Great are you, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is your power, and of your wisdom there is no end. And man, being a part of your creation, desires to praise you—man, who bears about with him his mortality, the witness of his sin, even the witness that you resist the proud—yet man, this part of your creation, desires to praise you. You move us to delight in praising you; for you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.

Augustine

Almighty God, you are the foundation and fountain of all being and all beauty, from you all is perfectly derived, upon you all is most absolutely and perfectly dependent; from you and through you and to you is all being and all perfection; your being and beauty is as it were the sum and comprehension of all existence and excellence, much more than the sun is the fountain and summary comprehension of all light and brightness of the day — to you, O God, be all praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength forever and ever. Amen.

Jonathan Edwards

O Lord, I do not deserve a glimpse of heaven, and I am unable with my works to redeem myself from sin, death, the devil, and hell. Nevertheless, you have given me your Son Jesus Christ, who is far more precious and dear than heaven, and much stronger than sin, death, the devil, and hell. For this I rejoice, praise, and thank you, O God. Without cost and out of pure grace you have given me this boundless blessing in your dear Son. Through him you take sin, death, and hell from me, and do grant me all that belongs to him. Amen.

Martin Luther

I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me in any place of service, rank me with any type of people. Put me to work, put me to suffering. Let me be useful for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low by you. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and for your use.

John Wesley

Almighty God, heavenly Father, because we are so weak in ourselves that we cannot stand even for a moment, and moreover, our sworn enemies—the devil, the world, and our own flesh—do not cease to attack us; will you, therefore, keep and strengthen us by the power of your Holy Spirit, so that we may firmly resist them and not go down to defeat in this spiritual war, but remain persistent until we finally obtain the complete victory and reign together with your Son, our Lord and Protector Jesus Christ, in your kingdom forevermore. Amen.

Zacharias Ursinus

Blessed Lord, you have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning-grant us that we may in such a way hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them; that by patience and comfort of your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer (1552)

Almighty God, and most merciful Father, we humbly submit ourselves, and fall down before your Majesty, asking you from the bottom of our hearts, that this seed of your Word now sown among us, may take such deep root, that neither the burning heat of persecution cause it to wither, nor the thorny cares of this life choke it. But that, as seed sown in good ground, it may bring forth thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold, as your heavenly wisdom has appointed. Amen.

Middelburg Liturgy

Sovereign God, Thy cause, not my own, engages my heart,
and I appeal to thee with greatest freedom 
to set up thy kingdom in every place
 where Satan reigns;
 Glorify thyself and I shall rejoice,
 for to bring honour to thy name is my sole desire. 
I adore thee that thou art God, 
and long that others should know it, feel it,
 and rejoice in it.
 O that all men might love and praise thee,
 that thou mightest have all glory 
from the intelligent world!
 Let sinners be brought to thee for thy dear name!
 To the eye of reason everything respecting 
the conversion of others is as dark as midnight,
 But thou canst accomplish great things;
 the cause is thine,
 and it is to thy glory that men should be saved.
 Lord, use me as thou wilt,
 do with me what thou wilt;
 but, O, promote thy cause,
 let thy kingdom come, 
let thy blessed interest be advanced
 in this world!
 O do thou bring in great numbers to Jesus!
 Let me see that glorious day,
 and give me to grasp for multitudes of souls;
let me be willing to die to that end;
 and while I live let me labour for thee 
to the utmost of my strength,
 spending time profitably in this work,
 both in health and in weakness.
 It is thy cause and kingdom I long for,
 not my own. O, answer thou my request!

Valley of Vision

O Lord, we commune with thee every day, 
but week days are worldly days, 
and secular concerns reduce heavenly impressions.
 We bless thee therefore for the day sacred
 to our souls
 when we can wait upon thee and be refreshed;
 We thank thee for the institutions of religion
 by use of which we draw near to thee
 and thou to us;
 We rejoice in another Lord’s Day
 when we call off our minds from the cares 
of the world
and attend upon thee without distraction; 
Let our retirement be devout,
 our conversation edifying,
 our reading pious,
 our hearing profitable, 
that our souls may be quickened and elevated.
 We are going to the house of prayer,
pour upon us the spirit of grace and supplication;
 We are going to the house of praise,
 awaken in us every grateful and cheerful emotion;
 We are going to the house of instruction,
 give testimony to the Word preached,
 and glorify it in the hearts of all who hear;
 may it enlighten the ignorant,
 awaken the careless, reclaim the wandering,
 establish the weak, comfort the feeble-minded,
 make ready a people for their Lord. Be a sanctuary to all who cannot come,
 forget not those who never come,
 and do thou bestow upon us
 benevolence towards our dependents,
 forgiveness towards our enemies, peaceableness towards our neighbors,
 openness towards our fellow-Christians.

Valley of Vision

O God of the highest heaven, occupy the throne of my heart, take full possession and reign supreme, lay low every rebel lust, let no vile passion resist thy holy war; manifest thy mighty power, and make me thine forever. Thou art worthy to be praised with my every breath, loved with my every faculty of soul, served with my every act of life. Thou hast loved me, espoused me, received me, purchased, washed, favored, clothed, adorned me, when I was a worthless, vile soiled, polluted. I was dead in iniquities, having no eyes to see thee, no ears to hear thee, no taste to relish thy joys, no intelligence to know thee; But thy Spirit has quickened me, has brought me into a new world as a new creature, has given me spiritual perception, has opened to me thy Word as light, guide, solace, joy. Thy presence is to me a treasure of unending peace; No provocation can part me from thy sympathy, for thou hast drawn me with cords of love, and dost forgive me daily, hourly. O help me then to walk worthy of thy love, of my hopes, and my vocation. Keep me, for I cannot keep myself; Protect me that no evil befall me; Let me lay aside every sin admired of many; Help me to walk by thy side, lean on thy arm, hold converse with thee, That I may be salt of the earth and a blessing to all.

Valley of Vision