1 Samuel 7:12 Hitherto hath the Lord helped us

December 9

Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. — 1 Samuel 7:12

Photo: Casey Bisson

O LORD, our Lord, Creator, preserver and bountiful benefactor of men, in Whom we live and move and have our being, we adore Thee for Thy loving kindness and tender mercies. With shame in our hearts we confess before Thee our many sins. Our lives do not meet Thy requirements. Our footsteps have wandered from the pathway of rectitude. Our Father, look upon us in mercy, and do Thou be pleased to have pity upon us in our sins. Look upon Thy Son, Who died for us, and do Thou for His sake accept us as righteous before Thee. Grant that our sins may not only be blotted out of the book of Thy remembrance, but that by the power of the Holy Ghost we may be enabled to die unto sin, and to live unto righteousness. Comfort the disconsolate, cheer the saddened, bring friends to the friendless, teach the ignorant, give visions to trembling faith, set the star of hope in the overhanging clouds, and hurry the forces of truth towards the consummation of Thy kingdom. We can trust all to Thee. As our Shepherd, lead us today. As our King, defend us from the enemies that watch for our souls. As our priest, teach us the will of God for our salvation. O God, our Father, overshadow our pathway with Thy merciful providence, and let each one of us bear some part in the advancement of the Redeemer's glorious Kingdom. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

W.J. McMillan, D.D.,

Baltimore, Maryland

Psalm 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for help

September 27

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for help. — Psalm 146:5

Photo: StockXchng-WinterDove

WE REJOICE, O God, that we art not lonely orphans in the world. We gladly realize that we can look unto Thee and call Thee "our Father." Lead us to note Thy nearness. In the midst of the hurry and flurry of the day, quiet our lives and prompt us to listen to Thy voice, and to interpret aright Thy message. We thank Thee for the bright sunshine and the blue heavens, for fresh air and wholesome food. We praise Thee for the privilege of study and meditation; for uplifting books and ennobling thoughts. We are grateful for good friends and loving companions. May our lives, as well as our lips, tell Thee of our gratitude. Speak with our tongues; work with our hands; send our feet on Thy errands; possess our whole being; "Let that mind be in us which was in Christ Jesus."

Save us from listlessness and laziness; keep us from flimsiness and frivolity; deliver us from selfishness; fill us with cheer, and lead us to brighten the lives of all we meet. Remove from us all malice and meanness. Help us to flee from evil, follow after righteousness, and fight the good fight of faith. Broaden our vision, deepen our earnestness, lengthen our love, intensify our reverence and increase our usefulness, we ask in our Master's name. Amen.

Francis Harvey Green, A.M., LITT. D.,

West Chester, Pennsylvania

Romans 6-12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body

August 24

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body. — Romans 6:12

Photo: Shutterstock

OUR Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for Thy mercies to us in the past, and for Thy watchcare over us during the night. As we stand upon the threshold of a new day, we look to Thee for help and guidance. "We need Thy presence every passing hour."

Make us strong to resist temptation, and give us courage in all things to do Thy Holy Will. Open our eyes that we may see every opportunity for serving Thee and serving our fellow men. Help us so to live as to commend the religion and service of Christ to all about us. Enable us to live "lives that are hid with Christ in God." May we daily grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Remember with us all for whom we should pray--the sick, the sorrowing, the distressed and the needy. Bless all efforts put forth for the extension of Thy Kingdom, and hasten the day when all men shall love and serve Thee.

Graciously forgive all that Thou hast seen amiss in our lives. Supply all our need according to Thy riches in glory.

Bless us and make us a blessing to others, we ask in Christ's name. Amen.

John William Lyell, D.D.,

Camden, New Jersey

Psalm 115:9 He is their help and their shield

August 8

He is their help and their shield. — Psalm 115:9

Photo: Shutterstock

O LORD, our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for our home, its mercies, its joys, its shelter, and its peace. Help us to be Thy children in our home, and make it like the home in Bethany, where Christ loved to go. Help us this day to bear one another's burdens. May we be burden-bearers, and not burden-makers. Help us to practice the Golden Rule, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Give us Thy grace that we may control our tempers and our tongues. May Thy blessing, O Lord and Master, be with those who stay at home to work today, and may they glorify their tasks by cheerful spirits. Bless those of our home who go out for business, and help and prosper them. Keep them from temptation, and may they always remember that a good name is better than great riches. Let integrity and uprightness preserve them. Bless the children at school; give them diligence, application and ambition in their studies; keep them from evil communications and comradeships. Bless the children who are at home. May their play be innocent and bright. May the love of Christ which moved Him to die for our sins crucify in every one of us worldliness of life, and may we all be faithful, spiritual members of the Church. May this home honor God in public worship, and claim the promise, "Them that honor Me, I will honor." Forgive us our sins, and give us the forgiving spirit, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

