A Puritan Prayer

This Puritan prayer was used in our Good Friday service tonight. I leave it with you without added unnecessary words, just reveling in the closing words, "His death for my life."


O Lord of Grace,

The world is before me this day,
And I am weak and fearful,
But I look to You for strength;

If I venture forth alone I stumble and fall,
but on the Beloved’s arms I am firm
as the eternal hills;

If left to the treachery of my heart
I shall shame thy Name,
but if enlightened, guided, upheld by Your Spirit,
I shall bring Thee glory.
Be thou my arm to support,
my strength to stand,
my light to see,
my feet to run,
my shield to protect,
my sword to repel,
my sun to warm.

To enrich me will not diminish Thy fullness;
All Your lovingkindness is in Your Son,
I bring Him to Thee in the arms of faith,
I urge His saving Name as the One who died for me.
I plead His blood to pay my debts of wrong.

Accept His worthiness for my unworthiness,
His sinlessness for my transgressions,
His purity for my uncleanness,
His sincerity for my guile,
His truth for my deceits,
His meekness for my pride,
His constancy for my backslidings,
His love for my enmity,
His fullness for my emptiness,
His faithfulness for my treachery,
His obedience for my lawlessness,
His glory for my shame,
His devotedness for my waywardness,
His holy life for my unchaste ways,
His righteousness for my dead works,
His death for my life.

Taken from ‘The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers,’ edited by Arthur Bennett.

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