ALMIGHTY God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.So beautiful; perhaps the most sublime beauty of the "Collect" is that across the Anglican world hundreds of millions of souls are praying this same prayer today. I read these words, pray them then meditate on them for some moments and consider Christ's promise concerning when two or more seek the same thing from God, that he is there with an answer.
This collect reminds us that our assaults are not only external, but internal as well and that we can be our own worst enemies. Its established fact that the Adversary has it out for us as children of the father and his attacks have been described by Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephesian Church as "Flaming Arrows" or "Fiery Darts". These come in any number of form. Yet despite the Adversary's worst, the activities between our own ears can make us our own worst enemy. Walt Kelly put it well when he penned "We have met the enemy and they is us..."
We are living in an era of monumental, almost seismic change. Our times are so tumultuous that many people of faith are sincerely questioning if we are now at the "end of the end." If ever there was a time to be defended from the assaults from within, it would be in times like these.
May our God Keep, Defend and Save us today.
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