The prayers of Henry Law

The prayers of Henry Law

The throne of grace

Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, heaven and earth are full of Your glory! Blessing and honor and glory and power be to You, O Father of mercies, O God of all grace and love.

We thank You, that, as vile and sin-soiled as we are—we may come into Your immediate presence, and hold this converse with You, and commune with You concerning all our concerns, all our sins, and fears and hopes and desires.

We are astonished that we, poor sinners on earth, may speak directly to You—our great and glorious God, on Your throne in the heaven of heavens! How wondrous the thought that our poor breathings may fly on the wings of faith, and have instant access to the ears of Your grace!

We thank You that, in the multitude of Your tender mercies and the riches of Your pitiful compassion, You have been pleased to erect this throne of grace before which we now most humbly bow. We bless You that here, free grace reigns. We bless You that, at all times and in all places, we have open access to You through the blood of Your dear Son.

We bless You that the veil is open, and that in His great name we may ever approach and find You ready to hear,

waiting to be gracious,

arrayed in smiles of love,

bidding us to touch the scepter of Your sovereign mercy,

inviting us to pour out every need and desire of our hearts,

and promising to give more than we can ask or think.

Grant, oh grant, that we may be wholly consecrated to You. May we, in spirit, soar far above earth. May our hearts be fast barred against admission of worldly thoughts or cares. Send Your peace, passing all understanding, as a flood into our anxious minds. May our meditations of You be sweet. May we drink deeply of the refreshing streams proceeding out of Your throne. May we feast on the heaven-sent manna of Your precious Word, and thus gather strength for the upward race.

Hear us, answer us, bless us we pray. All we ask is in Jesus' name, and for Jesus' sake. Amen.

"Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time." Hebrews 4:16

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Calvary's stupendous scene!

"It is finished!" John 19:30

Holy Father,
The heavens, the earth, and all that are therein, proclaim Your wondrous goodness. But Your love shines forth in surpassing luster—at Calvary's stupendous scene! At the cross we see Your heavenly grace removing the tremendous load of our iniquities from us—and heaping them all on Your beloved Son! We see Him standing as a transgressor in our place. We see Him, who knew no sin—made sin for us. We see Him, the all-holy One—accounted as a curse! We see Your justice leading the spotless Lamb to the slaughter—and rigorously demanding the full payment for all our sin-debt!

The avenging sword entered into His very heart!

The stream of sin-atoning blood flows!

Full recompense was meted out!

Divine Justice can ask no more.

Charges against us are all obliterated.

The debt-book is cancelled. If our sins are searched for, they cannot now be found!

The spotless Lamb was devoted to all anguish—that we may be inheritors of all joy.

He was cast off from You—that we may be brought near to You.

He was treated as Your enemy—that we may be welcomed as Your friends.

He was deserted by You—that we may be received to Your everlasting favor.

He was surrendered to hell's worst—that we may attain heaven's best.

He was stripped—that we may be clothed.

He was wounded—that we may be healed.

He thirsted—that we may drink of the water of life.

He was in darkness—that we may rejoice in the glories of eternal day.

He wept—that all tears may be forever wiped from our eyes.

He groaned—that we may sing an endless song.

He endured all pain—that we may rejoice in unfading health.

He wore a crown of thorns—that we may receive a crown of glory.

He bowed His head in death—that we may lift up our head in heaven.

He bore earth's reproach—that we may receive heaven's welcome.

He was tormented—that we may be comforted.

He was made all shame—that we may inherit all glory.

His eyes were dark in death—that our eyes may gaze on unclouded brightness.

He died and rose—that we may escape the second death, and live forevermore.

O gracious Father, thus You spared not Your only begotten Son—that You may spare us! All our sins are cast behind Your back—all are buried in the ocean of reconciling blood!

We can only fall low and cry, "We adore You for the gift of Your Son as our substitute; for the death of Your Son as our ransom!"

Blessed Jesus, we have been standing beneath Your cross. The sight constrains us to the deepest humility. Our vile iniquity—is the cause of Your shame! We cannot fathom the sins which plunged You into such depths of unutterable woe! We cannot estimate the burden of wrath which thus crushed You. We cannot deny that the sins which stain us are evils of infinite malignity, since nothing but Your blood could wash away their guilty stains! As transgressors, we abhor ourselves before You.

