A Seminarian’s Prayer

I ran across this prayer a couple of days ago and my immediate thought was that it if I was asked to give the closing prayer at our Habitat board meeting I would use it. This prayer expresses a lot of the battles we confront as board members of a faith based ministry and shows that we have similar hopes as seminarians. Late on Tuesday I received a call late in the afternoon that the meeting location had changed and the President asked if I would give the closing prayer. I never cease to be amazed. Thanks Trevin!

Savior and King,
I find it so easy to revel in knowledge for knowledge’s sake,
avoiding the goal of instruction: to learn love.
A puffed-up mind may be able to hide an impure heart,
an aching conscience
or insincere motives from others,
but before you, all is laid bare.
The purpose of my training is to grow in love and faithfulness,
purity and authenticity.
Help me, O Lord, to keep in mind your purposes
for the instruction I receive.
I pray that when I leave here,
my love will have grown,
many sinful habits will have been left behind,
and any insincere motivations or spiritual facade will have been shattered.
May you work in my heart to draw me closer to yourself.
Help me to love, O Lord.
Give me a heart that breaks
for those held in the chains of sin.
Clear my conscience
and authenticate my faith. 
May the knowledge I obtain be for your glory
and for the growth of your love in my all-too-hardened heart.
And help conform me to the image of Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.

– Trevin Wax

A Seminarian’s Prayer