Almighty and Everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth thy right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Commentary:
Another ancient and rather general collect as translated by Cranmer.
Meditation
He knows our weakness, our physical weakness, our mental limitations, and above all our sins and moral failings. He knows.
He does not need us to tell Him, but asks us to do so nonetheless, and, in a fashion we would call 'gentlemanly', He does not reach into our lives to transform us without our permission and request.
But, in all our need, whether in the outward circumstances of our life, or, more importantly, in the inner condition of our hearts, he stands ready to help us onward.
Note that all through the Old Testament there are references to the 'Right Hand of the Lord'. It has been traditional for Christians to see these references as refering to the preincarnate Son of God, and thus this is a prayer for the wondrous blessings of the Cross and Resurrection.
Ed Pacht
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