Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 10

O Almighty God, enlighten all merchants and tradesmen with the gift of your Holy Spirit that they may consider not what the world would sanction, but what your Law commands.  Prosper, with your blessing, all who are thus striving to regulate their dealings by the rule of truth and love.  And, if difficulties compass them in the world, quicken within them such a desire of laying up treasure in heaven as may cause them to accept your perfect will, teaching them so to use earthly things that they may become partakers of the true riches which cannot fail.  Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen. – The Rev. Richard Meux Benson (1824-1915), founder of the Cowley Brotherhood

From: Selina F. Fox, A Chain of Prayer Across All Ages, p. 47.

 

Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 9

O send your light and your truth, that we may live always near to you, our God.  Let us feel your love, that we may be, as it were, already in heaven, that we may do all our work as the angels do theirs.  Let us be ready for every work, be ready to go out or come in, to stay or to depart, just as you shall appoint.  Lord, let us have no will of our own or consider our true happiness as depending, in the slightest degree, on anything that can befall us outwardly, but as consisting altogether in conformity to your will.  Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen. – The Rev. Henry Martyn (1781-1812), who translated the New Testament into both Hindi and Persian

From: Selina F. Fox, A Chain of Prayer Across All Ages, p. 143.

 

Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 8

A prayer before studying the Bible:

Pardon, Lord, our slowness of heart to believe your Word and to do what we know to be right.  Open your Scriptures to us this day and, by your Spirit, seal your gospel on our souls.  Bless to us your Word.  Give to us the tender mercies of your dear Son.  Shed the love of His name abroad in our hearts.  Give us to taste the sweetness of redeeming love, and to desire it more and more until Christ – the hope of glory – be formed in our hearts and we be filled with all the fulness of you, our God.  O, make us, indeed, living branches in the true vine.  May the grace of Jesus flow into our hearts, enabling us to be fruitful toward you in every good word and work, being filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual understanding and growing up into Him, our head, in all things.  Amen. – The Rev. Thomas Furlong (19th century)

From: Selina F. Fox, A Chain of Prayer Across the Ages, p. 307.

 

Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 7

God of all grace, grant to us your peace that passes understanding, that the quietness that comes from friendliness with man and true divine friendship with you may possess our souls; that we, withdrawn awhile from the turmoil of the world, may gather the strength that we have lost and, established and strengthened by your grace, pass on through all the troubles of this, our earthly life, safe into the haven of eternal rest.  This we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen. – The Rev. George Dawson (1821-1876), Nonconformist preacher

From: Selina F. Fox, A Chain of Prayer Across the Ages, p. 127.

 

Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 6

O Lord God, our heavenly Father, we thank you that you have called us to the knowledge of your grace and faith in you.  Increase this knowledge and confirm this faith in us evermore.  We thank you for all those who are called by your name in all parts of the world, praying to you that they may steadfastly walk in the way that leads to eternal life.  We thank you for all your servants who have departed this life in your faith and fear, beseeching you to give us grace so to follow their good examples that, with them, we may be made partakers of your heavenly kingdom.  Grant this, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake – our only Mediator and Advocate.  Amen.  (Source not given)

From: Selina F. Fox, A Chain of Prayer Across the Ages, p. 164.

 

Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 5

We pray for the sick.  Grant them health and raise them up from their sickness and make them to have perfect health of body and soul, for you are the Savior and Benefactor.  You are Lord and King of all.  Amen. – Scholasticus Serapion (350-380), bishop of Thmuis

From: Selina F. Fox, A Chain of Prayer, p. 180.

 

Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 4

O Lord, we have a busy world around us.  Eyes, ears, and thoughts will be needed for all our work to be done in the world.  Now, ere we again enter upon it on the morrow, we would commit eyes, ears, and thoughts to Thee.  Do Thou bless them and keep their work Thine that, as through Thy natural laws our hearts beat and our blood flows without any thought of ours for them, so our spiritual lives may hold on their courses at those times when our minds cannot consciously turn to Thee to commit each particular thought to Thy service.  Hear our prayer for our Redeemer’s sake.  Amen. – The Rev. Dr. Thomas Arnold (1795-1842), headmaster of Rugby School; a prayer prayed before he entered the school each day.

From: Selina F. Fox, A Chain of Prayer, p. 204.

 

Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 3

O Heavenly Father, the Father of all wisdom, understanding, and true strength, we beseech Thee look mercifully upon Thy servants, and send Thy Holy Spirit into their hearts that, when they must join to fight in the field for the glory of Thy holy name, then they, being strengthened with the defence of Thy right hand, may manfully stand in the confession of Thy faith and of Thy truth, and continue in the same unto the end of their lives.  Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen. -  Nicholas Ridley (1500-1555), bishop of Rochester; later, bishop of London

From: Selina F. Fox, A Chain of Prayer, p. 148.

 

Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 2

Look down, O Lord our God, from the throne of Thy glorious Kingdom; look down upon us and destroy us not, yea, rather deliver us from evil.  From all evil and misfortune, deliver us.  As of old time Thou didst deliver our fathers, deliver us.  In all our straits, deliver us.  From the evils of the world to come, from Thine anger, from being placed on the left hand, deliver us.  Spare us, O Lord.  Have mercy upon us.  Deliver us and never let us be confounded; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer.  Amen. - Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626), Bishop of Chichester, afterwards of Winchester

From: Selina F. Fox, A Chain of Prayer, p. 179.

 

Fox’s “Chain of Prayer” – 1

With this post, I’m starting a new weekly feature, appearing each Tuesday. 

I will be posting prayers from Selina Fox’s book Chain of Prayer (full bibliographic details after the quotation).  These are quotations of prayers from all through the centuries, going all the way back to Old Testament times.  Published collections of pastoral prayers used to be common up through the early 20th century (collections of prayers by Spurgeon and Maclaren, for example, were published).  This is the only book I know of which has collected prayers from throughout church history.

This first post is the only place where the complete bibliographic details will be given.  All future posts will, after the quotation, merely cite the author, short book title, and page.

I hope you enjoy this new feature.  Here is the first quotation:

Lord Jesus Christ, Thou didst choose Thine Apostles that they might preside over us as teachers.  So, also, may it please Thee to teach doctrine to our Bishops in the place of Thine Apostles, and to bless and instruct them, that they may preserve their lives unharmed and undefiled for ever and ever.  Amen. – Egbert (734-766), Archbishop of York

From: A Chain of Prayer Across the Ages: Forty Centuries of Prayer, 2000 BC – AD 1955 edited by Selina Fitzherbert Fox; 7th edition (London: John Murray, 1956 [1913]), p. 141.

Selina Fitzherbert Fox (1871-1958) was the first female to graduate in medicine from the University of Durham in England (1898).  She graduated first in her class, and was the only woman in her graduating class.  A Christian, she spent her life in medical missions.  She died in London on December 27, 1958, at the age of 87.  The first edition of this book was published in 1913, and she continued to update it and add to it until the last edition, the 7th (from which all quotations are taken) was published two years before her death.  All told, the book went through 14 printings in her lifetime.