A Diary of Private Prayer Quotes

“I thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast so set eternity within my heart that no earthly thing can ever satisfy me wholly.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“O LORD, all treasures of wisdom and truth and holiness are stored up in your boundless being. Grant that through our constant fellowship with you, those graces of Christian character may more and more take shape within me: The grace of a thankful and uncomplaining heart; The grace to await your timing patiently and to answer your call promptly; The grace of courage whether in suffering or in danger; The grace to endure any hardship in the fight against evil; The grace of boldness to stand up for what is right; The grace of being adequately prepared for any temptation; The grace of physical discipline; The grace of truthfulness; The grace to treat others as I would like them to treat me; The grace of sensitivity, that I may refrain from hasty judgment; The grace of silence, that I may refrain from thoughtless speech; The grace of forgiveness toward all who have wronged me; The grace of tenderness toward all who are weaker than myself; The grace of faithfulness in continuing to desire that you will answer these prayers.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“Forbid that I should walk through Thy beautiful world with unseeing eyes;

Forbid that the lure of the market-place should ever entirely steal my heart away from the love of the open acres and the green trees;
Forbid that under the low roof of workshop or office or study I should ever forget Thy great overarching sky:

Forbid that when all Thy creatures are greeting the morning with songs and shouts of joy, I alone should wear a dull and sullen face.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“I be loyal to my friends and generous to my opponents. May I face adversity with courage. May I not ask or expect too much for myself. Yet, Lord, do not let me rest content with an ideal of humanity that is less than what was shown to us in Jesus. Give me the mind of Christ. May I not rest until I am like him in all his fullness. May I listen to Jesus’ question: What are you doing more than others? And so may the three Christian graces of faith, hope, and love be more and more formed within me, until all I do and say brings honor to Jesus and his gospel. O God, you proved your love to us in the passion and death of Jesus Christ our Lord; may the power of his cross be with me today. May I love as he loved. May I be obedient even to death. As I lean on his cross may I not refuse my own; but rather may I bear it by the strength of his. O Lord, you have placed the solitary in families; I ask for your heavenly blessing for all the members of my household, all my neighbors, and all my fellow citizens. May Christ rule in every heart and his law be honored in every home. May every knee bend before him and every tongue confess that he is Lord. Amen.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“He asks too much to whom God is not sufficient.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“In leaning upon His Cross, let me not refuse my own; yet in bearing mine, let me bear it by the strength of His.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“May that light and joy and power: Keep my thoughts pure; Keep me gentle and truthful in all I say; Keep me faithful and diligent in my work; Keep me humble in my opinion of myself; Keep me honorable and generous in my dealings with others; Keep me loyal to every cherished memory of the past; Keep me mindful of my eternal destiny as your child.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“ETERNAL Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of you, let my first impulse be to worship you, let my first word be your Name, let my first action be to kneel before you in prayer.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer

“Let me be just and true in all my dealings. Let no mean or low thought have a moments place in my mind. Let my motives be transparent to all. Let my word be my bond. Let me take no unchivalrous advantage of anybody. Let me be generous in my judgment of others. Let me be disinterested in my own opinions. Let me be loyal to my friend and magnanimous to my opponents. Let me face adversity with courage. Let me not ask or expect too much for myself.”
― John Baille, A Diary of Private Prayer

“Speak Thou in my words to-day, think in my thoughts, and work in all my deeds. And seeing that it is Thy gracious will to make use even of such weak human instruments in the fulfilment of Thy mighty purpose for the world, let my life to-day be the channel through which some little portion of Thy divine love and pity may reach the lives that are nearest to my own.”
― John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer