A Puritan Prayer -

How do you start your day? Do you start your day with thinking about all that needs to get done? Do you start your day off with a barrage of thoughts or ideas that then lead you to feeling overwhelmed and helpless?

I can suffer this sort of torment and so I have sought out some wise men and asked for their counsel to help me defeat this discouragement.

They recommend preaching to myself instead of listening to myself. To shut up my mind and begin to remind my mind of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let me tell you brother, it is a battle and before I get out of bed I can hear the voices of my brain & I have to audibly, sometimes, preach to myself...

Here's how I do it:

I might try to quote a verse of Scripture to myself, or pray the Lord's prayer or I may even hum an old gospel tune such as, 'Great is Thy Faithfulness', 'Amazing Grace' or 'The Old Rugged Cross'.

Another thing that I have enjoyed doing recently is reading a Puritan Prayer. I have typed it up for you to read & be encouraged with. It's Old English style, but don't rush over it... You will be so encouraged.

MORNING

Compassionate Lord,
Thy mercies have brought me to the dawn of another day,
Vain will be its gifts unless I grow in grace,
increase in knowledge,
ripen for spiritual harvest.
Let me this day know thee as thou art,
love thee supremely,
serve thee wholly,
admire thee fully.
Through grace let my will respond to thee,
Knowing that power to obey is not in me, but
that thy free love alone enables me to serve thee.
Here then is my empty heart,
overflow it with thy choicest gifts;
Here is my blind understanding,
chase away its mists of ignorance.
O ever watchful Shepherd,
lead, guide, tend me this day;
Without thy restraining rod I err and stray;
Hedge up my path lest I wander into unwholesome pleasure,
and drink its poisonous streams;
Direct my feet that I be not entangled in Satan's secret snares,
nor fall into his hidden traps.
Defend me from assailing foes,
from evil circumstances,
from myself.
My adversaries are part and parcel of my nature;
They cling to me as my very skin;
I cannot escape their contact.
In my rising up and sitting down they barnacle me;
They entice with constant baits;
My enemy is within the citadel;
Come with almighty power and cast him out, pierce him to death,
and abolish in me every particle of carnal life this day.

I trust this will help you men as you face new days.