Morning prayer · 31 August

Holy lover of my soul

A simple clay lamp being refilled with oil from a small jug, the flame already burning steady despite the bowl being only half full, showing a heart being topped up and strengthened.

Lord God, holy lover of my soul, when you come into my heart, everything inside me will be glad. You’re my glory and the joy of my heart. You’re my hope and my safe place when trouble comes. But I’m still weak in love and far from perfect in goodness, so I need you to strengthen and comfort me. Visit me often, and teach me your holy ways. Free me from wrong passions, and clean my heart of all disordered desires, so that, healed and fully clean inside, I’m ready to love, strong to suffer and steady to endure. Amen.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (BSB)

Adapted from Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (tr. William Benham, 1874), in plain words. The verse is from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain). Drawing: Mutter.