Overview of Bible Study

February

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Prayers: Ancient & Modern

February the First

Forgive me my sins, O Lord, forgive me the sins of my youth and the sins of mine age, the sins of my soul, and the sins of my body, my secret and my whispering sins, my presumptuous and my crying sins, the sins that I have done to please myself, and the sins that I have done to please others. Forgive me those sins which I know, and those sins which I know not; forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all of Thy great goodness. Amen.

--Private Devotions, 1560

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, unto us who know that we are weak, and who trust in Thee because we know that Thou art strong, the gladsome help of Thy loving-kindness, both here in time and hereafter in eternit. Amen.

-- Roman Breviary

February the Second

O God our heavenly Father, renew in us the sense of Thy gracious Presence, and let it be a constant impulse within us to peace, trustfulness, and courage on our pilgrimage. Let us hold Thee fast with a loving and adoring heart, and let it be a constant impulse within us to peace, trustfulness, and courage on our pilgrimage. Let us hold Thee fast with a loving and adoring heart, and let our affections be fixed on Thee, that so the unbroken communion of our hearts with Thee may accompany us whatsoever we do, through life and in death. Teach us to pray heartily; to listen for Thy voice within, and never to stifle its warnings. Behold, we bring our poor hearts as a sacrifice unto Thee: come and fill Thy sanctuary, and suffer nought impure to enter there. O Thou Who art Love, let Thy Divine Spirit flow like a river through our whole souls, and lead us in the right way till we pass by a peaceful death into the Land of Promise. Amen.

-- Gerhard Tersteegen

February the Third

O Lord, begin, we beseech Thee, prosper and finish every good work whereunto Thou hast appointed us. Grant us grace here to do and suffer thankfully Thy most merciful Will, and hereafter to rejoice in Thy rest. Amen.

-- Christina G. Rossetti

O Lord, Thou knowest what is best for us, let this or that be done, as Thou shalt please. Give what Thou wilt, and how much Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt. Deal with me as Thou thinkest good, and as best pleaseth Thee. Set me where Thou wilt, and deal with me in all things just as Thou wilt. Behold, I am Thy servant, prepared for all things; for I desire not to live unto myself, but unto Thee; and Oh, that I could do it worthily and perfectly! Amen.

-- Thomas a Kempis

February the Fourth

Teach me, O Lord, and enable me to live the life of saints and angels. Take me out of the languor, the irritability, the sensitiveness, the anarchy, in which my soul lies, and fill it with Thy fulness. Breathe on me with that Breath which infuses energy and kindles fervor. In asking for fervor, I ask for all that I can need, and all that Thou canst give. In asking for fervor, I am asking for faith, hope, and charity, in their most heavenly exercise; I am asking for that loyal perception of duty, which follows on yearning affection; I am asking for sanctity, peace, and joy, all at once. Nothing would be a trouble to me, nothing a difficulty, had I but fervor of soul. Lord, in asking for fervor, I am asking for Thyself, for nothing short of Thee, O my God. Enter my heart, and fill it with fervor by filling it with Thee. Amen.

-- John Henry Newman

February the Fifth

O Lord, Who in infinite wisdom and love, orderest all things for Thy children, order everything this day for me in Thy tender pity. Thou knowest my weakness, Who madest me; Thou knowest how my soul shrinks from all pain of soul. Lord, I know Thou wilt lay no greater burden on me than Thou canst help me to bear. Teach me to receive all things this day from Thee. Enable me to commend myself in all things to Thee; grant me in all things to please Thee; bring me through all things nearer unto Thee; bring me, day by day, nearer to Thyself, to life everlasting. Amen.

-- E.B. Pusey

O Lord, make us, we implore Thee, so to love Thee that Thou mayest be to us a Fire of Love, purifying and not destroying. Amen.