John Van Lear, D.D.,

Little Rock, Arkansas

1 Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He that called you

July 2

Faithful is He that called you. — 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Photo: Shutterstock

O GOD, our hope is in Thee. We lift our eyes to the hills whence cometh our help. We are in the valley where there is darkness; but looking up we can see the light of Thy glory on the hill-tops above us, and the vision dispels our fears and fills us with hope and courage. Fill our hearts with a longing for Thee, greater than the longing of those who wait for the morning, and grant us that knowedge of Thyself, through Jesus Christ our Lord, that Thy presence may be constantly real to us.

Grant us strength for our tasks, and may we do all of our work as in Thy sight, and for Thy glory. Make the way of duty and service evey plain to us. Quicken us in faith and hope and love, and strengthen us in all our worthy purposes and desires, and make us a blessing to others.

Keep us from all mistakes or blunders in word or act that might bring reproach upon Thy Name and Thy cause. Make us quick to see every opportunity for service, and faithful to improve it. Cleanse us from all sin, perfect us in all goodness, give us victory in time of temptation, and make our lives to be beautiful with the beauty of God. All of which mercies and blessings we ask in the Name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

William Wirt King, D.D.,

Kansas City, Missouri

 

I John 5:15 Whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions

March 29

Whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions. —I John 5:15

Photo: StockXchnge

SHELTERED as we are in the peace of our own home, we pray today for the homeless and the lonely. The wayward souls who have broken away and are wandering restless and unsatisfied, may their hearts be turned again towards their father's house. The children, orphaned and dependent, who miss a mother's comforting touch and her good-night kiss, may they have a compensation in tender friendliness. The men and women in great cities, workers with hand or brain, separated by distance from their families; may they escape or overcome the temptations that surround them. The selfish and the cruel who have wrecked their own and others' happiness; may they be changed to a better mind. For all to whom home is only a dream, or a regret, or to whom it means remorse; we pray, Thou God of infinite compassion, that to each may come a message from Thy love that shall be an impulse to a new and higher life. It is Thy will that we be carriers of such messages! Then fit us for this service by a broader sympathy and a readier helpfulness.

This we ask in the name of Christ. Amen.

Rev. A. J. Bonsall, Litt. D.,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Psalm 116:6 I was brought low, and He helped me

March 27

I was brought low, and He helped me. — Psalm 116:6

Photo: StockXchnge

WE thank Thee, God, that we can call Thee Father, for no parent ever loves as deeply as Thou. We acknowledge with sorrow that we have grieved Thee time and again, for even when we would do good, evil is present. But, praise God, when we sincerely confess our sins, Thou art faithful to forgive.

We thank Thee for the daily blessings of life, seen and unseen. We thank Thee that Thou art mindful of us when we least think, and dost tenderly care for us. We pray Thee to write over the door of our home, "Peace be unto this household." Help us daily to create such an atmosphere in our home as will the better tend to bring all up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Keep us from temptation. Make us happy and blessed Christians, and help us in all we do, think, and say, that we may prove a blessing unto others.

When sorrow comes into our lives, may we yet praise God and trust Him. And if we should be imprisoned in grief, may the hand of God open for us the iron gate, as when Peter was liberated. And when our work is finished, take us to Thyself in Heaven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

L. M. Zimmerman, D.D.,

          Baltimore, Maryland

Psalm 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help

February 19

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. — Psalm 121: 1-3

Photo: Mateusz Stachowski

O GOD, Giver of light and power! We thank Thee for our Mountains of Transfiguration, for hours of insight and joy. But vision has not insured effectiveness in service. Like Thy disciples at the foot of the Mount of Transfiguration, "We are not able," and we come to Thee with the great question, "Lord, why could we not cast it out?" We know that all things are possible to him that believeth and that faith-filled prayer, whether it be fellowship with Thee or intercession for another, is efficient prayer. Help Thou our unbelief. Help us to come so closely and truly into Thy fellowship that we shall be filled with power not our own. May we be truly identified with Thee. May we perfectly imitate Thy mind, and so be filled unto all the fullness of God. So teach us in the school of true prayer, that this day may be one of continued joy because Thy power has free course in us. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

William Horace Day, B.D., D.D.,

Los Angeles, California