The Awakened Sinner

(Image credit to DeviantART user, Suvetar)

O MY FORGETFUL SOUL,

    Awake from thy wandering dream;
turn from chasing vanities,
look inward, forward, upward,
view thyself,
reflect upon thyself,
    who and what thou art, why here,
    what thou must soon be.
Thou art a creature of God,
    formed and furnished by Him,
    lodged in a body like a shepherd in His tent;
Dost thou not desire to know God's ways?

O GOD,

Thou injured, neglected, provoked Benefactor
    when I think upon Thy greatness and Thy goodness
    I am ashamed at my insensibility,
    I blush to lift up my face,
    for I have foolishly erred.
Shall I go on neglecting Thee,
  when every one of Thy rational creatures
    should love Thee,
  and take every care to please Thee?
I confess that Thou hast not been in all my thoughts,
  that the knowledge of Thyself as the end of
    my being has been strangely overlooked,
  that I have never seriously considered
    my heart-need.
But although my mind is perplexed and divided,
  my nature perverse,
  yet my secret dispositions still desire Thee.
Let me not delay to come to Thee;
Break the fatal enchantment that binds
    my evil affections,
  and bring me to a happy mind that rests in Thee,
  for Thou hast made me and canst not forget me.
Let Thy Spirit teach me the vital lessons of Christ,
  For I am slow to learn;
An hear Thou my broken cries.

Fom The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers
Image credit goes solely to Suvetar, a DeviantARTist

Awake, ye sinner!  Come, feast at the table of your God!

Joyfully His,

Elisera