Week One - "Grant me, gracious Lord"

As a recap, here is the prayer that I posted last week:

"Grant me, gracious Lord, a pure intention of heart, and a steadfast regard to your glory in all my actions. Possess my mind continually with your presence, and fill it with your love, that my whole delight may be to repose in the arms of your protection. Be light to my eyes, music to my ears, sweetness to my taste, and full contentment to my heart. Be my sunshine in the day, my food at the table, my repose in the night, my clothing in company, my succor in all necessities.
Lord Jesus, I give you my body, my soul, my substance, my fame, my friends, my liberty, and my life. Dispose of me, and all that is mine, as seems best to you, and to the glory of your blessed name. I am not my own, but yours; therefore claim me as your right, keep me as your charge, and love me as your child. Fight for me when I am assailed, heal me when I am wounded, and revive me when I am destroyed.

My Lord and my God, I ask you to give me patience in troubles, humility in comforts, constancy in temptations, and victory over all my ghostly enemies. Grant me sorrow for my sins, thankfulness for my benefits, fear of your judgments, love of your mercies, and mindfulness of your presence for evermore. Make me humble to my superiors and friendly to my equals, ready to please all and loathe to offend any; loving to my friends and charitable to my enemies. Give me modesty in my countenance, gravity in my behavior, deliberation in my speech, holiness in my thoughts, and righteousness in all my actions. Let your mercy cleanse me from my sins, and your grace bring forth in me the fruits of everlasting life.

Lord, let me be obedient without arguing, humble without feigning, patient without grudging, pure without corruption, mercy without lightness, sad without mistrust, sober without dullness, true without duplicity, fearing you without desperation, and trusting you without presumption. Let me joyful for nothing but that which pleases you, and sorrowful for nothing but what displeases you: that labor be my delight which is for you, and let all weary me that is not in you. Give me a waking spirit, and a diligent soul, that I may seek to know your will, and when I know it may I perform it faithfully to the honor and glory of your ever blessed name. Amen."

Chilcote took this prayer that is divided into four roughly equal parts and provided a theme for each section:
Part 1: Who is God to me? (first paragraph of prayer)
Part 2: What can I give to and ask of God? (second)
Part 3: How does God shape my life? (third)
Part 4: How do I live as a disciple of Christ? (fourth)

Today, we begin part one from Chilcote.

Scripture

"The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made." - Psalm 145:8-14

Meditation

Our prayer begins where all prayer must begin, in the realization that the One to whom we speak is a God of grace. We do not say, "Grant me," in the sense of a demand. Rather, we know that the God we worship, like a faithful parent, longs to give us the very best, to offer us the most wonderful gifts, to fill the deepest desires and longings of our hearts.

To pray to such a God is like falling into the arms of the one you love. You open your life to the One who is always faithful and trustworthy. You look to God, in the midst of hopelessness and in confidence, during times of deep personal agony and of glorious triumph, from positions of overwhelming abundance and of utter desperation, and you find the Lord already near. In fact, God forms the very center of your life, just waiting to be with you through it all. God's grace will always amaze you. It causes you to be a creature of thankfulness and prayer.

Whenever I hear the word grant, I immediately think of the ancient collects of the church. These prayers often include the petition, like this on, "Grant me..." When all is said and done, the deepest prayer of each person's heart is the profound request, "Grant me, Gracious Lord, a living relationship with you, for I know that if I entrust my life to you, I will always be safe."

Prayer

Gracious Lord, you are the beginning and the ending of all things, my center and my circumference: root and fix me in you in such a way that my soul finds rest in its true home and never stops growing in grace, safe and secure in your loving embrace. Amen.

Week two next Monday...

pcraig