Devotionals

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 THOU MOST HIGH, Creator of the ends of the earth,     Governor of the universe,     Judge of all men,     Head of the church,     Saviour of sinners;       thy greatness is unsearchable,       thy goodness infinite,       thy compassions unfailing,       thy providence boundless,       thy mercies ever new. We bless thee for the words of salvation. How important, suitable, encouraging […]

O GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB, We hope in thy Word.         There we see thee, not on a fearful throne   of judgment, But on a throne of grace   waiting to be gracious and exalted in mercy. There we hear thee saying,   not ‘Depart ye cursed’,   but ‘Look unto me and be ye saved,     for […]

MERCIFUL LORD, Pardon all my sins of this day, week, year,       all the sins of my life,   sins of early, middle, and advanced years,     of omission and commission,     of morose, peevish and angry tempers,     of lip, life and walk,     of hard-heartedness, unbelief, presumption,       pride,     of unfaithfulness to the souls of men,     of want of bold […]

ELECTOR OF SAINTS, Blessed is the man whom thou choosest       and callest to thyself. With thee is mercy, redemption, assurance,     forgiveness; Thou hast lifted me, a prisoner, out of     the pit of sin   and pronounced my discharge,     not only in the courts of heaven,     but in the dock of conscience;   hast justified me by faith, […]

O LIVING GOD, I bless thee       that I see the worst of my heart as well as     the best of it,   that I can sorrow for those sins that carry me     from thee,   that it is thy deep and dear mercy to threaten     punishment so that I may return, pray, live. My sin is to […]

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, 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, […]

THOU GOD OF MY END, Thou hast given me a fixed disposition       to go forth and spend my life for thee; If it be thy will let me proceed in it;   if not, then revoke my intentions. All I want in life is such circumstances   as may best enable me to serve thee in the […]

O LORD, Help me to approach thee         with becoming conception of thy nature,   relations and designs. Thou inhabitest eternity, and   my life is nothing before thee; Thou dwellest in the highest heaven and   this cannot contain thee;     I live in a house of clay. Thy power is almighty;     I am crushed before the moth. Thy […]

SEARCHER OF HEARTS, It is a good day to me when thou givest me     a glimpse of myself; Sin is my greatest evil,   but thou art my greatest good; I have cause to loathe myself,   and not to seek self-honour,   for no one desires to commend his own dunghill. My country, family, church   fare worse […]

O LORD, My every sense, member, faculty, affection,         is a snare to me, I can scarce open my eyes but I envy those     above me,   or despise those below. I covet honour and riches of the mighty,   and am proud and unmerciful to the rags     of others; If I behold beauty it is a bait […]

O GOD ALL-SUFFICIENT, Thou hast made and upholdest all things       by the word of thy power;   darkness is thy pavilion,   thou walkest on the wings of the wind;   all nations are nothing before thee;   one generation succeeds another,   and we hasten back to the dust;   the heavens we behold will vanish away     like the clouds […]

THOU GREAT AND ONLY POTENTATE, Thou hast made summer and winter,       day and night;   each of these revolutions serves our welfare   and is full of thy care and kindness. Thy bounty is seen   in the relations that train us,   the laws that defend us,   the homes that shelter us,   the food that builds us,   the […]

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 […]

SUPREME RULER OF THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS, My heart is drawn out to thee         for thy amazing grace and condescension. Thou hast kept my conversion fresh before me,   that season of my first spiritual comfort     when I passed through the Red Sea     by a way I did not expect. I rejoiced then for that […]

O GOD OF MY EXODUS, Great was the joy of Israel’s sons,       when Egypt died upon the shore,       Far greater the joy       when the Redeemer’s foe lay crushed       in the dust. Jesus strides forth as the victor,   conqueror of death, hell, and all opposing     might; He bursts the bands of death,   tramples the powers of […]

O GOD MOST HIGH, MOST GLORIOUS, The thought of thine infinite serenity       cheers me, For I am toiling and moiling, troubled     and distressed,   but thou art for ever at perfect peace. Thy designs cause thee no fear or care     of unfulfilment,   they stand fast as the eternal hills. Thy power knows no bond,   thy goodness […]

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 MERCIFUL GOD, When I hear of disagreeable things amongst       Christians,   it brings an additional weight and burden     on my spirit; I come to thee in my distress and make lamentable   complaint; Teach me how to take reproofs from friends,   even though I think I do not deserve them; Use them to make me tenderly […]

HEAVENLY FATHER, My faith is in thee,         My expectation is from thee,         My love goes out toward thee,   I believe thee,       accept thy Word,       acquiesce in thy will,       rely on thy promises,       trust thy providence. I bless thee that the court of conscience   proves me to be thine. I do not need signs and wonders […]

MY FATHER, When thou art angry towards me for my         wrongs I try to pacify thee by abstaining from future sin; But teach me   that I cannot satisfy thy law,   that this effort is a resting in my righteousness,   that only Christ’s righteousness, ready made,     already finished, is fit for that purpose;   that thy chastising […]

O GOD OF THE HIGHEST HEAVEN, Occupy the throne of my heart,       take full possession and reign supreme,   lay low every rebel lust,   let no vile passion resist thy holy war;   manifest thy mighty power,     and make me thine for ever. Thou art worthy to be   praised with my every breath,   loved with my every […]

O LORD, Whose power is infinite and wisdom infallible,       Order things that they may neither hinder,     nor discourage me,     nor prove obstacles to the progress of thy cause; Stand between me and all strife, that no evil befall,     no sin corrupt my gifts, zeal, attainments; May I follow duty and not any foolish device     of […]

LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, Thou art beforehand with men       for thou hast reconciled thyself to the world     through the cross,     and dost beseech men to accept reconciliation. It is my responsibility to grasp thy overtures of grace,   for if thou, the offended part, act first     with the word of appeasement,   I need not call in question […]