And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine.
This part of John Wesley's prayer took me to the words of the hymn, "I Am Thine," by Ms. Fanny J. Crosby, which is how the hymn begins, "I am thine, O Lord, I have heard thy voice, and it told thy love to me; but I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to thee." (United Methodist Hymnal, 419). The hymn credits Hebrews 10:22 as inspiration, "let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (NRSV). The prayer and the hymn speak of that intimate relationship Christians should have with God. A relationship so close that we can hear God speak and as Jesus said, "know his voice." A relationship that blesses and guides each day of our mortal lives. Notice also how Wesley sees God, as "glorious and blessed." His part of the relationship kept a perspective on God's character, and was addressed to the members of the Godhead, "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," for Wesley knew the power and blessing of each. Wesley claims God as his and surrenders himself to God.
The Hebrews passage speaks of that need to be close to God, having an "approach" with our hearts to God, knowing the cleansing and power of such a relationship. A surrender to the sacred will mean a cleansing on our part by God. Nothing else will suffice. The relationship we need to possess with God is an eternal one, that nothing nor no one can take away from us (See Romans 8).
PRAYER: Loving God, how awesome and wonderful is Your love towards us. Help me and the one who makes this prayer their own, draw closer to You in a right and blessed relationship to You. Again, my prayer is that my faith and my life might make real this prayer, ""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, And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine." In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
