The Daily Prayer
WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2020
John Wesley (1703—1791)
Though his studies led him to become an Anglican cleric, John Wesley did not at first have a vibrant spiritual life. While en route to the colony of Georgia as a missionary, his ship lost its mast in a violent storm. Witnessing the Moravian passengers sing and pray peacefully through the storm, Wesley realized that he lacked “the one thing necessary.” After his heart was “strangely warmed” in a moving conversion experience, Wesley became a popular preacher among the working class of England and led the movement now called Methodism. The core of his message was that Christianity is based on the experience of God’s grace, which bears fruit through a life of love. Wesley said, “When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.” He died at the age of eighty-eight, lifting his arms and saying, “The best of all, God is with us.”
This prayer of John Wesley is used by many Christians at the beginning of each year: “I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”
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