Give me a deeper
trust, that I may lose myself to find myself in Thee, the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being. Give me a deeper knowledge of Thyself as saviour,
master, lord, and king. Give me deeper power in private prayer, more sweetness
in Thy Word, more steadfast grip on its truth. Give me deeper holiness in
speech, thought, action, and let me not seek moral virtue apart from Thee. Anonymous (2010-07-01). Puritan Prayers (Kindle Locations 37-39). . Kindle Edition.
How blessed we are to have recorded for our benefit the
honest searching prayers of those who have walked with Him before us! How clear and deep are these pools of
grace. How sweet the waters held
within. How simple and yet mighty are
these petitions.
If we but borrow these might not our prayers be altered,
made higher from a lower place? Might we
not find in them that for which our hearts yearn to express? Might we not more readily seek the Holy Spirit
of God with a greater hunder and yearning?
Might we not be blessed beyond measure?
I believe these prayers are ours not by divine inspiration
but by His providential preservation.
From Him to them and down to us they come to raise us up and join us to
the saints now in His presence. In them
we are joined with the hearts of our forefathers in the faith and in them we
find the depth of our need expressed.
They need to be prayed not merely read. They might be prayed slowly, reflectively
seeking how they might call from our hidden or murky needs.
Who knows from what specific circumstance they were
prayered? And yet, who cares? I do not need to know the writers need but
rather to find his expressed need my own.
What assurance we find here:
that we are not alone in our struggles; we are not alone in our
need. That we are not alone and never
have been in seeking to be more faithful servants, submitted to the King. Indeed there is nothing new under the sun,
not even our weakenesses and fears as His servants.
We are told to be bold and of good courage and yet we shrink
and cower. It is in prayers like these
that we see the remedy for this. We see
that we need only seek Him, to pound upon the door insistently while we await
His providence. He will find us, He will answer the pounding
for so He has promised.
Borrowed prayers are not some spiritual form of plagiarism. Not when we ask Him to make them our own. Not when we ask Him to use them to dig deeply
into our hearts and minds and where we find a lack of one thing asked for we
cry out louder for its provision.
Often I do not know the “what” or “how “of my prayers. I am confounded by the cacophony of the
flesh. Yet in borrowing these prayers I
find the cacophony stilled and silent and I hear my need expressed.
I recommend this little book to you all. To keep by your bedside or bettr yet to keep
with you at all times. Some of the
prayers will instantly lift your spirit and heal your wounds, while others at
first may not touch your heart, they will as He makes you ready.
Puritan Prayers
