Sunday, May 6, 2012

The Lord's Day

(A Lord's Day Evening prayer taken from Joseph Pipa's book The Lord's Day)

Most Holy God,
May the close of an earthly sabbath
              remind me that the last of them will one day end.
Animate me with joy that in heaven praise will never cease,
              that adoration will continue forever,
              that no flesh will grow weary,
                            no congregations disperse,
                            no affections flag,
                            no thoughts wander,
                            no will droop,
                            but all will be adoring love.
Guard my mind from making ordinances my stay or trust,
                                         from hewing out broken cisterns,
                                         from resting on outward helps.
Wing me through earthly forms to thy immediate presence;
May my feeble prayers show me the emptiness and vanity of my own sins;
Deepen in me the conviction that my most fervent prayers,
             and most lowly confessions, need to be repented of.
May my best services bring me nearer to the cross,
             and prompt me to cry, 'None but Jesus!'
By the Spirit give abiding life to the lessons of this day:
May the seed sown take deep root and yield a full harvest.
Let all who see me take knowledge that I have been with thee
             that thou hast taught me my need as a sinner,
                            hast revealed a finished salvation to me,
                            hast enriched me with all spiritual blessings,
                            hast chosen me to show forth Jesus to others,
                            hast helped me to dispel the mists of unbelief.
O great creator, mighty protector, gracious preserver,
                           thou dost load me with lovingkindnesses,
                           and hast made me thy purchased possession,
                           and redeemed me from all guilt;
I praise and bless thee for my sabbath rest, my calm conscience,
                                                                               my peace of heart.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Niki. I made a nice comment on your last post, but somehow it didn't work (I think I'm not sure about how to sign in). So I'm trying again. I really like reading your blog ... whenever you have opportunity to write.
Brenda

Niki said...

awww :) Thanks for the encouragement Brenda. That's too bad that the comment did not work. Do you have a blogger account? I think if you do, that you could click "sign in" at the top right hand corner of the blog page and then after you sign in you might find it easier to comment?? I'm not very knowledgeable about website stuff either, but hope it helps!