-- Christina G. Rossetti

February the Sixth

Lord, give us hearts never to forget Thy love; but to dwell therein whatever we do, whether we sleep or wake, live or die, or rise again to the life that is to come. For Thy love is eternal life and everlasting rest; for this is life eternal to know Thee and Thy infinite goodness. O let its flame never be quenched in our hearts; let it grow and brighten, till our whole souls are glowing and shining with its light and warmth. Be Thou our Joy and Hope, our Strength and Life, our Shield and Shepherd, our Portion for ever. For happy are we if we continue in the love wherewith Thou has loved us; holy are we when we love Thee steadfastly. Therefore O Thou, Whose name and essence is Love, enkindle our hearts, enlighten our understandings, sanctify our wills, and fill all the thoughts of our hearts, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

-- Johann Arndt (1555-1621)

February the Seventh

O Almighty God, give to Thy servant a meek and gentle spirit, that I may be slow to anger, and easy to mercy and forgiveness. Give me a wise and constant heart, that I may never be moved to an intemperate anger for any injury that is done or offered. Lord, let me ever be courteous, and easy to be entreated; let me never fall into a peevish or contentious spirit, but follow peace with all men; offering forgiveness, inviting them by courtesies, ready to confess my own errors, apt to make amends, and desirous to be reconciled. Let no sickness or cross accident, no employment or weariness, make me angry or ungentle and discontented, or unthankful, or uneasy to them that minister to me; but in all things make me like unto the holy Jesus. Amen.

-- Jeremy Taylor

February the Eighth

Preserve us blameless, O Lord, in our goings out and comings in this day. Fill us with the simplicity of a divine purpose, that we may be inwardly at one with Thy holy will, and lifted above vain wishes of our own. Set free from every detaining desire or reluctance, may we heartily surrender all our powers to the work which Thou has given us to do; rejoicing in any toil, and fainting under no hardness that may befall us as good soldiers of Jesus Christ; and counting it as our crown of blessing if we may join the company of the faithful who have kept Thy Name and witness to Thy Kingdom in every age. Prepare us to seek our rest, not in outward ease, but in inward devotedness; only fulfill to us the word of the Chief of Saints; leave us His peace, while we remain here; and then receive us unto Thyself, to mingle with the mighty company of our forerunner. Amen.

-- James Martineau

February the Ninth

O Lord, with Whom is the fountain of Life, give us all, we entreat Thee, grace and good will to follow the leadings of Thy most Holy Spirit. Let the dew of Thy grace descend and abide upon us, refreshing that which droops, reviving that which is ready to perish; until the day when all Thy faithful people shall drink of the river of Thy pleasures. Amen.

-- Christina G. Rossetti

Eternal God, Who by Thy holy breath of power makest us a new creation for Thyself, we beseech Thee to preserve what Thou hast created, and consecrate what Thou hast cleansed; that by Thy grace we may be found in that form, the thought of which ever dwells with Thee, and which Thou willest fulfilled in man. Amen.

-- Rowland Williams

February the Tenth

Be Thou present with me, O Lord, in every time and place. Let this be my consolation, to be cheerfully willing to do without all human comfort. And, if Thy consolation be wanting, let Thy will and just trial of me be unto me as the greatest comfort. Amen.

-- Thomas a Kempis

Almighty God, the Refuge of all that are distressed, grant unto us that, in all trouble of this our mortal life, we may flee to the knowledge of Thy lovingkindness and tender mercy; that so, sheltering ourselves therein, the storms of life may pass over us, and not shake the peace of God that is within us. Whatsoever this life may bring us, grant that it may never take from us the full faith that Thou art our Father. Grant us Thy light, that we may have life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-- George Dawson

February the Eleventh

Grant me, I beseech Thee, Almighty and most Merciful God, fervently to desire, wisely to search out, and perfectly to fulfill, all that is well-pleasing unto Thee. Order Thou my worldly condition to the glory of Thy name; and of all that Thou requirest me to do, grant me the knowledge, the desire, and the ability, that I may so fulfill it as I ought, and may my path to Thee, I pray, be safe, straightforward, and perfect to the end.

Give me, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give me an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give me an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside.

Bestow upon me also, O Lord my God, understanding to know Thee, diligence to seek Thee, wisdom to find Thee, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace Thee. Amen.

