O God the Holy Spirit, who alone can show to them that are in error the light of truth, shine upon our souls; and as it is Your special function in bringing souls to Christ, to convince them of sin, discover to each of us, we ask of You, its defiling and destructive nature.
Teach us that the evil of sin is manifest in the departure of the heart from You, and in the proneness which we so often feel to rest in our sinfulness to find our satisfaction in earthly things; and that it is the breaking of Your holy law, and exposes our guilty souls to Your deserved displeasure and condemnation.
O may we be taught by Your grace to examine ourselves, and compare our thoughts, our desires, and our practices, with the righteous demands of Your pure and holy law.
May we reflect on all our sins of omission, as well as those of commission, of heart as well as of life. May we be convinced of sin, and truly humbled on account of our unbelief, and pride, and impenitence of heart; on account of our worldliness of spirit, our neglect of the offers of mercy, and our disregard to the honor of thy name and the temporal and eternal happiness of our fellow-creatures.
O, may we remember with self-abasement the many evil passions which have gained the position of power over us; the many over-anxious and worldly cares which we have indulged; our ingratitude and neglect of thankfulness for all the mercies we have received, while we deserved not the least of them; and our want of submission under Your discipline when we might justly have been cut down as cumberers of the ground.
In these and other respects, surely, our own hearts condemn us; how much more then, You who are greater than our hearts, and know all things. We are clearly guilty before You, and have incurred Your righteous displeasure. But turn towards us, merciful Lord, and so shall we be turned to You.
Wound our hearts, that You may afterwards heal them. Bruise them under Your rod and power, if You will, and then be merciful to bind them up.
Amen
Kurtz, Benjamin. 1860. Lutheran Prayer Book: For the Use of Families and Individuals. Revised and Enlarged Edition. Baltimore: T. Newton Kurtz.
* I have modernised the language a little
* I have modernised the language a little
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