Note: I rarely publish my own prayers, and hope you will bear with me for sharing this one rather than my usual meditation. But if there is anything in these words that resonates with you; please make it your own, and may God truly and richly bless you in this New Year.
Father, Son, Spirit. Please so kindle the fires of grace within me that I burn with that grace entirely for and in You, and may that flame also, in time, remove everything in me that is not of You.
Help me to look steadily at You, to want to look steadily at You, the only true Source. Wrench me from my own futile self-effort, from my continuing self-importance, from all that which is worthless, to gain You, Who are of infinite worth.
Continue to grant me true life.
Thank You that there is nothing in this world, nothing that can happen in this world, that I cannot somehow transcend and benefit from, in and through You.
For you, oh Lord, are the desired end, my desired end.
May my selfishness progressively perish so that I may reach my best destiny in this life: first, the fullest possible knowledge of You, second, a more truly real and sacrificial love for others. Let me suffer the “loss” of self-centeredness all the while knowing that You are infinitely worth losing it, that You are infinitely worth any loss I might be called upon to endure in this life, for in such holy loss is, ultimately, unspeakable blessing.
Show me, oh God, what must be removed from my existence to live my life fully in You.
Help me to know that I have no greater need than to find this out, to find out what must go, and to be willing to give up what I must, so that I become no longer in any sense “my own” but only Yours, and find my true self in the process.
In Your great love please let this be my singular destiny, God. Be my Lord, and cast out my remaining fear of You being my Lord, so I shall not die, but live onto You and You alone.
Please make me perfect with your perfection.
I bless and thank you for Who You are, the God of true and eternal and infinite perfection. Deliver me from my prideful perfectionism, that can never bring perfection, and grant me to know the real perfecting I so desperately need, that is Yours for the giving through the perfect Lamb, the perfect Christ, Who is somehow You, Yourself.
May all glory be to Him, to You….in 2018 and forever….
In Jesus Name….Amen.