A Prayer for the King’s Majesty
A prayer for the King, from the sixteenth-century Book of Common Prayer.
A prayer for the King, from the sixteenth-century Book of Common Prayer.
This prayer came at the close of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, the service book of the Church of England following the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Notice the phrase ‘high and mighty’, which has negative connotations in everyday speech but not here.
O LORD our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, Lord of lords, the only Ruler of princes, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth: Most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious Sovereign Lord, King N.; and so replenish him with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that he may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way: Endue him plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant him in health and wealth long to live; strengthen him that he may vanquish and overcome all his enemies, and finally after this life he may attain everlasting joy and felicity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.