-- St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

February the Twelfth

O Father, calm the turbulence of our passions; quiet the throbbing of our hopes; repress the waywardness of our wills; direct the motions of our affections; and sanctify the varieties of our lot. Be Thou all in all to us; and may all things earthly, while we bend them to our growth in grace, and to the work of blessing, dwell lightly in our hearts, so that we may readily, or even joyfully, give up whatever Thou dost ask for. May we seek first Thy kingdom and righteousness; resting assured that then all things needful shall be added unto us.

Father, pardon our past ingratitude and disobedience; and purify us, whether by Thy gentler or Thy sterner dealings, till we have done Thy will on earth, and Thou removest us to Thine own presence with the redeemed in heaven. Amen.

-- Mary Carpenter

February the Thirteenth

O Eternal Wisdom, grant me the light of Thy Holy Spirit, that I may know what Thou wouldest have me do; I offer myself entirely to Thee, do with me what seemeth good in Thy sight; not my will, but Thine, be done. Correct whatsoever Thou seest amiss in me, strengthen my weak resolutions, restrain my wayward desires; remove all hindrances to the fulfillment of Thy will, and give me grace so to follow the leadings of Thy Providence, that my life may be spent to Thy honor and glory, in whatsoever way it pleases Thee. Amen.

-- Treasury of Devotion

Almighty God, we invoke Thee, the Fountain of everlasting Light; and entreat Thee to send forth Thy truth into our hearts, and to pour upon us the glory of Thy brightness, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

-- Sarum Breviary, A.D. 1085

February the Fourteenth

O God, Who hast commanded that no man should be idle, give us grace to employ all our talents and faculties in the service appointed for us; that, whatsoever our hand findeth to do, we may do it with our might. Cheerfully may we go on in the road which Thou hast marked out, not desiring too earnestly that it should be either more smooth or more wide; but, daily seeking our way by Thy light, may we trust ourselves and the issue of our journey, to Thee the Fountain of Joy, and sing songs of praise as we go along. Then, O Lord, receive us at the gate of life which Thou hast opened for us in Christ Jesus. Amen.

-- Martineau’s Common Prayer for Christian Worship

February the Fifteenth

O Lord, we beseech Thee that Thy people may grow ever in love toward Thee, their Father Who art in heaven, and may so be schooled by holy works, that ever, as Thou dost pour Thy gifts upon them, they may walk before Thee in all such things as be well-pleasing in the sight of Thy Divine Majesty. Amen.

-- Roman Breviary

O most loving Father, Who willest us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of Thee, and to cast all our care on Thee Who carest for us; preserve us from faithless fears and wordly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that Love which is immortal, and which Thou has manifested unto us in Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-- William Bright

February the Sixteenth

Almighty God, Who alone gavest us the breath of life, and alone canst keep alive in us the breathing of holy desires, we beseech Thee for Thy compassion’s’ sake to sanctify all our thoughts and endeavors, that we may neither begin any action without a pure intention, nor continue it without Thy blessing; and grant that, having the eyes of our understanding purged to behold things invisible and unseen, we may in heart be inspired with Thy wisdom, and in work be upheld by Thy strength, and in the end be accepted of Thee, as Thy faithful servants, having done all things to Thy glory, and thereby to our endless peace. Grant this prayer, O Lord. Amen.

-- Rowland Williams

February the Seventeenth

O Lord, Whom all Thy good creatures bless and praise according to Thy gift unto each of them, grant, we pray Thee, that we on whom Thou hast bestowed reason and speech may ever bless Thee with heart and lips, and may of Thine infinite mercy inherit a blessing, even the eternal blessedness of heaven. Amen.

-- Christina G. Rossetti

Almighty and Everlasting God, Thou Lover of peace and concord, Who hast called us in Christ to love and unity: we pray Thee so rule our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we, being delivered by the true fear of God from all fear of man, may evermore serve Thee in righteousness, mercy, humility, and gentleness towards each other, through Thy dear Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-- Bunsen’s Collection

February the Eighteenth

I desire, O God, this day most earnestly to please Thee; to do Thy will in each several thing which Thou shalt give me to do; to bear each thing which Thou shalt allow to befall me contrary to my will, meekly, humbly, patiently, as a gift from Thee to subdue self-will in me; and to make Thy will wholly mine. What I do, make me do, simply as Thy child; let me be, throughout the day, as a child in his loving father’s presence, ever looking up to Thee. May I love Thee for all Thy love. May I thank Thee, if not in words, yet in my heart, for each gift of Thy love, for each comfort which Thou allowest me day by day. Amen.

