TO BE FIT FOR GOD

 

Reprinted from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

 

THOU MAKER AND SUSTAINER OF ALL THINGS,

Day and night are thine,

heaven and earth declare thy glory;

but I, a creature of thy power and bounty,

have sinned against thee by resisting

the dictates of conscience,

the demands of thy law,

the calls of thy gospel;

yet I live under the dispensation of a given hope.

Deliver me from worldly dispositions,

for I am born from above and bound for glory.

May I view and long after holiness

as the beauty and dignity of the soul.

Let me never slumber, never lose my assurance,

never fail to wear armour when passing through

enemy land.

Fit me for every scene and circumstance;

Stay my mind upon thee and turn my trials

to blessings,

that they may draw out my gratitude and praise

as I see their design and effects.

Render my obedience to thy will holy, natural,

and delightful.

Rectify all my principles by clear, consistent,

and influential views of divine truth.

Let me never undervalue or neglect any part

of thy revealed will.

May I duly regard the doctrine and practice

of the gospel,

prizing its commands as well as its promises.

Sanctify me in every relation, office, transaction

and condition of life,

that if I prosper I may not be unduly exalted,

if I suffer I may not be over-sorrowful.

Balance my mind in all varying circumstances

and help me to cultivate a disposition

that renders every duty a spiritual privilege.

Thus may I be content,

be a glory to thee

and an example to others.