The Lively Blog of Thoughts

Grant Me Grace – (Daily Prayer)

Grant me grace, O Merciful God:
– to desire ardently,
– to examine prudently,
– to acknowledge truthfully,
– and to accomplish perfectly,
all that is pleasing to You for the praise and glory of Your name. Amen.

Sweet Jesus, Body and Blood most Holy,
be the delight and pleasure of my soul,
my strength and salvation in all temptations,
my joy and peace in every trial,
my light and guide in every word and deed,
and my final protector in death. Amen.

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.

Grant O merciful God, that I may ardently desire, carefully examine, truly know and perfectly fulfil those things that are pleasing to You and to the praise and glory of Your holy name.

Direct my life, O my God, and grant that I might know what you would have me to do and for me to fulfil it as is necessary and profitable to my soul.

Grant to me, O Lord my God, that I may not be found wanting in prosperity or in adversity and that I may not be lifted up by one nor cast down by the other.

May I find joy in nothing but what leads to You and sorrow in nothing but what leads away from You.

May I seek to please no one or fear to displease anyone, save only You.

Grant to me, O Lord God,
– a vigilant heart that no subtle speculation may ever lead me from You;
– a noble heart that no unworthy affection may draw me from You;
– an upright heart that no evil purpose may turn me from you.

Give me a steadfast heart that no tribulation may shatter and a free heart that no violent affection may claim as its own.

And finally, grant me O Lord my God, a mind to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you.

Give me a way of life pleasing to You; perseverance to trust and await You in confidence that I shall embrace You at the last. Amen.

Come, Holy Spirit, Divine Creator, the true source of light and fountain of wisdom.

Pour forth your brilliance upon my intellect, dissipate the darkness which covers me, that of sin and of ignorance.

Grant me a penetrating mind to understand, a retentive memory, method and ease in learning, the lucidity to comprehend, and abundant grace in expressing myself.

Guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and bring it to successful completion.

This I ask through Jesus Christ, true God and true man, living and reigning with You and the Father, forever and ever. Amen.

O Merciful God,
grant that I may ever perfectly
do Your Will in all things.
Let it be my ambition to work
only for Your honour and glory.

Let me rejoice in nothing
but what leads to You,
nor grieve for anything
that leads away from You.

May all passing things
be as nothing in my eyes,
and may all that is Yours
be dear to me,
and You, my God,
dear above them all.

May all joy be
meaningless without You
and may I desire
nothing apart from You.
May all labour and toil
delight me when it is for You.

Make me, O Lord,
obedient without complaint,
poor without regret,
patient without murmur,
humble without pretence,
joyous without frivolity,
and truthful without disguise.

Give me, O God,
an ever watchful heart
which nothing can ever
lure away from You;
a noble heart,
which no unworthy affection
can draw downwards to the earth;
an upright heart,
which no evil can warp;
an unconquerable heart,

Psalm 71:20-24 NIV
[20] Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. [21] You will increase my honor and comfort me once more. [22] I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel. [23] My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—I whom you have delivered. [24] My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.

1 Timothy 4:8,10 NIV
[8] For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. [10] That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

1 Timothy 6:11-16 NIV
[11] But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. [12] Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. [13] In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you [14] to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, [15] which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, [16] who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

This world is not my true home. But, while the Lord leaves me stationed here, I need to live in a way that will bring honor to him, being faithful to the calling he has given me.

Jesus prayed, not that God would take them out of the world, but that he would protect them while they were in it. The prayer below makes clear that we are in this world but not of it. But just what does this mean?

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it” (John 17:15-16).

Romans 10:1-17 NIV
[1] Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. [2] For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. [3] Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. [4] Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. [5] Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” [6] But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) [7] “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). [8] But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: [9] If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. [11] As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” [12] For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, [13] for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” [14] How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? [15] And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” [16] But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” [17] Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

James 1:22-27 NIV
[22] Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. [23] Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror [24] and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. [25] But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. [26] Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. [27] Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two

Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Taking delight in the Lord means that our hearts truly find peace and fulfillment in Him. If we truly find satisfaction and worth in Christ, Scripture says He will give us the longings of our hearts. The idea behind this verse and others like it is that, when we truly rejoice or “delight” in the eternal things of God, our desires will begin to parallel His and we will never go unfulfilled. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [the necessities of life] will be given to you as well.”

As the sun comes up over the horizon, the newness of the day shines for us, signaling not only that it is a new day, but that it is a new beginning. When a new day begins, God is giving us new opportunities to serve him, and to serve others. Christ came to this earth and started a new beginning. Let me take advantage of each new opportunity. May I live today like there is no other day, knowing that your sufficient grace will overcome all of my weaknesses. May your amazing grace wash my sins away and make me in the image of you, holy and acceptable, but only through your amazing grace.