-- E.B. Pusey

February the Nineteenth

O heavenly Father, Who watchest always over Thy faithful people, and mightily defendest them, so that they might be harmless preserved, I most heartily thank Thee, that it hath pleased Thy fatherly goodness to take care of me this night past. I most entirely beseech Thee, O most merciful Father, to show the like kindness toward me this day, in preserving my body and soul; that I may neither think, breathe, speak, or do anything that may be displeasing to Thy fatherly goodness, dangerous to myself, or hurtful to my neighbor; but that all my doings may be agreeable to Thy most blessed will, which is alway good; that they may advance Thy glory, answer to my vocation, and profit my neighbor, whom I ought to love as myself; that, whensoever Thou callest me hence, I may be found the child not of darkness but of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-- Thomas Becon (1511-1570)

February the Twentieth

Grant unto us, Almighty God, that we, communing with one another and with Thee, may feel our hearts burn within us, until all pure, and just, and holy, and noble things of God and man may be to us lovely, and we may find nothing to fear but that which is hateful in Thine eyes, and nothing worth seeking but that which is lovely and fair therein. Let the divine brightness and peace possess our souls, so that, fearing neither life nor death, we may look to Thy lovingkindness and tender mercy to lift us above that which is low and mean within us, and at last to give the spirit within us the victory, and bring us safe through death into the life everlasting. Hear us of Thy mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-- George Dawson

February the Twenty-first

O Thou Good Omnipotent, Who so carest for every one of us, as if Thou caredst for him alone; and so for all, as if all were but one! Blessed is the man who loveth Thee, and his friend in Thee, and his enemy for Thee. For he only loses none dear to him, to whom all are dear in Him who cannot be lost. And who is that but our God, the God that made heaven and earth, and filleth them, even by filling them creating them. And Thy law is truth, and truth is Thyself. I behold how some things pass away that others may replace them, but Thou dost never depart, O God, my Father supremely good, Beauty of all things beautiful. To Thee will I intrust whatsoever I have received from Thee, so shall I lose nothing. Thou madest me for Thyself, and my heart is restless until it repose in Thee. Amen.

-- St. Augustine

February the Twenty-second

With all my heart and soul, O God, I thank Thee, that in all the changes and chances of this mortal life, I can look up to Thee, and cheerfully resign my will to Thine. I have trusted Thee, O Father, with myself; my soul is in Thy hand, which I verily believe Thou wilt preserve from all evil; my body and all that belongs to it, are of much less value. I do therefore, with as great security as satisfaction, trust all I have to Thee. I am persuaded that neither tribulation, nor anguish, nor persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor sword, nor death which I may fear, nor life which I may hope for, nor things present which I feel, nor things to come which I may apprehend, shall ever prevail so far over me, as to make me not to resign my will entirely to Thee. Amen.

-- Thomas Wilson (1663-1755)

February the Twenty-third

O God, we have known and believed the love that Thou hast for us. May we, by dwelling in love, dwell in Thee, and Thou in us. May we learn to love Thee Whom we have not seen. Teach us, O heavenly Father, the love wherewith Thou hast loved us; fashion us, O blessed Lord, after Thine own example of love; shed abroad, O Thou Holy Spirit of Love, the love of God and man in our hearts. Amen.

-- Henry Alford

O Lord, vouchsafe to look mercifully upon us, and grant that we may choose the way of peace; so that, rescued from the captivity of the sins which have oppressed us, we may attain the dwellings of the heavenly Jerusalem; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

-- Sarum Breviary, A.D. 1085

February the Twenty-fourth

O Lord, our God, teach us, we beseech Thee, to ask Thee aright for the right blessings. Steer Thou the vessel of our life toward Thyself. Thou tranquil Haven of all storm-tossed souls. Show us the course wherein we should go. Renew a willing spirit within us. Let Thy Spirit curb our wayward senses, and guide and enable us unto that which is our true good, to keep Thy laws, and in all our works evermore to rejoice in Thy glorious and gladdening Presence. For Thine is the glory and praise from all Thy saints for ever and ever. Amen.

