This is part of the series,
“Prayers from John Bradford”.
Who was John Bradford?
"How Fair You Are!"—Adoration
“When the Roots of Our Lusts”—Confession
“What Shall I Say?”—Confession
“Open Our Eyes to See Our Great Need”—Illumination
“You Are Our Most True Pilot”—Illumination
“Who Has Revealed Yourself to Humanity”—Intercession
“You Use All Means Possible”—Intercession
“We Most Heartily Ask”—Intercession
“My Watcher and Keeper”—Intercession
"Whom our Savior Christ Approached”—Intercession
When the congregation of St. John’s Church in Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, celebrated two hundred years of Presbyterian presence in their area, they returned to their roots and used prayers of the 16th C. English Reformer, John Bradford, in their worship. This is one of the prayers of confession.
O Lord and God, what shall I say?
I feel that all the things I think about are wicked.
Tainted is my mind,
crooked is my will,
and perverse are my desires.
O how faint is my faith!
How little my love for you or your people.
How great is my self love.
How hard is my heart.
For these reasons I am moved to doubt your goodness toward me,
whether you are my Father or not,
whether I am your child or not.
I come through your Son our Lord, Mediator, and Advocate, Jesus Christ,
who sits “on your right hand making intercession” for me,
and pray for your great goodness and mercy in Christ, to be merciful to me, that I may feel your sweet mercy as your child.
—“A Prayer for the Mercy of God,” in The Writings of John Bradford, Cambridge University Press, 1843, p. 203. Public Domain. Language updated.
