This Prayer Changed My Life 40+ Years Ago. Here is Why.

I won’t get into the gory details, but 43 years ago my life was a mess. I was filled with shame, guilt, embarrassment, and confusion about things I had done — and left undone.

I was in my mid-20’s and I had made a mess of a lot of things. I was raised by a mother who told me every day that I was the one the world was waiting for. I had unlimited opportunities to succeed and to solve the big problems of the world. I was a born leader, she said.

But that was hard to believe when, at 25, I could not even lead myself.

I went to see a priest at a local church to ask for his spiritual counsel. I am so thankful for that man. He listened intently. He prayed for me. And then he told me to read, remember, and reflect on this prayer:

Stir up Thy power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let Thy bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with Thee, and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

I sat in the church that evening after the priest left, reading the prayer repeatedly. Stir up…great might…sorely hindered…grace and mercy…speedily help and deliver. The phrases and images moved my heart and impacted my mind. They applied directly to me and the mess I had created.

When I stood up to leave, I felt completely different. It seemed to me that I was lighter than I had been — as if I had lost weight! I left the church, and halfway out the door, I had to look down at my shoes. It felt to me that I was wearing someone else’s shoes! I was different. I had been unburdened.

This has been a ‘go-to’ prayer of mine ever since. I memorized it 43 years ago, and I often recite it. It reminds me that while I might feel “sorely hindered” by sins, the sorrow of them, the consequences of them, or the regret of them, I can know the power and grace of God. The prayer reminds me also that grace and mercy are not long in coming; help and deliverance come speedily.

I have since learned that this prayer has an interesting backstory. It was prayed on just before the Season of Advent. The Sunday it is used is called “Stir Up Sunday” because of the first words. It also signaled the congregation to go home and stir up their pudding and rum cakes for Christmas.

Rum cakes or not, I will never forget this prayer because God came with power and speedily changed my life and set me in a new direction.

The Rev. David Roseberry, an ordained Anglican priest with over 40 years of pastoral experience, offers leadership services to pastors, churches, and Christian writers. He is an accomplished author whose books are available on Amazon. Rev. Roseberry is the Executive Director of LeaderWorks, where his work and resources can be found.