Prayer for Sanctifying Grace
“Sanctify them through Your truth; Your word is truth.” John 17:17
Blessed Lord, bend Your pitying eye of love and mercy upon me this evening. Draw near to me, as I venture once more on praying and on pleading ground. I desire to feel that I am one night nearer to glory. Oh, enable me to feel, as night after night is silently stealing over my head — that my seasons and opportunities of grace are fleeting fast away — and that soon the night comes, wherein I can work no more.
Alas! O my Father, how little have I improved the time that is past! I am a wonder to myself, that with all my deep ingratitude and utter vileness — I am yet permitted to approach Your footstool! I have sinned against light and love — warning and mercy — grace and privilege. The retrospect of life — is a retrospect of guilt. I mourn over my manifold shortcomings — the alienation of my heart from You — the fitfulness of my spiritual frames — the ebbings and flowings in the tide of my love. When tried by the lofty and unerring standard of Your law — how are my best actions and duties marred with defilement! How much self-seeking and self-glorying — and how little animated by the predominating motive of love to You, and singleness of eye to Your service!
Blessed Jesus! I flee anew to the pavilion of Your love. I have no other hope, no other refuge — but in Your finished work — Your matchless atonement — Your spotless righteousness! There is in You an all-sufficiency for every need. Finite necessities cannot exhaust Infinite fullness. Let me hear Your voice saying, “Your sins, which are many — are all forgiven you!” O sprinkle me with Your blood; sanctify me, body, soul, and spirit.
Transform me more and more into Your own image. May I know more and more the happiness of true holiness — that I am really blessed in seeking to walk so as to please God. May the power of grace wax stronger and stronger — and the power of sin wax weaker and weaker. May trials and crosses become light and easy to me — when borne in a spirit of meek, unrepining submission to the Divine will. May this quiet every doubt and misgiving, “Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things!” Lord, may every providential dealing prove a heart-searcher, testing the reality of my love to You, and my fitness and preparedness for Your heavenly kingdom.
Extend, Lord, Your cause and Gospel everywhere. Strengthen Your missionary and ministering servants. May they ever hear the sound of their Master’s footsteps behind them. May your churches walk in the fear of God and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Bless all my beloved friends wherever they are; be their Almighty Protector and Guide. Let the angel come at this the time of evening incense, touching all our hearts, and granting us an answer to our several petitions. Let us rise tomorrow refreshed for Your service — and fitted for whatever in Your good providence, we may be called either to do or to suffer. Hear me, gracious God, for the sake of Him whom You hear always. Amen.
“Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense — and the lifting up of my hands, as the evening sacrifice.”
-John MacDuff