While we humbly gaze—may we anxiously ponder, "Why, blessed Jesus—why did You thus die?" May Your precious answer sound through every part of our hearts and souls,
"I died—that you may not die.
I laid down My life—to purchase your life.
I presented Myself as a sin-offering—to expiate all your sins.

My blood thus streams—to wash out all your guilt.

The fountain is thus opened in My side—to cleanse you from all impurity. I thus endured your curse. I thus paid your debt. I thus rescued you from all condemnation. I thus satisfied divine justice for you!"

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We meekly knock at mercy's gate

"All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind!" Isaiah 64:6

Holy Father, Almighty God,
We feel our weakness, our ignorance, our deep corruptions. We meekly knock at mercy's gate. Regard us in tender love—for Jesus' sake. Bend down Your ear—and grant Your smile.

We are blind—be our light.

We are ignorant—be our wisdom.

We are steeped in selfishness—pluck all SELF out of us.

In the deep sense of our guilt—we fly for refuge into the wounded side of Jesus! Be merciful, be merciful unto us—our only hope is in Your unfailing mercy.

Our sins rise higher than the heavens—but Your merits on our behalf surpass the very heaven of heavens!

Our unrighteousness would weigh us down to hell—but Your glorious righteousness exalts us to Your heavenly throne!

All things in us call for our damnation—but all things in You demand our forgiveness.

We appeal, then, from Your throne of perfect justice—to Your throne of boundless grace!

Blessed Jesus, we hide ourselves in the sure covert of Your wrath-appeasing wounds!

Grant us to hear Your voice assuring us: that by Your stripes we are healed; that You have been bruised for our iniquities; that You have been made sin for us—that we might have Your divine righteousness; and that all our vile and grievous iniquities are forgiven and buried in the ocean of Your sin-concealing blood!

We are guilty—yet pardoned!

We are lost in ourselves—yet fully saved in You!

Enable us to cling firmly to Your cross—even as we now seek safety and repose beneath its sin-atoning shelter!

Let floods of sustaining grace from Your inexhaustible treasury, enrich our poor and weary souls.

If the enemy approaches, quicken our steps to flee into the wounds of Jesus as our sure refuge! Sheltered in the ark of safety, may we cease to tremble at all alarms.

We are tied and bound by its enslaving chain!

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect!" 1 Peter 1:18-19

Blessed Jesus, we kneel before Your cross, humbly praying that through Your Spirit, power may come forth from it—to show us more deeply, the heinousness of our sin.

We see You laden with our iniquities. What must iniquity be—if there can be no pardon except that You should thus expire in agony! We see the outgoing severity of divine wrath. What must that evil be—which thus requires it!

In that crown of thorns,
in those pierced hands and feet,
in those bleeding wounds,
in that bruised frame,
in that dying cry
—we are taught the enormity of our guilt!

We know that the worth of Your blood is infinite. Its precious value exceeds all thought! Infinite therefore must be the evil—for which it is the only ransom. Exceeding all thought must be the guilt—which requires such a great price! In Your death—we see the tremendous guilt of our sins. We see it, and we cast ourselves in the lowliest humility before You.

SIN is the malady which so sorely afflicts us. It cleaves to us as our very skin! It is born in our birth. It lives in our lives. It adheres to us when we lie down to die. It follows us as our very shadow! It intermingles in our every thought. When we go forth—it is by our side. When we come in—it still accompanies us. We are tied and bound by its enslaving chain! At Your cross—we are taught how terrible is the evil of sin. We see how unutterable is the wrath which it so righteously deserves.

Laden with our mountains of sins—we come to You for refuge. Looking to You, and striving to estimate more and more the riches of redeeming grace—we loathe and abhor ourselves—as fully sin-soiled and polluted. We marvel that . . .

the sun consents to give us light,
the air consents to supply breath,
the earth consents to bear our tread,
the fruit tree consents to nourish us,

Your creatures consent to serve our use.
Because of US—the whole creation groans and travails. Justly might all things, animate and inanimate, rise in abhorrence of us!

