I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
Rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
Rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant made on earth,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
I love this beautiful prayer, and was trying to pray it this evening. Big fail!! I think if things don’t work out as I hoped, I can honestly pray it. However, in the middle of doing and striving, in the middle of embarking on a challenging and joyful enterprise, it’s hard to even contemplate the possibility of its failure, as the Methodist Covenant Prayer so clear-sightedly does.
And I think it is fine to ask God to bless and prosper the work of your hands, with the understanding, of course, that you will still love him with all your heart if your plans and enterprises do not succeed.
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Yes. It's easier for me to trust God when things don't go according to plan, then to say, “It's up to you whether my plans succeed or fail, and it's okay with me,” as this prayer seems to be saying. Am not quite there yet, sadly!!
I think God always knows what's best for us even when we don't. He can see the big picture and we only have a tiny bit of insight. That's why I always try to trust in Him.
Sandy