A Diary of Private Prayer
By John Baillie
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
In this wonderful collection, famed theologian Dr. John Baillie shares personal prayers for people who are seeking a better understanding of God and themselves. Organized by morning and evening—with special prayers for Sundays—A Diary of Private Prayer is written with eloquence, piety, and directness. Blending praise and meditative thoughts about God with a concern for the social and individual good, these daily invocations help and inspire us to search our inner selves and find the deep religious beliefs that lie within.
First published in 1936, A Diary of Private Prayer remains a seminal Christian devotional with more than a million copies in print. This modern edition—completely redesigned into a gift package—admirably preserves all the qualities of the original, ensuring that the wisdom of God and the wonder of Baillie’s prayers remain accessible for many generations to come.
John Baillie
John Baillie was a teacher, lecturer, preacher, and author of many books, including Christian Devotion, The Place of Jesus Christ in Modern Christianity, and A Diary of Readings. He held academic posts in the UK, the US, and Canada; was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; and President of the World Council of Churches. He died in 1960.
Related to A Diary of Private Prayer
Related ebooks
Morning and Evening Prayers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Morning by Morning: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Prayer Bible Study Participant's Guide: Six Sessions on Our Relationship with God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The One Year Adventure with the God of Your Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Morning and Evening: Daily Readings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsContemporary Classic/Devotions for a Deeper Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Praying the Scriptures for Your Life: 31 Days of Abiding in the Presence, Provision, and Power of God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children: Trusting God with the Ones You Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Common Prayer: Pocket edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of God: The Bible as a Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Passion for Faithfulness: Wisdom From the Book of Nehemiah Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Where Prayer Becomes Real: How Honesty with God Transforms Your Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Even Silence Is Praise: Quiet Your Mind and Awaken Your Soul with Christian Meditation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great Is Thy Faithfulness: 52 Reasons to Trust God When Hope Feels Lost Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIrresistible Faith: Becoming the Kind of Christian the World Can't Resist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Spiritual Growth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Praying Backwards: Transform Your Prayer Life by Beginning in Jesus' Name Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Book of Common Worship, Daily Prayer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJourney Day by Day: Living Life Well Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBreakthrough Prayer: The Secret of Receiving What You Need from God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Christianity For You
Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries with Kids: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Children Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Less Fret, More Faith: An 11-Week Action Plan to Overcome Anxiety Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5NIV, Holy Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for A Diary of Private Prayer
20 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautiful language and prayers I want to pray, but a little shocking in its non-inclusive language -- what a difference in the way we speak, even to God, since 1949!
1 person found this helpful
Book preview
A Diary of Private Prayer - John Baillie
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Title Page ImageFor
I A N
Preface
For almost a century, John Baillie’s extraordinary classic A Diary of Private Prayer has aided and inspired many readers into a deeper prayer walk with God. When I first discovered it, I was enthralled and challenged by the prayers, and it has since become a crucial resource for my prayer life.
I soon wanted to share this treasure with others, but found that the King James English style of the original seemed to prevent the prayers from being accessible for everyone. It is my hope that this new edition, composed in a more contemporary style, will open up the prayers for another generation, and that readers old and new alike may be blessed by the faithfulness and wisdom of John Baillie.
I am especially grateful to Baillie’s son, Ian, to whom A Diary of Private Prayer is dedicated, for his support and for choosing me to undertake the updating of this classic book before his death in 2008. I am also very grateful to the Baillie family for their support in this venture and for putting me in touch with the Rev. Dr. Robin Boyd, himself an experienced religious writer, who worked with me on the project. Dr. Boyd was a student of John Baillie at New College, Edinburgh, and years later became a friend of Ian Baillie. Without his contributions of scholarly insight, wisdom, and patience, this new edition would not have been possible.
—Susanna Wright
Author’s Note
Here are prayers for all the mornings and evenings of the months; and at the end of the book two prayers which, when any day falls on a Sunday, may be substituted for the others or else added to them. These prayers are to be regarded as aids; they are not intended to form the whole of the morning’s or evening’s devotions or to take the place of more individual prayers for oneself and others. On the blank left-hand pages such further petitions and intercessions may be noted down.
The prayers are suited to private use, not to the liturgical use of public worship.
—John Baillie
FIRST DAY MORNING
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.
For your perfect wisdom and perfect goodness;
For the love you have for all people;
For the love you have for me;
For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life;
For your Spirit, who dwells in my heart;
For the seven gifts of your Spirit;
I praise and worship you, O Lord.
Yet when this morning prayer is finished, do not let me think that my worship is ended and spend the rest of the day forgetting you. Rather, from these quiet moments, let light and joy and power pour out and remain with me through every hour of this day.
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.
O God, you have been the refuge of your people through many generations; be my refuge in every moment and every need that I face today. Be my guide through all uncertainty and darkness. Be my guard against all that threatens my spiritual well-being. Be my strength in times of testing. Cheer my heart with your peace; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
FIRST DAY EVENING
O LORD, you are from everlasting to everlasting; I turn my thoughts to you as the hours of darkness and of sleep begin. O Sun of my soul, I rejoice to know that all night I shall be under the watchful eye of the One who dwells in eternal light.
Into your care, Father, I now entrust my body and soul. All day you have watched over me, your companionship has filled my heart with peace. Accompany me throughout the night.
Give me sound and refreshing sleep;
Give me safety from all dangers;
Give me freedom from restless dreams;
Give me control of my thoughts, if I lie awake;
Give me wisdom to remember that the night was made for sleeping and not for harboring anxious or distressing thoughts.
Give me grace, if I lie awake thinking, to think of you.
My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night.
Father, into your hands I commit my family and friends, asking you to keep them safe in soul and body, and to be present in their hearts tonight as a Spirit of power, joy, and rest. I pray for ___ and ___. I pray also for those I work with, those around me, those nearby who are unknown to their neighbors, and all those beyond, whom I don’t know but who are dear to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SECOND DAY MORNING
O GOD