Devotionals

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

O GOD, I know that I often do thy work         without thy power,   and sin by my dead, heartless, blind service,     my lack of inward light, love, delight,     my mind, heart, tongue moving       without thy help. I see sin in my heart in seeking the approbation     of others; This is my vileness, to make men’s […]

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 […]

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 […]

O GOD OF LOVE, I approach thee with encouragements     derived from thy character,   for I am not left to feel after thee     in the darkness of my nature,   nor to worship thee as the unknown God. I cannot find out thy perfections,   but I know thou art good,     ready to forgive, plenteous in mercy. Thou […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

O LORD OF GRACE, The world is before me this day,         and I am weak and fearful,   but I look to thee for strength; If I venture forth alone I stumble and fall,   but on the Beloved’s arms I am firm     as the eternal hills; If left to the treachery of my heart     I shall […]

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 […]

LORD JESUS, Grant me the favour of being led by thee,       under the directions of thy providence       and thy Word. Grant me thy blessings with bitter things,   to brighten and quicken me,   not to depress and make me lifeless; Grant me, like Gideon of old, way-tokens,   by removing things that discourage me; Grant me succour […]

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 […]

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 […]

HEAVENLY FATHER, Thou hast led me singing to the cross       where I fling down all my burdens         and see them vanish,   where my mountains of guilt are levelled     to a plain,   where my sins disappear, though they are     the greatest that exist,   and are more in number than the grains     of fine sand; For there […]

THOU GREAT THREE-ONE, Author of all blessings I enjoy,       of all I hope for, Thou hast taught me   that neither the experience of present evils,   nor the remembrances of former sins,   nor the remonstrances of friends,   will or can affect a sinner’s heart,   except thou vouchsafe to reveal thy grace   and quicken the dead in […]

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 […]

O MY LORD, Forgive me for serving thee in sinful ways —       by glorying in my own strength,       by forcing myself to minister through         necessity,     by accepting the applause of others,     by trusting in assumed grace       and spiritual affection,     by a faith that rests upon my hold on Christ,       not on him alone,     by having […]

O GOD OF MY DELIGHT, Thy throne of grace       is the pleasure ground of my soul. Here I obtain mercy in time of need,   here see the smile of thy reconciled face,   here joy pleads the name of Jesus,   here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit,       anoint the shield of faith,       put on the […]

THOU ETERNAL SOURCE, Author of all created being and happiness,       I adore thee for making man capable       of religion,   that he may be taught to say:     ‘Where is God, my Maker, who giveth       songs in the night?’ But degeneracy has spread over our     human race,   turning glory into shame,   rendering us forgetful of thee. We […]

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 […]

HEAVENLY FATHER Thou hast revealed to me myself       as a mass of sin,   and thyself as the fullness of goodness,     with strength enough to succour me,     wisdom enough to guide me,     mercy enough to quicken me,     love enough to satisfy me. Thou hast shown me that because thou art mine     I can live by thy […]