John Stott’s Daily Prayer

Our church is about to go through the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). One resource I will use for this series is Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit by Christopher J.H. Wright. I’ve read and enjoyed multiple Wright books in the past so I’m eager to jump into this one. In the introduction of the book, I was struck by a prayer that Wright shares; he says John Stott used to pray it every day.

The prayer is Triune. It addresses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and goes like this:

“Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Wright goes on to say that many people who knew Stott personally said he was the godliest person they ever met.

That really inspired me. I want to grow in godliness and one way to do that, I think, is to pray a version of the prayer Stott used to pray daily.

I wonder how much stronger our churches would be, and I wonder how much more satisfied our lives would be, if we took up this prayer and started praying something similar to it on a regular basis. We desperately need the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit in us. Let’s cry out to him and ask him to do so.