Prayer for grace.

In my distress I called on the Lord,
and He answered me with enlargement —
He hath hearkened to the voice of my supplication,
and answered to my secret cry:
and now, oh Lord, yet hear Thy servant.

Thy promises have never failed,
and yet, oh Lord,
my thanks are dead,
my praises spiritless,
and thus, alas! how can they be acceptable to Thee,
who demandest the whole heart and soul of Thy servants,
their whole affections?

Thou, oh God,
to whom we owe our every blessing.
Thou knowest the weakness of Thy creatures,
and demandest but love and devotion in return,
and even this we hesitate, and are loth to give.

Oh, Lord,
have compassion on me, unworthy as I am;
take not the joy of Thy salvation from me.
Oh, so shed Thy Heavenly grace upon my heart
that I may constantly feel devotion dwelling there,
that gratitude may ever be glowing within me;
and then will my thanks be no longer dead,
my praises spiritless.

In moments of enjoyment,
oh, pour Thy spirit on my soul,
that I may feel it is to Thee,
Thee alone, I owe all these things;
not to myself,
or to my earthly companions;
we are but tools in Thy hand:
“not unto us, oh Lord, not unto us,
but unto Thy name, give glory.” (Psalms 115:1)

Oh, let me think on this,
and be my spirit warm within me;
and in Thy mercy, oh Lord,
teach my heart to feel, my lips to speak,
Thy goodness and Thy mercy.

Give me Thy blessed grace,
that my soul may not be thus deadened,
but that it may feel
it is to Thee I owe
all
these
things,
every happiness I enjoy, and adore
Thy glorious name.

Father,
have compassion on Thy servant,
whose excessive weakness is known alone to Thee,
and add yet more to Thy abundant mercy
by granting me that blessed grace
which will enable me
to praise Thy name for evermore.
“Praise the Lord,
praise, oh ye servants of the Lord.
Praise the Name of the Lord”; (Psalms 135:1)
“Oh praise ye the Lord, all ye nations;
praise Him, all ye people.
For His merciful kindness is great towards us,
and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.” (Psalms 117:1-2)

Praise ye the Lord!
Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord!