Devotionals: The Valley of Vision

O THOU THAT HEAREST PRAYER, Teach me to pray.         I confess that in religious exercises   the language of my lips and the feelings     of my heart have not always agreed,   that I have frequently taken carelessly upon     my tongue a name never pronounced above       without reverence and humility,   that I have often desired things which […]

GOD OF MY END, It is my greatest, noblest pleasure     to be acquainted with thee     and with my rational, immortal soul; It is sweet and entertaining   to look into my being   when all my powers and passions   are united and engaged in pursuit of thee,   when my soul longs and passionately breathes   after conformity to […]

THOU ETERNAL GOD, Thine is surpassing greatness, unspeakable       goodness, super-abundant grace; I can as soon count the sands of ocean’s ‘lip’   as number thy favours towards me; I know but a part, but that part exceeds all praise. I thank thee for personal mercies,   a measure of health, preservation of body,   comforts of house and […]

GLORIOUS JEHOVAH, MY COVENANT GOD, All thy promises in Christ Jesus are       yea and amen, and all shall be fulfilled. Thou hast spoken them, and they shall be done,   commanded, and they shall come to pass. Yet I have often doubted thee,   have lived at times as if there were no God. Lord, forgive me […]

O LORD, I live here as a fish in a vessel of water,       only enough to keep me alive,   but in heaven I shall swim in the ocean. Here I have a little air in me to keep me breathing,   but there I shall have sweet and fresh gales; Here I have a beam of […]

HOLY TRINITY, All praise to thee for electing me           to salvation,       by foreknowledge of God the Father,       through sanctification of the Spirit,       unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood         of Jesus; I adore the wonders of thy condescending love,   marvel at the true believer’s high privilege   within whom all heaven comes to dwell,   abiding in […]

My God, I bless thee that thou hast given me the eye       of faith,   to see thee as Father,   to know thee as a covenant God,   to experience thy love planted in me; For faith is the grace of union   by which I spell out my entitlement to thee: Faith casts my anchor upwards   where […]

O LORD, The world is artful to entrap,       approaches in fascinating guise,       extends many a gilded bait,       presents many a charming face. Let my faith scan every painted bauble,   and escape every bewitching snare   in a victory that overcomes all things. In my duties give me firmness, energy, zeal,     devotion to thy cause,     courage in […]

O LORD GOD, Thou art our Preserver, Governor, Saviour,         and coming Judge. Quieten our souls to call upon thy name; Detach us from the influence of the flesh     and the senses; Impress us with the power of faith; Promote in us spirituality of mind   that will render our services acceptable to thee,   and delightful and […]

CREATOR, UPHOLDER AND PROPRIETOR OF ALL THINGS, We cannot escape from thy presence         and control,     nor do we desire to do so. Our privilege is to be under the agency     of thy omnipotence,   righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy and grace; For thou art Love with more than parental affection. We admire thy goodness,   stand in awe […]

O GOD, We bless thee,         our Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, Teacher,   for opening to us the volume of nature     where we may read and consider thy works. Thou hast this day spread before us the fuller pages     of revelation,   and in them we see what thou wouldest     have us do,   what thou requirest of us,   what […]

O LORD, We commune with thee every day,         but week days are worldly days,   and secular concerns reduce heavenly impressions. We bless thee therefore for the day sacred     to our souls   when we can wait upon thee and be refreshed; We thank thee for the institutions of religion   by use of which we draw near […]

KING OF GLORY, DIVINE MAJESTY, Every perfection adorns thy nature       and sustains thy throne; The heavens and earth are thine, The world is thine and its fullness. Thy power created the universe from nothing; Thy wisdom has managed all its multiple concerns,   presiding over nations, families, individuals. Thy goodness is boundless;   all creatures wait on […]

LORD OF HEAVEN, Thy goodness is inexpressible and inconceivable.       In the works of creation thou art almighty,   In the dispensations of providence all-wise,   In the gospel of grace all love, And in thy Son thou hast provided for   our deliverance from the effects of sin,   the justification of our persons,   the sanctification of our natures, […]

O HOLY FATHER, thou hast freely given thy Son, O DIVINE SON, thou hast freely paid my debt, O ETERNAL SPIRIT, thou hast freely bid me come, O TRIUNE GOD, thou dost freely grace me with salvation. Prayers and tears could not suffice to pardon       my sins,   nor anything less than atoning blood,   but my […]