Godly Private Prayers for Christian Families, Prayers · Prayer 22
A Prayer for the obtaining of a liuely Hope.
O God of hope, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and in thy ſpeciall wiſedome, as thou haſt commanded vsus to beleeue in thy Sonne, that ſo wee might hauehave euerlaſting ſaluation; ſo haſt thou enioyned vsus to worke out our ſaluation with feare and trembling; and that we may not faint in our endeauours, nor be to ſeeke of what wee yet enioy not: haſt promiſed an Anchor of hope, both to giuegive vsus ſome ſecuritie, amidſt the manifold troubles of this life, and to giuegive aſſurance alſo vntounto vsus, that we ſhall at length attaine the hauen. HaueHave mercy vponupon me thy poore ſeruant, and vouchſafe mee this grace of hope, to eſtabliſh my wauering ſpirit: that neither things preſent may diſcourage me from the hope of a good iſſue, nor things to come may confound mee, in the purſuit thereof, as being ſo farre aboue my capacitie, ſo exceeding my deſart. For I confeſſe (O Lord) vnfeignedly before thee, by reaſon of this body of ſinne which I carrie about mee, I am a ſtranger from thee, as all my Fathers were: and in regard of my inward blindneſſe, cannot ſee afarre off, to the price of the high calling that is ſet before mee, and therefore am ſubiect to many diſtractions, & ſlauiſh feares; both to diuert or ſtay mee in my iourney, and to diſappoint me of the marke which I ſhould haſten too, ſo that I manytimes miſſe of my way, and manytimes am ready to giuegive ouer in the midſt of my race. O grant me the refore (holy Father) to liue by hope in what thou haſt promiſed, that I neither may be confounded in any preſent diſtreſſe, nor yet may reſt in any preſent comfort whatſoeuer, that I may not bee deceiued with the counterfeite thereof, nor yet may ſettle my ſelfe in any true meaſure of the ſame. O grant me a liuely hope, that I may not feare in death, and giuegive me to apprehend that bleſſed hope, of the appearance of Ieſus Chriſt, that I may attaine to the reſurrection of the dead. And that I may improue my vnfeigned hope in thee alone, O ſtrengthen my weake Faith, to ſee more clearly within the vaile, that ſo I may be ſtrong in hope, to enioy, what yet I ſee not: & make me more acquainted, with the ſecrets of thy ſpeciall prouidence, that by mine owne experience of thy wonderfull dealing, in bringing contraries out of contraries, euen light out of darkneſſe, I may hope for the accompliſhment of thy promiſes, though neuer ſo impoſſible to humaine capacitie. Aboue all, make more expert the riches of the glorie of that great myſtrie, euen Chriſt in mee, the hope of glory, that ſo I may not bee weary nor faint in my mind: let the ayme of my hope be, to ſee thee, who art inuiſible; and in thee, thoſe vnſpeakable mercies which as yet I doe not ſee. And grant me (bleſſed Lord) an vndaunted and inuincible hope, euen to hope aboue hope, that no oppoſitions may confound me. Let my hope be patient, that I may waite for that I yet enioy not, and purifie my hope daily, in the expectation of what I ſhall be, that ſo I may be purged and fitted to the enioying therof: ſeaſon my hope with ioy, that I may not quaile in any preſent troubles, and quicken my weake & fainting hope, with the ſtrong cries and groanes of thy bleſſed Spirit, that I may faſten on the ineſtimable glory which is laid vpp for mee: let the hope of the life to come, ſtabliſh mee in thy bleſſed feare, and ſo make mee liuely and diligent in all preſent occaſions, enableing me to hold faſt the profeſſion of my hope without wauering, and to ſanctifie my God, in giuing a reaſon of my hope, with meekneſſe and feare to thoſe which may demaund it. And that I may not be diſappointed of my hope, comfort me (O Lord) with the ſweet and glorious fruits thereof; that ſeeing it is the hope of ſaluation and eternall life, which is ſurely laid vp for me in the higheſt heauens: grant mee in all occaſions to lay hold vponupon eternall life, that I may not bee aſhamed of my hope. O let me hauehave hope euen in death, becauſe I hauehave hope in the reſurrection from the dead. And let the hope of what I enioy not, humble mee daily in the ſenſe of my imperfections, which are the cauſe thereof, that ſo I may daily feare, and depart from euill. And ſeeing I am a priſoner of hope, O grant mee daily to groane vnderunder this body of ſinne which I carry about me; that ſo I may long for my glorious deliuerance from this body of death; and in the hope of this deliuerance, cauſe mee in all my troubles, to commit my ſelfe in well doing, into the hands of thee my faithfull Creator, that ſo I may bee keept by thy mighty power through Faith. Grant mee theſe things (O God of my hope) euen for thy deare Sonne Ieſus Chriſt his ſake, the hope of mine endleſſe glory, to whome with thee (O righteous Father) with God the bleſſed Spirit the Comforter, be aſcribed all glory, power, dominion, and thankeſgiuing for euer and euer, Amen.