Tried With Fire

CREATOR AND REDEEMER GOD, Author of all existence, source of all blessedness, I adore thee for making me capable of knowing thee,                     for giving me reason and conscience,                     for leading me to desire thee; I praise thee for the revelation of thyself in the gospel,                      for thy heart as a dwelling place of pity,                      for thy thoughts of peace towards me,                      for thy patience and thy graciousness,                      for the vastness of thy mercy. Thou hast moved my conscience to know how    the guilty can be pardoned,    the unholy sanctified, ...

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 shame thy Name,    but if enlightened, guided, upheld by thy Spirit,    I shall bring thee glory. Be thou my arm to support,              my strength to stand,              my light to see,              my feet to run,              my shield to protect,              my sword to repel,              my sun to warm. To enrich me will not diminish thy fullness; All thy lovingkindness is in thy Son, I bring him to thee in the arms of faith, I ...

Lord Jesus, great high priest, Thou hast opened a new and living way    by which a fallen creature can approach Thee with acceptance. Help me to contemplate the dignity of Thy Person,                                         the perfectness of Thy sacrifice,                                         the effectiveness of Thy intercession. O what blessedness accompanies devotion,     when under all the trials that weary me,                              the cares that corrode me,                              the fears that disturb me,                  ...

GOD OF THE PASSING HOUR, Another week has gone and I have been preserved    in my going out,    in my coming in. Thine has been the vigilance that has turned threatened evils aside; Thine the supplies that have nourished me; Thine the comforts that have indulged me; Thine the relations and friends that have delighted me; Thine the means of grace which have edified me; Thine the Book, which, amidst all my enjoyments,    has told me that this is not my rest,                       that in all successes one thing alone is needful,                          to love my Saviour. Nothing can equal the number of thy mercies    but my imperfections and sins. These, O God, I will neither conceal nor palliate,    but confess with a broken heart. In what condition would secret reviews of my life leave me   ...

O LOVER OF THE LOVELESS, It is thy will that I should love thee    with heart, soul, mind, strength,       and my neighbour as myself. But I am not sufficient for these things. There is by nature no pure love in my soul; Every affection in me is turned from thee; I am bound, as slave to lust, I cannot love thee, lovely as thou art,    until thou dost set me free. By grace I am thy freeman and would serve thee,    for I believe thou art my God in Jesus,       and that through him I am redeemed,          and my sins are forgiven. With this freedom I would always obey thee,    but I cannot walk in liberty,    any more than I could first attain it, of myself. May thy Spirit draw me nearer to thee and thy ways. Thou art the end of all means,    or if they lead me not to thee, I go away empty. Order all my ways by thy holy Word    and ...

THOU ART THE BLESSED GOD,     happy in thyself,     source of happiness in thy creatures,     my Maker, Benefactor, Proprietor, Upholder. Thou hast produced and sustained me,                  supported and indulged me,                  saved and kept me; Thou art in every situation able to meet my needs and miseries. May I live by thee,            live for thee,            never be satisfied with my Christian progress                  but as I resemble Christ; And may conformity to his principles, temper, and conduct      grow hourly in my life. Let thy unexampled love constrain me into holy obedience,     and render my duty my delight. If others deem my faith folly,                ...

O LORD OF THE OCEANS, My little bark sails on a restless sea, Grant that Jesus may sit at the helm and steer me safely; Suffer no adverse currents to divert my heavenward course; Let not my faith be wrecked amid storms and shoals; Bring me to harbor with flying pennants,                                         hull unbreached,                                         cargo unspoiled. I ask great things,   expect great things,   shall receive great things. I venture on Thee wholly, fully,    my wind, sunshine, anchor, defence. The voyage is long, the waves high, the storms pitiless,     but my helm is held steady,     thy Word secures sage passage,     the grace wafts me onward,     my haven is guaranteed. Thi...

