A Puritan Pastor’s Request For Prayer
"Pray for me... that my soul may be so visited with strength from on high, that I may live up fully and constantly to those truths that I hold forth to the world."
As a way to both account for my discovery of the following quote and encourage you to follow several links to good resources, let me briefly trace how this request for prayer came to my attention. (Go ahead and follow these links. They will open in new tabs. Each one will take you to a potential treasure chest of biblical wisdom.)
I am at the midway point of a training course to become an ABC-certified biblical counsellor through Gospel Care Collective. One of the recently assigned articles was titled “Puritan Resources for Biblical Counselling” written by Tim Keller and published by CCEF.
Within the article are many references to the aforementioned Puritan resources, one of which is a book called “Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices” written by Thomas Brooks and published by Banner of Truth. After reading several quotes from this book, I decided to order a copy for myself and began to read it immediately.
The following request for prayer is found in the “Epistle Dedicatory” and is fitting for any pastor to request from his hearers or congregants:
“Above all, pray for me, that I may more and more find the power and sweet of those things upon my own heart, that I give out to you and others:
that my soul may be so visited with strength from on high, that I may live up fully and constantly to those truths that I hold forth to the world;
and that I may be both in life and doctrine ‘a burning and a shining light,’ that so, when the Lord Jesus shall appear, ‘I may receive a crown of glory which he shall give to me in that day, and not only to me, but to all that love his appearing’ (John 5:35 and 2 Tim. 4:8).”
Thomas Brooks
Be blessed, pastors, as you go about your duties this week, and may this prayer be yours.
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Michael Krahn is a pastor, the husband of Anne Marie, and the father of Madeleine, Olivia, and Sophia. Make a connection on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.