prayer . . .

Lord, You are good, and do good. In you is no darkness nor any shadow of turning. Lord, I have fallen on the road to eternity, forgetting what lies ahead and reaching back to what has been done away with. Purify this dead heart, and captivate it with the joy that your presence and the person of your Son bring. Teach me to abide in you--for then alone can I bear fruit. Cause me to hear your lovingkindness in the morning. Quicken my fingers, slow to work righteousness, by the infinite power of Thy unbounded love. May heaven's joys outshine earth's stumbles; may the brightness of your person remove my gaze from the blackness of my own. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation. Forgive me for ever leaning on my understanding instead of acknowledging You. Not acknowledging your plan, or what You want for me, but YOU, as you are, holy, complete, and utterly without any need of us, your children. Keep us until that day, spotless and blameless before you by the grace of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.