stout heart

"O Lord my God, who dwellest in pure and blessed serenity beyond the reach of mortal pain, yet lookest down in unspeakable love and tenderness upon the sorrows of earth, give me grace, I beseech Thee, to understand the meaning of such afflictions and disappointments as I myself am called upon to endure. Deliver me from all fretfulness. Let me be wise to draw from every dispensation of Thy providence, the lesson Thou art minded to teach me.

Give me a stout heart to bear my own burdens.
Give me a willing heart to bear the burdens of others.
Give me a believing heart to cast all burdens upon Thee.

Glory be to Thee, O Father, and the Thee, O Christ, and to Thee, O Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen." ~From a Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

morning prayer

"Wait" by Kulikova Nadya

"Let Thy Holy Spirit breathe into my heart today all pure and heavenly desires. Let Thy truth inform my mind. Let Thy justice and righteousness make a throne within me and rule my errant will. Let Christ be formed in me, and let me learn of Him all lowliness of heart, all gentleness of bearing, all modesty of speech, all helpfulness of action, and promptness in the doing of my Father's will.

Cast down, O Lord, all the forces of cruelty and wrong. Defeat all selfish and worldly-minded schemes, and prosper all that is conceived among us in the Spirit of Christ and carried out to the honour of His blessed name. Amen."  ~John Baillie 

great mercy

"O merciful heart of God, grant me yet again Thy forgiveness. Hear my sorrowful tale and in Thy great mercy blot it out from the book of Thy remembrance. Give me faith so to lay hold of Thine own holiness and so to rejoice in the righteousness of Christ my Saviour that, resting on His merits rather than on my own, I may more and more become confirmed to His likeness, my will becoming one with His in obedience to Thine. All this I ask for His holy name's sake. Amen." ~John Baillie

seasons of unrest

"I thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast so set eternity within my heart that no earthly thing can ever satisfy me wholly. I thank Thee that every present joy is so mixed with sadness and unrest as to lead my mind upwards to the contemplation of a more perfect blessedness. And above all, I thank Thee for the sure hope and promise of an endless life which Thou hast given me in the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen." ~John Baillie

mysterious companionship

"O Holy Spirit of God, visit now this soul of mine, and tarry within it until eventide. Inspire all my thoughts. Pervade all my imaginations. Suggest all my decisions. Lodge in my will's most inward citadel and order all my doings. Be with me in my silence and in my speech, in my haste and in my leisure, in company and in solitude, in the freshness of the morning and in the weariness of the evening; and give me grace at all times to rejoice in Thy mysterious companionship." ~John Baillie

My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

i confess

"I bless Thee, O most holy God, for the unfathomable love whereby Thou hast ordained that spirit with spirit can meet and that I, a weak and erring mortal, should have this ready access to the heart of Him who moves the stars.

With bitterness and true compunction of heart I acknowledge before Thee the gross and selfish thoughts that I so often allow to enter my mind and to influence my deeds.

I confess, O God--

that often I let my mind wander down unclean and forbidden ways: 

that often I deceive myself as to where my plain duty lies: 

that often, by concealing my real motives, I pretend to be better than I am:  

that often my honesty is only a matter of policy:  

that often my affection for my friends is only a refined form of caring for myself:  

that often my sparing of my enemy is due to nothing more than cowardice:  

that often I do good deeds only that they may be seen of men, and shun evil ones only because I fear they may be found out.

O holy One, let the fire of Thy love enter my heart, and burn up all this coil of meanness and hypocrisy, and make my heart as the heart of a little child." ~John Baillie 

without . within . above

"Almighty God, who art ever present in the world without me, in my spirit within me, and in the unseen world above me, let me carry with me through this day's life a most real sense of Thy power and Thy glory.

 O God without me, forbid that I should look today upon the work of Thy hands and give no thought to Thee the Maker. Let the heavens declare Thy glory to me and the hills Thy majesty. Let every fleeting loveliness I see speak to me of a loveliness that does not fade. Let the beauty of earth be to me a sacrament of the beauty of holiness made manifest in Jesus Christ my Lord.

O God within me, give me grace today to recognize the stirrings of Thy Spirit within my soul and to listen most attentively to all that Thou hast to say to me. Let not the noises of the world ever so confuse me that I cannot hear Thee speak. Suffer me never to deceive myself as to the meaning of Thy commands; and so let me in all things obey Thy will, through the grace of Jesus Christ my Lord.

O God above me, God who dwellest in light unapproachable, teach me, I beseech Thee, that even my highest thoughts of Thee are but dim and distant shadowings of Thy transcendent glory. Teach me that if Thou art in nature, still more art Thou greater than nature. Teach me that if Thou art in my heart, still more art Thou greater than my heart. Let my soul rejoice in Thy mysterious greatness. Let me take refuge in the thought that Thou art utterly beyond me, beyond the sweep of my imagination, beyond the comprehension of my mind, Thy judgements being unsearchable and Thy ways past finding out.

