A prayer to be sayd in the Mornynge.
Morning Thanksgiving and Prayer for Guidance
The believer offers thanks for preservation through the night and prays for the Holy Spirit's guidance to live in faith and truth, concluding with 'Amen.'
O merciful Lord God, heavenly Father, I offer you the highest praise and thanks, that you have preserved me both this night and through all the time and days of my life until now under your protection, and have allowed me to live until this present hour.1 And I earnestly ask you to be willing to receive me this day, and for the rest of my whole life from now on, into your care, ruling and governing me by your Holy Spirit, so that every kind of darkness—of unbelief, faithlessness, and of fleshly lust and affections—may be utterly driven out of my heart; and that I may be justified and saved, both body and soul, through a right and perfect faith; and so walk in the light of your most godly truth, to your glory and praise, and for the good and help of my neighbor, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.23 Amen.
Read the original English
OMercifull Lord God, he…uenlye father, I rēder most high laudes, praise and thanks vnto the, that thou hast preserued me both thys nyght, and all the tyme and dayes of my lyfe hitherto, vnder thy protection: and hast suffered … to liue vntill this present houre. And I beseeche the hartely, that thou wilt vouchesafe to receiue me this day, and the residue of my whole lyfe from hence forth, into thy tu…ion▪ rulyng and gouernyng … with thy holy spirite: that all maner of darkenesse of misbeliefe, infidelitie, and of carnal lu… and affections, may be vtterly chased and driuen oute of my hearte: and that I may be iustified and saued both bodye and soule thorow … ryght and a perfect fayth: and so walke in the light of thy most godlye truth, to thy glorye and prayse, and to the profyt and furtheraunce of my neighbour, thorow Iesus Christ our Lorde and Sauiour.
Amen.
Notes
- 1 ↩Supplied reading has ellipses at 'he…uenlye' and 'suffered … to liue'; restored as 'heavenly' and 'suffered me to live' from token fragments and sense.
- 2 ↩Ellipses restored from token fragments and parallel night-prayer diction: 'tu…ion' → 'tuition' (care/guardianship); 'gouernyng … with' → 'governing me with'; 'carnal lu…' → 'carnal lust'; 'thorow … ryght' → 'through a right', matching 'thorowe a ryghte and pure fayth' in the night prayer.
- 3 ↩'Tuition' rendered as 'care' (Early Modern sense: guardianship/charge), not modern schooling.
John Ponet's Short Catechisme (1553) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit