Devotionals: The Valley of Vision

BLESSED SPIRIT OF GOD, Four evils attend my ministry —       The devil treads me down by   discouragement and shame     arising from coldness in private meditation. Carelessness possesses me   from natural dullness and dimness of spirit;     because in the past I have met with success       and been highly regarded,     so that it does not matter if […]

LORD JESUS, True God, everlasting Life,       Redeemer of sinners, I give my body, soul, intellect, will, affections     to thee. I call the day, sun,   earth, trees, stones,   wind, rain, frost, snow,   my home, bed, table, food,     books, drink, clothes,   to witness that I come to thee for rest of soul   from the thunders of guilt […]

MOST HIGH GOD, The universe with all its myriad creatures       is thine,     made by thy word,     upheld by thy power,     governed by thy will. But thou art also the Father of mercies,     the God of all grace,     the bestower of all comfort,     the protector of the saved. Thou hast been mindful of us,     hast visited […]

O GOD, MY EXCEEDING JOY, Singing thy praises uplifts my heart,     for thou art a fountain of delight,       and dost bless the soul that joys in thee. But because of my heart’s rebellion I cannot always praise thee as I ought; Yet I will at all times rest myself in   thy excellences, goodness, and loving-kindness. […]

O LORD GOD, There is no blessing we implore       but thou art able to give,   hast promised to give,   hast given already to countless multitudes,     all unworthy and guilty like ourselves; Make us willing to receive the supply   of our need from thy bounty. To this end convince us of sin,   soften our hard hearts, […]

O MY LORD, Let not my ministry be approved only by men,       or merely win the esteem and affections         of people; But do the work of grace in their hearts,   call in thy elect,   seal and edify the regenerate ones,   and command eternal blessings on their souls. Save me from self-opinion and self-seeking; Water the […]

SOVEREIGN LORD, Thy will is supreme in heaven and earth,       and all beings are creatures of thy power. Thou art the Father of our spirits;   thy inspiration gives us understanding,   thy providence governs our lives. But, O God, we are sinners in thy sight;   thou hast judged us so,     and if we deny it we […]

MY MASTER GOD, I am desired to preach today,       but go weak and needy to my task; Yet I long that people might be edified     with divine truth,   that an honest testimony might be borne     for thee; Give me assistance in preaching and prayer,   with heart uplifted for grace and unction. Present to my view […]

UNCHANGEABLE JEHOVAH When I am discouraged in my ministry         and full of doubts of my self,   fasten me upon the rock of thy eternal election,     then my hands will not hang down,     and I shall have hope for myself and others. Thou dost know thy people by name,   and wilt at the appointed season     lead […]

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 […]

GIVER OF ALL GOOD, Streams upon streams of love overflow my path.       Thou hast made me out of nothing,       hast recalled me from a far country,   hast translated me from ignorance to knowledge,       from darkness to light,       from death to life,       from misery to peace,       from folly to wisdom,       from error to truth,       from sin […]

O GOD, May I never be a blot or a blank in life,         cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of,   or make my liberty an occasion to the flesh. May I by love serve others, and please my neighbour   for his good to edification. May I attend to what is ornamental as […]

O MY SAVIOUR, I thank thee from the depths of my being     for thy wondrous grace and love   in bearing my sin in thine own body on the tree. May thy cross be to me   as the tree that sweetens my bitter Marahs,   as the rod that blossoms with life and beauty,   as the brazen […]

BENIGN LORD, I praise thee continually for permission     to approach thy throne of grace,     and to spread my wants and desires       before thee. I am not worthy of thy blessings and mercies   for I am far gone from original righteousness; My depraved nature reveals itself in disobedience     and rebellion; My early days discovered in me […]

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 […]

HEAVENLY FATHER, Thou hast placed me in the church       which thy Son purchased by his own blood. Add grace to grace that I may live worthy     of my vocation. I am a voyager across life’s ocean; Safe in heaven’s ark, may I pass through     a troubled world   into the harbour of eternal rest. I am […]

O GOD OF GRACE, I bewail my cold, listless, heartless prayers;     their poverty adds sin to sin. If my hope were in them I should be undone, But the worth of Jesus perfumes my feeble     breathings, and wins their acceptance. Deepen my contrition of heart, Confirm my faith in the blood that washes     from all […]

O GOD, THOU ART VERY GREAT, My lot is to approach thee with godly fear         and humble confidence,   for thy condescension equals thy grandeur,   and thy goodness is thy glory. I am unworthy, but thou dost welcome;   guilty, but thou art merciful;   indigent, but thy riches are unsearchable. Thou hast shown boundless compassion towards me […]

BLESSED CREATOR, Thou hast promised thy beloved sleep;       Give me restoring rest needful for   tomorrow’s toil; If dreams be mine,   let them not be tinged with evil. Let thy Spirit make my time of repose   a blessed temple of his holy presence. May my frequent lying down make me familiar     with death,   the bed I […]

O LORD, I bless thee that the issue of the battle       between thyself and Satan         has never been uncertain,         and will end in victory. Calvary broke the dragon’s head,   and I contend with a vanquished foe,     who with all his subtlety and strength     has already been overcome. When I feel the serpent at my heel […]

SOVEREIGN GOD, Thy cause, not my own, engages my heart,       and I appeal to thee with greatest freedom   to set up thy kingdom in every place     where Satan reigns; Glorify thyself and I shall rejoice,   for to bring honour to thy name is my sole desire. I adore thee that thou art God,   and long […]

REMEMBER, O MY SOUL, It is thy duty and privilege to rejoice in God: He requires it of thee for all his favours of grace. Rejoice then in the Giver and his goodness, Be happy in him, O my heart, and in nothing     but God,   for whatever a man trusts in,   from that he expects […]

FATHER OF MERCIES, Hear me for Jesus’ sake.       I am sinful even in my closest walk         with thee;   it is of thy mercy I died not long ago; Thy grace has given me faith in the cross   by which thou hast reconciled thyself to me     and me to thee,   drawing me by thy great love, […]

LORD JESUS, Give me to love thee, to embrace thee,       though I once took lust and sin in my arms.       Thou didst love me before I loved thee,   an enemy, a sinner, a loathsome worm. Thou didst own me when I disclaimed myself; Thou dost love me as a son,   and weep over me as […]

HEAVENLY FATHER, If I should suffer need, and go unclothed,     and be in poverty,   make my heart prize thy love,   know it, be constrained by it,   though I be denied all blessings. It is thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants,   for by these trials I see my sins,   and desire severance from […]