Francis Asbury’s Journal Prayer (January 19, 1774)

On January 19, 1774, Francis Asbury recorded in his journal a prayer that lays bare the spiritual center of his life: “Lord, ever draw my heart after thee! May I see no beauty in any other object, nor desire anything but thee!” Written in the American colonies, this plea was not a poet’s flourish but a shepherd’s necessity. Asbury faced long roads, thin lodging, illness, and the growing instability of a nation nearing war. Yet his private cry reveals the source of his public stamina: a heart aiming to love Christ without rivals.

The Itinerant in the Colonies

Asbury had crossed the Atlantic to preach and organize Methodist societies in scattered towns and rural settlements. Travel meant mud, cold, danger, and separation from comforts that might have softened his edge. The colonies’ distances and disruptions demanded more than zeal; they required holy resilience. His ministry was marked by steady discipline—preaching, praying, examining souls, and forming leaders—often with little recognition. In a time when fear could shrink a man’s world, Asbury’s faith widened it.

Undivided Love and Holy Courage

The prayer’s heart is single-minded devotion: seeing no “beauty” that competes with Christ. This is not disdain for God’s gifts, but a refusal to let them become idols. Scripture commends that same focus: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Asbury’s endurance sprang from delight, not mere grit. His courage was the quiet kind—returning to the road, speaking the truth, and seeking holiness when lesser loves offered easier rest.

Lasting Call to Believers

Asbury’s example still presses the church toward first-love Christianity—joyful, disciplined, and brave. In hardship, the soul is tested: will it cling to Christ or bargain for substitutes? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Asbury’s journal line stands as a clean summons: ask God for a heart drawn after Him, and let that love fuel faithfulness in ordinary days and costly ones.