Is it unusual to find it providential when you stumble upon a prayer that carries with its reading and heart-borne utterance a deep, rich sense of the fragrant offering of Christ?
from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers, by Arthur Bennett:
Lord God Almighty,
I ask not to be enrolled among the earthly great and rich,
but to be numbered with the spiritually blessed.
Make it my present, supreme, persevering concern
to obtain those blessings which are
spiritual in their nature,
eternal in their continuance,
satisfying in their possession.
Preserve me from a false estimate of the whole
or a part of my character;
May I pay regard to
my principles as well as my conduct,
my motives as well as my actions.
Help me
never to mistake the excitement of my passions
for the renewing of the Holy Spirit,
never to judge my religion by occasional
impressions and impulses, but by my
constant and prevailing disposition.
May my heart be right with you,
and my life as becomes the gospel.
May I maintain a supreme regard to another and better world,
and feel and confess myself a stranger and a pilgrim here.
Afford me all the direction, defense, support,
and consolation my journey hence requires,
and grant me a mind stayed upon you.
Give me large abundance of the supply of
the Spirit of Jesus,
that I may be prepared for every duty,
love you in all my mercies,
submit to you in every trial,
trust you when walking in darkness,
have peace in you amidst life’s changes.
Lord, I believe, help my unbelief
and uncertainties.
This is a prayer that’ll preach, too!
Praying with Fire 