o God, the Author of all good,
i come to thee for the grace another day
will require for its duties and events.
i step out into a wicked world,
i carry about with me an evil heart,
i know that without thee i can do nothing,
that everything with which i shall
be concerned,
however harmless in itself,
may prove an occasion of sin or folly,
unless i am kept by thy power.
hold thou me up and i shall be safe.
preserve my understanding from subtlety of error,
my affections from love of idols,
my character from stain of vice,
my profession from every form of evil.
may i engage in nothing in which i cannot
implore thy blessing
and in which i cannot invite thy inspection.
prosper me in all lawful undertakings,
or prepare me for disappointments;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me,
lest i be full and deny thee
and say, Who is the Lord?
or be poor, and steal, and take thy name
in vain.
may every creature be made good to me
b prayer and thy will;
teach me how to use the world, and not abuse it,
to improve my talents,
to redeem my time,
to walk in wisdom toward those without,
and in kindness to those within,
to do good to all men,
and especially to my fellow Christians.
and to thee be the glory.
– the valley of vision
