A Disciple's Renewal

  • Tim Challies
  • 08/23/09
  • 2

Once again this Sunday I turned to The Valley of Vision and found there a great prayer. This one is titled "A Disciple's Renewal."

*****

O My Saviour, help me.
I am so slow to learn, so prone to forget, so weak to climb;

I am in the foothills when I should be in the heights;
I am pained by my graceless heart,
my prayerless days,
my poverty of love,
my sloth in the heavenly race,
my sullied conscience,
my wasted hours,
my unspent opportunities.
I am blind while light shines around me:
take the scales from my eyes,
grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.
Make it my chiefest joy to study thee,
meditate on thee,
gaze on thee,
sit like Mary at thy feet,
lean like John on thy breast,
appeal like Peter to thy love,
count like Paul all things dung.
Give me increase and progress in grace so that there may be;
more decision in my character,
more vigor in my purposes,
more elevation in my life,
more fervor in my devotion,
more constancy in my zeal.
As I have a position in the world,
keep me from making the world my position;
May I never seek in the creature what can be found only in the creator;
Let not faith cease from seeking thee until it vanishes into sight.
Ride forth in me, thou King of kings and Lord of lords,
that I may live victoriously, and in victory attain my end.
 

Comments (2)

1
Anonymous's picture
a comment from Charlie • 08/24 @ 2:54am

My wife and I purchased the VOV last year and have enjoyed using it as a prayer resource. So many of us feel that if we don't pray spontaneously then we haven't really prayed, but there are times when I don't want to pray this way, or form my own thoughts and words. In those times praying the prayers of saints who've gone before has been a blessing indeed.

2
Anonymous's picture
a comment from Bob • 08/25 @ 2:42am

I'm always startled to find out that all the things that plague my walk are not unique to me. I'm not a man of many words and when I try to express in prayer what this writer did, it comes out rather garbled. This seems to hinder my prayer as many times I'm reluctant to pray as I don't know how to define these things within myself. I know there's something wrong, but to externalize it seems beyond me. So I will use this prayer as it expresses what I want to express but can't. Is that cheating?