Tuesday, January 13, 2009

God The All

I’ve been greatly inspired, blessed, and encouraged through the prayers found in the book The Valley of Vision. I have posted a few prayers from this book in the past, and I want to continue to do so as I read through the book this year and come across prayers that specifically impact me... Like this one!

God The All

O God Whose will conquers all,
There is no comfort in anything apart from
enjoying thee and being engaged in thy service;
Thou art All in all, and all enjoyments are
what to me thou makest them, and no more.
I am well pleased with thy will, whatever it is,
or should be in all respects.
And if thou bidst me decide for myself in any affair,
I would choose to refer all to thee,
for thou art infinitely wise and cannot do amiss,
as I am in danger of doing.
I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal,
and it delights me to leave them there.
Then prayer turns wholly into praise,
and all I can do is to adore and bless thee.
What shall I give thee for all thy benefits?
I am in a straight betwixt two, knowing not what to do;
I long to make some return, but have nothing to offer,
and can only rejoice that thou doest all,
that none in heaven or on earth shares thy honour;
I can of myself do nothing to glorify thy blessed name,
but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to thee,
I know that thou art the author and finisher of faith,
that the whole work of redemption is thine alone,
that every good work or thought found in me is the effect
of thy power and grace,
that thy sole motive in working in me to will and to do is
for thy good pleasure.
O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much
about man’s creaturely power and goodness,
when, if thou didst not hold us back every moment,
we should be devils incarnate.

This, by bitter experience, thou hast taught me concerning myself.

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