A Prayer for the Lord's Day

I've been studying the Prayer-Psalms and have marveled over the straightforward, transparent language used by the psalmists. Working through these Psalms has been a great help to me in my prayer life. My studies have turned my attention to the Puritan prayers collected in The Valley of Vision. One thing I noticed right off is that most, if not all (I've not read through them all yet), are in third person. This is difficult to follow when praying these prayers.

Well, I've taken the daily prayers found in the last section of the book and have been working on putting them into first person. I've also modernized a few words. Here is the prayer for Sunday Morning.

SUNDAY AM: Worship

O LORD,

I commune with You every day,

but week days are worldly days,

and secular concerns reduce heavenly impressions.

I bless You therefore for the day sacred to my soul

when I can wait upon You and be refreshed;

I thank You for the institutions of religion

by use of which I draw near to you

and You to me;

I rejoice in another Lord's Day

when I call off my mind from the cares of the world

and attend upon You without distraction;

Let my retirement be devout,

my conversation edifying,

my reading pious,

my hearing profitable,

that my soul may be enlivened and elevated.

I am going to the house of prayer,

pour upon me the spirit of grace and supplication;

I am going to the house of praise,

awaken in me every grateful and cheerful emotion;

I am going to the house of instruction,

give testimony to the Word preached,

and glorify it in the hearts of all who hear;

may it enlighten the ignorant,

awaken the careless,
reclaim the wondering,

establish the weak,

comfort the feeble-minded,

make ready a people for their Lord.

Be a sanctuary to all who cannot come,
Forget not those who never come,
And do bestow upon me

benevolence towards my dependents,

forgiveness towards my enemies,

peaceableness towards my neighbors,

openness towards my fellow-Christians.

Bennett, Arthur G. Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. (Banner of Truth)

A Prayer for the Lord's Day