Robert Hawker: Piercing Heaven – Puritan’s Prayers

Precious God, precious Jesus! What a love is here.

O for grace, for love, for life, for every gift of my God and Savior. O that my lips would praise you constantly and unceasingly, forever, as the drops of the honeycomb which follow each other—sweetly and freely, from the abundance of my heart, not constrained, except in the constraint of your love.

I pray that prayer would follow praise, and praise grow into prayer. That there may be a movement to magnify and adore the riches of your grace. That the name of Jesus may be always in my mouth—from that one blessed source, that Jesus lives in my heart, and rules, and reigns, and is formed there in the hope of glory.

Blessed Jesus, you are the one your people will praise. You are the next of kin, the nearest of all relations, and the dearest of all relatives. And by your blood you have redeemed both soul and body, both lands and inheritance. You have redeemed the whole, never more to be lost or forfeited.

And now, Lord, your jubilee trumpet sounds, and the everlasting gospel is heard in our land, to give liberty to the captive, sight to the blind, to bring the prisoners out of the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of prison.

Make me know the joyful sound, and daily walk in the light of your countenance. Cause me, by the sweet influence of your Spirit, to live in the constant expectation of the year of the everlasting jubilee—when the trumpet of the archangel will finally sound, and all your redeemed return to Zion with songs and everlasting joy.

Your people will obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Hallelujah!

Amen.