 O Lord, hallowed be Thy name. Amen." ~from A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

hasten the day

"O Thou Desire of all nations, in the knowledge of whose love and power there is salvation for all the peoples of the earth, hasten the day, I beseech Thee, when all men shall acknowledge Thee as Lord over all. Hasten the day when our earthly society shall become the kingdom of Christ. Hasten the day when Thy presence and the strong hand of Thy purpose shall be found not only in the hearts of a few wise and brave men, but throughout the broad land, in court and council-chamber, in workshop and market-place, in the city and in the fields. And whatever I myself can do, give me grace this day to begin; through Jesus Christ. Amen." ~John Baillie

reflection

"O Thou who indwellest in our poor and shabby human life, lifting it now and then above the dominance of animal passion and greed, allowing it to shine with the borrowed lights of love and joy and peace, and making it a mirror of the beauties of a world unseen, grant that my part in the world's life today may not be to obscure the splendour of Thy presence, but rather to make it more plainly visible to the eyes of my fellow men...

O Thou the reflection of whose transcendent glory did once appear unbroken in the face of Jesus Christ, give me today a heart like His--a brave heart, a true heart, a tender heart, a heart with great room in it, a heart fixed on Thyself; for His name's sake. Amen." ~from A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

pilgrim

O Eternal God, though Thou art not such as I can see with my eyes or touch with my hands, yet grant me this day a clear conviction of Thy reality and power. Let me not go forth to my work believing only in the world of sense and time, but give me grace to understand that the world I cannot see or touch is the most real world of all. My life today will be lived in time, but eternal issues will be concerned in it. The needs of my body will be clamant, but it is for the needs of my soul that I must care most. My business will be with things material, but behind them let me be aware of things spiritual. Let me keep steadily in mind that the things that matter are not money or possessions, not houses or lands, not bodily comfort or bodily pleasure; but truth and honour and meekenss and helpfulness and a pure love of Thyself.

For the power Thou hast given me to lay hold of things unseen:

For the strong sense I have that this is not my home;

For my restless heart which nothing finite can satisfy;

I give Thee thanks, O God.

For the invasion of my soul by Thy Holy Spirit;

For all human love and goodness that speak to me of Thee;

For the fullness of Thy glory outpoured in Jesus Christ;

I give Thee thanks, O God.

I, a pilgrim of eternity, stand before Thee, O Eternal One. Let me not seek to deaden or destroy the desire for Thee that distrubs my heart. Let me rather yield myself to its constraint and go where it leads me. Make me wise to see all things today under the form of eternity, and make me brave to face all the changes in my life which such a vision may entail; through the grace of Christ my Saviour. Amen.” ~John Baillie

rampart

"O Thou whose love can be in the heart of man as a fire to burn up all that is shameful and evil, let me now lay hold upon Thy perfect righteousness and make it mine own. Blot out all my transgressions and let my sins be covered. Make me to feel Thine hand upon my life, cleansing me from the stain of past misdeeds, loosing me from the grip of evil habits, strengthening me in new habits of pure-heartedness, and guiding my footsteps in the way of eternal life. Lead me in battle, O God, against my secret sins. Fence round my life with a rampart of pure aspiration. And let Christ be formed in my heart through faith. All this I ask for His holy name's sake. Amen." ~from A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

threefold graces

"O Omnipresent One, beneath whose all-seeing eye our mortal lives are passed, grant that in all my deeds and purposes today, I may behave with true courtesy and honour. Let me be just and true in all my dealings. Let no mean or low thought have a moment's place in my mind. Let my motives be transparent to all. Let my word be my bond. Let me take no unchivalrous advantage of anybody. Let me be generous in my judgement of others. Let me be disinterested in my opinions. Let me be loyal to my friends and magnanimous to my enemies. Let me face adversity with courage. Let me not ask or expect too much for myself...

May the threefold Christian graces of faith, hope and love be more and more formed within me. until all my walk and conversations be such as becometh the gospel of Christ." ~from the Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

"O Thou whose love to man was proven in the passion and death of Jesus Christ our Lord, let the power of His Cross be with me today. Let me love as He loved. Let my obedience be unto death. In leaning upon His Cross, let me not refuse my own; yet in bearing mine, let me bear it by the strength of His." ~from a Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

my inmost room

"Here am I, O God, of little power and of mean estate, yet lifting up heart and voice to Thee before whom all created things are as dust and a vapour. Thou art hidden behind the curtain of sense, incomprehensible in Thy greatness, mysterious in Thine almighty power; yet here I speak with Thee familiarly as child to parent, as friend to friend. If I could not thus speak to Thee, then were I indeed without hope in the world. For it is little that I have power to do or to ordain. Not of my own will am I here, not of my own will shall I soon pass hence. Of all that shall come to me this day, very little will be such as I have chosen for myself.

It is Thou, O hidden One, who dost appoint my lot and determine the bounds of my habitation. 

It is Thou who hast put power in my hand to do one work and hast withheld the skill to do another. 

It is Thou who dost keep in Thy grasp the threads of this day's life and who alone knowest what lies before me to do or to suffer. 

But because Thou art my Father, I am not afraid. Because it is Thine own Spirit that stirs within my spirit's inmost room. I know that all is well. What I desire for myself I cannot attain, but what Thou desirest in me, Thou canst attain for me. The good that I would I do not, but the good that Thou willest in me, that Thou canst give me power to do.