-- St. Basil, A.D. 379

O Lord, our Refuge from the storm, hide us, we entreat Thee, in Thine own Presence from the provoking of all men. By Thy holy love and fear, keep us from sins of temper and of the tongue. Amen.

-- Christina G. Rossetti

February the Twenty-fifth

May we lift our hearts to Thee this day in great thankfulness, humbly acknowledging Thy mercy and Thy truth, Thy large and tender providence, Thy nearness to us at all times, Thy Spirit of Wisdom and Might and Peace, the works and the joys and the discipline of earth which Thou dost appoint, the promises that lay hold of things to come. O Spirit of all grace and benediction, Father of our dear Lord and Saviour, coming to us in Him and in His, Creator of these dying bodies, Life and Light of these undying souls, Thy gifts are new upon us every morning. May Thy great love redeem us; and from the light of a true life below may we pass at length into that Presence where there is fullness of joy and abundance of peace forever. Amen.

-- Rufus Ellis

February the Twenty-sixth

O Lord, my God, Lighto f the blind and Strength of the weak; yea, also, Light of those that see, and Strength of the strong; hearken unto my soul, and hear it crying out of the depths.

O Lord, help us to turn and seek Thee; for Thou hast not forsaken Thy creatures as we have forsaken Thee, our Creator. Let us turn and seek Thee, for we know Thou art here in our hearts, when we confess to Thee, when we cast ourselves upon Thee, and weep in Thy bosom, after all our rugged ways; and Thou dost gently wipe away our tears, and we weep the more for joy; because Thou, Lord, who madest us, dost remake and comfort us.

Hear, Lord, my prayer, and grant that I may most entirely love Thee, and do Thou rescue me, O Lord, from every temptation, even unto the end. Amen.

-- St. Augustine (345-430)

February the Twenty-seventh

O Lord, make Thy law, I entreat Thee, our delight. Plant in our hearts love which is the fulfilling of the law. Teach us to love Thee with our whole will and being, and our neighbor as ourselves. Keep us from dividing Thy commandments into great and small, according to our own blind estimate; but give us grace humbly to acknowledge that whoso transgresseth in one point is guilty of the whole law. Amen.

-- Christina G. Rossetti

Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the world; that in all things that shall happen, I may have an evenness and tranquility of spirit; that my soul may be wholly resigned to Thy divinest will and pleasure, never murmuring at Thy gentle chastisements and fatherly correction. Amen.

-- Jeremy Taylor

February the Twenty-eighth

Grant us grace to rest from all sinful deeds and thoughts, to surrender ourselves wholly unto Thee, and to keep our souls still before Thee like a still lake; that so the beams of Thy grace may be mirrored therein, and may kindle in our hearts the glow of faith and love and prayer. May we, through such stillness and hope, find strength and gladness in Thee, O God, now and forever more. Amen.

-- Joachim Embden (1595-1650)

So fill us with Thy Spirit, O Lord, that we, passing from one thing to another, may go from strength to strength; everywhere full of Thy praise, everywhere full of Thy work, finding the joy of the Lord to be our strength, until the time when the work of this world shall close, and the weary hours shall come to an end, and darkness shall come, and our eyes shall rest for a while; then give us an abundant entrance into the life eternal, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

-- George Dawson

February the Twenty-ninth

Give me, O Lord, purity of lips, a clean and innocent heart, humility, fortitude, patience. Give me the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness, and of Thy fear. Make me ever to seek Thy face with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind; grant me to have a contrite and humble heart in Thy presence. Most high, eternal, and ineffable Wisdom, drive away from me the darkness of blindness and ignorance; most high and eternal Strength, deliver me; most high and eternal Light, illuminate me; most high and infinite Mercy, have mercy on me. Amen.

-- Gallican Sacramentary, A.D. 800

O Lord, give us the grace of Thy Spirit, early to seek out, and evermore earnestly to follow the work which Thou has appointed for us to do. Amen.

-- Henry Alford


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Overview of Bible Study