How much more do we marvel, precious Jesus—
that Your compassionate heart yearned over us,
that Your love hastened to our rescue,
that You endured all our curse, and all our guilt!
We bless You—while we hide our heads in deepest shame!

Gracious Savior, may the sight of Your unutterable sufferings excite in us—due detestation of this monster, sin! Oh, forbid it, that we should ever dally with that foe—which brought You to such anguish. Forbid it, that we should fondle in our breasts that viper—which stung You to death! Forbid it that we should lightly regard that sin, which kindled the flames of hell, from which nothing but Your dying love could snatch us! May we hate it with unrelenting hate! May we abhor it with abhorrence—only exceeded by the infinite love with which we desire infinitely to love You, our adorable Savior!

But while we pray that henceforth we may increasingly abominate all evil—we know that, without Your grace, our traitorous heart will look treacherously back. It has often deceived us. It has often betrayed us. Bind our truant heart more closely to Yourself. Never allow it to stray.

You are our only Redeemer. You are our only help. Repentance, and strength, and pardon are the free gifts of Your grace. We adore You that You are exalted to be Lord and Savior, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Your people. Fill us, we beg You, with godly sorrow. From the depths of our humiliation—we cry aloud to the heights of Your mercy! Having died to deliver us from the punishment of our sins, we trust You to deliver us from their power. Hear us, we earnestly beseech You. Amen.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life!" Psalm 139:23-24

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Our tears of penitence cannot remove one blot!

"Where sin abounded—grace did much more abound!" Romans 5:20

Heavenly Father,
Deepen in us this day, contrition for our vileness, as miserable sinners in Your sight. How often without resistance, have we floated down the stream of evil! We cloak not our wretchedness. Our lips are ready to confess—but our hearts are slow to feel, and our feet are reluctant to amend our ways. We bring our hard hearts unto You. Break them by Your Spirit—and then bind them up by Your grace. Wound them to the core—and then pour in the Gospel-balm!

Such is the blindness of our fallen nature—that we cannot see sin's deformity, except as You are pleased to unmask it. Such is our deadness—that we cannot hate it, except as You shall graciously implant abhorrence. Such is our infirmity, that we cannot flee it—except as Your strength enables. Conscious of our total inability—we come to You for light, for help, for strength, for blessing.

Our sins beyond number stare us in the face! They are piled as mountain upon mountain. Their height reaches to the heavens! But their full extent is open only to Your omniscient eye. The burden of our known transgressions weighs us to the dust. But the burden is light, compared to the mass which the scales of Your justice hold. We see but little, because our light is partial and our sight is dim. How must we appear, as seen by You, before whom the very heavens are not clean! You charge Your holy angels with folly. What must be Your estimate of our polluted souls! Humbled for what we see and feel; fearful for what is known only unto You—we meekly cry, "Pardon all our sins—for Jesus' sake!"

We smite upon our breasts, as utterly unworthy of the least of Your gracious and unfathomable mercies. Hear now our cry, and work in us by the omnipotence of Your Holy Spirit, more profound and abiding repentance.

Lord God Almighty, Father of mercies, screened from all evil by Your gracious providence, we come to encircle You with grateful praise. We bless You that at every moment, the throne of grace has been opened—and that the scepter of Your love has been extended to us. Pardon us that our prayers have been so few, so poor, so feeble. While You are always ready to hear, and inviting us to close communion—our souls abide amid trifles, and dally with vain follies. We grovel on earth—when we might ascend, through prayer, to heaven and You. Pity us, good Lord. You know of what we are made. You remember that we are dust. O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us.

We come not in our own name, seeking Your compassionate grace. We bring the Name of Your dear Son before You, in the arms of our faith. In whatever we have robbed You of obedience—we offer His blood to pay the debt. Impute to our account:

His worthiness—for our unworthiness;
His sinlessness—for our sinfulness;
His purity—for our impurity;
His sincerity—for our deceit;
His truth—for our lies;
His meekness—for our pride;
His steadfastness—for our backslidings;
His love—for our enmity;
His fullness—for our emptiness;
His glory—for our shame;
His perfect obedience—for our incessant disobedience;
His beauty—for our deformity;
His devotedness to Your will—for our waywardness;
His holy life—for our unholy ways;
His perfect righteousness—for our manifold unrighteousnesses.