Dear Father, take this day's life into Thine own keeping.

Control all my thoughts and feelings. 

Direct all my energies. 

Instruct my mind. 

Sustain my will. 

Take my hands and make them skillful to serve Thee. 

Take my feet and make them swift to do Thy bidding. 

Take my eyes and keep them fixed upon Thine everlasting beauty. 

Take my mouth and make it eloquent in testimony to Thy love. 

Make this day a day of obedience, a day of spiritual joy and peace. Make this day's work a little part of the work of the Kingdom of my Lord Christ, in whose name these my prayers are said. Amen. ~from A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

Photo credit: National Geographic, Joplin MO, May 2011

"O Thou who Thyself art everlasting Mercy, give me a tender heart today towards all those to whom the morning light brings less joy than it bring to me.

Those in whom the pulse of life grows weak;
Those who must lie abed through all the hours of the day;
The overworked, who have no joy of leisure;
The unemployed, who have no joy of labour;
The bereaved, whose hearts and homes are desolate.

Grant Thy mercy on them all."

~from A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie 

O Lord forgive

"O Father in heaven, Who didst fashion my limbs to serve Thee and my soul to follow hard fter Thee, with sorrow and contrition of heart I acknowledge before Thee the faults and failures of the days that is now past. Too long, O Father, have I tried Thy patience; too often have I betrayed the sacred trust Thou hast given me to keep; yet Thou art still willing that I should come to Thee in lowliness of heart, as now I do, beseeching Thee to drown my transgressions in the sea of Thine own infinite love.

My failure to be true even to my own accepted standards;
My self-deception in face of temptation;
My choosing of the worst when I know the better;
O Lord forgive.

My failure to apply to myself the standards of conduct I demand of others;
My blindness to the suffering of others and my slowness to be taught by my own;
My complacence towards wrongs that do not touch my own case and my over-sensitiveness to those that do;
O Lord forgive.

My slowness to see the good in my fellows and to see evil in my self;
My hardness of heart towards my neighbours' faults and my readiness to make allowance for my own;
My unwillingness to believe that Thou hast called me to a small work and my brother to a great one;
O Lord forgive."
~from A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

Thanksgiving prayer

"O Lord and Maker of all things, from whose creative power the first light came forth, who looked upon the world's first morning and saw that it was good, I praise You for this light that now streams through my windows to rouse me to the life of another day.

I praise You for the life that stirs within me:
I praise You fo the bright and beautiful world into which I go:
I praise You for earth and sea and sky, for scudding cloud and singing bird:
I praise You for the work You have given me to do:
I praise You for all that You have given me to fill my leisure hours:
I praise You for my friends:
I praise you for music and books and good company and all pure pleasures. Amen."

~from A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie

"O God my Father, who art often closest to me when I am farthest from Thee and who art near at hand even when I feel that Thou hast forsaken me, mercifully grant that the defeat of my self-will may be the triumph in me of Thine eternal purpose.

• May I grow more sure of Thy reality and power:
  
• May I attain a clearer mind as to the meaning of my life on earth:
  
• May I strengthen my hold upon life eternal:
  
• May I look more and more to things unseen:
  
• May my desires grow less unruly and my imaginations more pure:
  
• May my love for my fellow men grow deeper and more tender, and may I be more willing to take their burdens upon myself.
  

To Thy care, O God, I commend my soul and the souls of all whom I love and who love me; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

~John Baillie

"Creator Spirit, who broodest everlastingly over the lands and waters of earth, enduing them with forms and colours which no human skill can copy, give me today, I beseech Thee, the mind and heart to rejoice in Thy creation..Forbid that when all Thy creatures are greeting the morning with songs and shouts of joy, I alone should wear a dull and sullen face."



"O Thou whose divine tenderness doth ever outsoar the narrow loves and charities of earth, grant me today a kind an gentle heart towards all things that live. Let me not ruthlessly hurt any creature of Thine. Let me take thought also for the welfare of little children, and of those who are sick, and of the poor; remembering that what I do unto the least of these my brethren, I do unto Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen."

~John Baillie

"O unapproachable Light, how can I fold these guilty hands before Thee? How can I pray to Thee with lips that have spoken false and churlish words?

A heart hardened with vindictive passions:

An unruly tongue:

A fretful disposition:

An unwillingness to bear the burdens of others:

An undue willingness to let others bear my burdens:

High professions joined to low attainments:

Fine words hiding shabby thoughts:

A friendly face masking a cold heart:

Many neglected opportunities and many uncultivated talents:

Much love and beauty unappreciated and many blessings unacknowledged:

All these I confess to Thee, O God.

I thank Thee, O loving Father, that, holy and transcendent as Thou art, Thou hast through all the ages shown Thyself to be accessible to the prayers of erring mortals such as I; and especially I praise Thy name that in the gospel of Jesus Christ, Thou has opened up a new and living way into Thy presence, making Thy mercy free to all who have nothing else to plead."

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ I pray. Amen."

~John Baillie