O Lord, you indwell our shabby human life, lifting it now and then above the dominance of animal passion and greed, allowing it to shine with borrowed lights of love and joy and peace, and making it a mirror of the beauties of a world unseen. Grant that my part in the world’s life today may not be to obscure the splendour of your presence but rather to make it more plainly visible to the eyes of my fellow men and women. 

Help me to make a stand today –

for whatever is pure, true, just and good;

for the advancement of science and education and learning;

for the rights of the weak and the oppressed;

for corporation and mutual help in industry, commerce, and government;

for the conservation of the rich traditions of the past;

for the recognition of free movements of your spirit in the minds and lives of people today;

for the hope of even more glorious days to come.

Today, dear Lord –

Help me put what is right before my own interest;

Help me put others before myself;

Help me not to forget matters of the spirit, by being too consumed with matters of the body;

Help me put the attainment of what is true and just and honourable above the enjoyment of present pleasures;

Help me put principle above reputation;

Help me put you above all else.

O God, the reflection of your transcendent glory once appeared unbroken in the face of Jesus Christ. Give me today a heart like his: a brave heart, a true heart, a tender heart, a heart with great room in it, a heart fixed on you, for his name’s sake. Amen.

Written by John Baillie author of “A Diary of private prayer”