We hide ourselves in Him. We flee unto Him as our sure city of refuge. We know that in Him—we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of all our sins. We rejoice that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Thus we cry, "Abba, Father!" in the name of Jesus, and retire to rest in peace.

O Lord, we beseech You now to defend us, not only from outward adversaries—but especially from ourselves! We have foes which cleave closer to us than our very skin! We cannot escape them. Help us to elude their enticing wiles. In public and in private, when we come in or go out, whether we rise up or sit down—they cling to our heart. Deliver us from their constant baits and traps. The old man yet lives within us and is powerful. Help us to nail him to the cross of Jesus! We earnestly desire to put him off with all his foul deeds—and to put on the new man, which is created in righteousness and true holiness. If You speak the word—the victory is ours!

Our best strength, is utter weakness. Our firmest resolves, are as fleeting as the morning cloud and early dew. In our flesh there dwells no good thing—it is the vile abode of every corrupt desire. It is the den in which all vile passions lurk. Left to ourselves, we fall. But Your Spirit is omnipotent. Oh! then, bid Your Spirit to arise in all His might, and crush our indwelling opponents!

How often do we mourn that, when we would do good, evil is present with us. The good that we would do—we cannot do; the evil that we would not do—that we do. We look to You to deliver us from the body of this death. Strengthen us with heavenly aid in the inner man, lest we faint and be weary in the conflict—and yield to our bosom-foes. The enemy is within the citadel! Come with Your almighty power and subdue him. Enable us, therefore, by Your Spirit, to mortify all the deeds of the body.

O Jesus, we are Yours! Other lords have had dominion over us—but now we are Your willing servants. O come, then, You who are our Lord, pierce to the death—utterly destroy—abolish in us every particle of carnal self!

This Heavenly Visitor

O Lord Jesus Christ, most gracious Savior, with grateful joy we come to You. We know Your boundless love—and believe that You delight over us. We look to Your cross—and we see how You have loved us!

We remember Your wondrous word, "I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever—even the Spirit of truth." We spread before You this most blessed pledge. We present our empty hearts before You—and we meekly beseech You to fill them with Your Holy Spirit.

We earnestly desire to be temples entirely occupied by His presence. We are blind; send Him to give us light. Darkness is around us and within us; may He say, Let there be light, and there shall be light. May He give us faith to see our names engraved on Your heart—our souls assuredly redeemed by Your blood—our lives of sinfulness gloriously covered by Your life of pure obedience. Replenish us with His revealing grace, that we may realize our indissoluble oneness with You—that You have espoused us to Yourself forever in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies, and in faithfulness —that we are one with You as branches are one with the stem, as a building is one with the foundation, and that nothing can part us from Your unchanging love.

In the midst of our sorrows—may His comforts cheer us. In all our trials—may His strength sustain us. When we are disposed to faint and be weary, may the dew of His blessing revive us. May His presence render us very fruitful trees of holiness. By His might establish within us, the reign of righteousness and peace and joy. Send Him as the Searcher of hearts to show us more of our utter corruption, that in deep self-abhorrence, realizing our worse than helplessness, we may flee to You, cling more closely to You, and receive You, as the beginning and the end, the first and the last of our salvation.

By Your Spirit, kindle within us the undying flame of adoration, so that our heaven of praise may commence on earth, and that the endless hallelujahs may be no new song to us. So dispose our hearts, that when He shall seek us with all these blessings on His wings—that we may never vex Him by our indifference and waywardness, never grieve Him by our cold welcome, never resist Him by our harsh rebellion; but may we lift up the gates of our souls that this Heavenly Visitor may come in, and occupy the throne and rule forever!

Especially may Your Spirit aid us when we search the Scriptures. The depths are very deep; the heights are exceeding high. We have no lines to fathom, and no wings to soar; but by His gracious help may we be enabled to explore all truth, to love it with all our hearts, to embrace it with all our powers, and to engraft it in our lives. Thus may we daily become more spiritually-minded, which is life and peace.

Accept and answer our humble petitions, for Your great name's sake. Amen.

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