O God, Forasmuch
It’s beautiful simply in the words, but more beautiful still if you think of what they mean. O God, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee, mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts. I love the two successive phrases ending on the long E’s: ... without thee ... not able to please thee. It was the favorite prayer of the headmaster of St. Thomas's choir school back in our day, or so it seemed to me: both memorable and fitting to almost any situation.
The theology is basic: We creatures are dependent on our creator. If God is not active in our lives, nothing we do can please God. And to please God is what we deeply want, even when we are not aware of it. Augustine famously concludes the first paragraph of his Confessions with that point: “our hearts are restless till they rest in thee.” To please God is to find our restful satisfaction in him, our satisfaction as creatures who think.
Because all this is true—”forasmuch”!—we must ask God to be close to us at every moment of our lives. We need God to direct and rule our hearts. We say “heart” because it is the heart that forms the fundamental direction and conviction of every human being. Our heart may cling to Jesus; our heart may run away from and reject Jesus. Our heart is the reason we, who are human beings, can fail to be human as we ought, can fall short and fall into sin.
The two verbs, direct and rule, point to the complex action that we want God to do for us. To “direct” is to provide direction, to show the way that we should go. Orchestras have directors who enable the musicians to play together in the best way they can, to produce something that none of them could produce on their own. Compasses also provide direction, as do maps and other aids to life. God, directing our hearts, is the lure that turns our hearts toward the future that is his to give, the future of the Spirit. (Robert Jenson taught us to think of the Spirit as the future of God, the promise God gives us that we will have a future.)
If to “direct” points toward the future, to “rule” has an emphasis that falls more in the present. If God is our ruler then he is our Lord, our King, right now. To be ruled by God is to enjoy life in the City of God. It is to have God close as he shapes our lives hour by hour, and shapes every part of our lives, shapes “all things”: Mercifully grant, we pray, that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts.
This is a good prayer to memorize. It’s even better to pray it frequently.
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Out & About. I am looking forward to the “Radiant Pages” conference on the Bible, sponsored by the Living Church and All Souls’ in Oklahoma City, Sept. 24-26. If you’re coming in for that, I hope we get the chance to say hi. Speakers and schedule are here: https://livingchurch.org/events/radiant-pages/
The fall theology lecture is set for Sun. Oct. 4 at 5pm at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas. My topic is: "What's Salvation Have to Do with It? Reflections after the Camino." I walked the Camino Frances for the third time earlier this year. This time I will be talking about salvation in Christ, and how that is not only an antique theme (Saint James [Santiago] was in Spain to bring the Good News) but also a present question for many pilgrims. But I will also be glad to talk about particular, practical questions of making such a walk in 2026. The lecture will be in the Great Hall, with responses from Dean Tom Smith and the Rev. Kate Smith, who also have walked the Camino.
Good Books & Good Talk: At St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas, the second session of our fall discussion of Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov will be Sun. Oct. 11, at 5pm, to discuss Part Two (Books 4, 5, and 6). Newcomers are welcome, and many people testify that the book is awesome: so take courage and be not dismayed at its length!