Daily prayers

Haven’t written anything here recently, so here goes. November has proven to be a very busy month. But I relish—or must force myself to relish—deadlines; only then can I get anything done. I’ve been doing quite a lot of writing, too—mostly technical things I can’t publish here.

I’ve been going through The Valley of Vision, a book of Puritan prayers, for my daily devotion. The prayers are beautiful. Who was the writer who said that the Puritans towered in the faith and devotion to the Lord, like redwoods in a deciduous forest? The Banner of Truth, the book’s publisher, publishes daily prayers at its website.

Here's one of my favorites.

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
    on 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 vigour in my purposes,
  more elevation in my life,
  more fervour 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.