
to take firmer hold of the sure covenant that
binds me to thee,
to feel more of the purifying, dignifying,
softening influence of the religion I profess,
to have more compassion, love, pity, courtesy,
to deem it an honour to be employed by thee
       as an instrument in thy hands,
       ready to seize every opportunity of usefulness,
       and willing to offer all my talents to thy service.

No matter your vocation (stay-at-home mum, technical writer, student, unemployed etc.): what an honour it is to be employed by the Perfect Master!

Thou hast done for me all things well,
hast remembered, distinguished, indulged me.
All my desires have not been gratified,
   but thy love denied them to me
   when fulfilment of my wishes would have
       proved my ruin or injury.

God graciously withholds certain things from me because He knows I’d get into trouble with them.

My trials have been fewer than my sins,
and when I have kissed the rod it has fallen
from thy hands.

Even in the depths of woe, if I were to count my sins they would far exceed the trials that I’ve encountered.

Thou hast often wiped away my tears,
restored peace to my mourning heart,
chastened me for my profit.
All thy work for me is perfect,
   and I praise thee.

This book was probably the most helpful purchase from our trip to WorshipGod conference in 2011.

Try read one of these prayer, and then praying yourself after it. You certainly won’t be praying the same clichés over and over again.