Gifts of Heaven · Volume 2 · Chapter 303

A good little prayer

18th July 1843, morning

[1] Hereby I give a good prayer for those who cannot resist the attraction of the world, because it presents itself to them as completely innocent and harmless, while it portrays a heart warmed by My love as a cooling one and thus beneficial to worldly sensuality, but at the same time it crawls like an exceedingly poisonous snake and, through such wicked, truly hellish-snakelike, magnetic manipulation, gently puts it to sleep for Me and for My love and grace, so that the heart is to fall away from Me with time and pass over into eternal death!

[2] Therefore I give you here this mighty little prayer! The one who will pronounce it alive, faithfully and truthfully in himself will thereby banish this wicked serpent from his heart! And so then write the little prayer!

[3] “Holy, most loving Father! Look mercifully at me poor, weak, completely exhausted sinner! You, oh dear Father, have seized me with the highest, eternally true love and draw me mightily to You! But I, a lukewarm, yes, fundamentally cold being, only move on lively, joyfully and vividly in the old elements of my inherited deathly coldness. In Your sacred elements of the fire of Your love, however, I become lazy and relapse as soon as I am lazy, so that it is easier and much more comfortable for me to roam around in the old elements for days and weeks rather than just for an hour in the great warmth of Your love.

[4] Daily experience teaches me that! But I also see that through this I can only gain the perfect death of the spirit, since such sense is breathed into me from hell! So I beg You, without delay, oh holy, most loving Father, drive out from me the evil serpent that makes me completely sleepy for the life of the spirit, and breathe on me with Your Divine Fatherly consolation, lest I should gradually perish more and more in my elements of the old death, and perish in the gently cooling poison of my own world-sense snake, if it creeps and crawls over my heart, warmed by Your love, even if it is pleasant and worldly exhilarating!

[5] Oh see how I rejoice when I meet with my worldly company and amuse myself with it over things that are stale, vain, and completely trivial! But to speak of You, oh Father, and to turn my heart and face to You, I soon become drowsy and full of lingering boredom. And it is not seldom that the most insignificant worldly work is more amusing to me all day long than to devote half an hour to You alone!

[6] Oh Lord and Father, hear me and be gracious and merciful to me, a poor and weak sinner! Your love enliven me, Your grace enlighten me and Your mercy and mildness strengthen me and draw me ever more powerfully to You! Oh Father! Seize me with Your hand and lead me into Your kingdom and into your Father's house for eternity! Amen."