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 to believe,    for thy Word is sure truth. I have cast my anchor in the port of peace,    knowing that present and future are in nail-pierced hands. Thou art so good, wise, just holy,    that no mistake is possible to thee. Thou art fountain and source of all law;    what thou commandest is mine to obey. I yield to thy sovereignty all that I am and have;    do thou with me as thou wilt. Thou hast given me silence in my heart    in place of murmurings and complaints. Keep my wishes from growing into willings,          my willings from becoming fault-fin...

GOD OF ALL GOOD, I bless thee for the means of grace;    teach me to see in them thy loving purposes        and the joy and strength of my soul. Thou hast prepared for me a feast;    and though I am unworthy to sit down as guest,       I wholly rest on the merits of Jesus,          and hide myself beneath his righteousness; When I hear his tender invitation and see his wondrous grace,    I cannot hesitate, but must come to thee in love. By thy spirit enliven my faith    rightly to discern and spiritually to apprehend the Saviour. While I gaze upon the emblems of my Saviour’s death,    may I ponder why he died, and hear him say,    ‘I gave my life to purchase yours,       presented myself an offering to expiate your sin,       shed my blood to blot out your guilt,       opened my side to make y...

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 darkness down,    and lives for ever. He, my gracious surety,    apprehended for payment of my debt,    comes forth from the prison house of the grave    free, and triumphant over sin, Satan, and death. Show me herein the proof that his vicarious offering is accepted,                                           that the claims of justice are satisfied,                                   ...

O MAKER AND UPHOLDER OF ALL THINGS, Day and night are thine; they are also mine from thee —    the night to rid me of the cares of the day,                   to refresh my weary body,                   to renew my natural strength;    the day to summon me to new activities,                 to give me opportunity to glorify thee,                 to serve my generation,                 to acquire knowledge, holiness, eternal life. But one day above all days is made especially    for thy honour and my improvement; The sabbath reminds me of thy rest from creation,                                         of the resurrection of my Saviour, ...

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 hast displayed thy wisdom, power, and goodness in all thy works,     and hast revealed thy will in the Scripture of truth. Thou hast caused it to be preserved, translated, published, multiplied,     so that all men may possess it and find thee in it. Here I see thy greatness and thy grace,                  thy pity and thy rectitude,                  thy mercy and thy truth,                  thy being and men’s hearts; Throu...

Carina nebula THOU GREAT I AM , Fill my mind with elevation and grandeur at the thought of a Being     with whom one day is as a thousand years,         and a thousand years as one day, A mighty God, who, amidst the lapse of worlds,     and the revolutions of empires,         feels no variableness,             but is glorious in immortality. May I rejoice that, while men die, the Lord lives;                      that, while all creatures are broken reeds,                                                                  empty cisterns,                                       ...

Sovereign Commander of the Universe, I am sadly harassed by doubts, fears, unbelief,     in a felt spiritual darkness. My heart is full of evil surmisings and disquietude,     and I cannot act faith at all. My heavenly Pilot has disappeard,     and I have lost my hold on the Rock of Ages; I sink in deep mire beneath storms and waves,     in horror and distress unutterable. Help me, O Lord,     to throw myself absolutely and wholly on thee,     for better, for worse, without comfort, and all but hopeless. Give me peace of soul, confidence, enlargement of mind,    morning joy that comes after night heaviness; Water my soul with divine blessings; Grant that I may welcome that humbling in private    so that I might enjoy thee in public; Give me a mountain top as high as the valley is low. Thy grace can melt the worst sinner, and I am as vile as he; Yet thou hast made me a monument of...

Lord God Almighty, I ask not to be enrolled amongst the earthly great and rich,    but to be numbered with the spiritually blessed. Make it my present, supreme, persevering concern    to obtain those blessings which are          spiritual in their nature,          eternal in their continuance,          satisfying in their possession. Preserve me from a false estimate of the whole or a part of my character; May I pay regard to my principles as well as my conduct,                      my motives as well as my actions. Help me never to mistake the excitement of my passions    for the renewing of the Holy Spirit,           never to judge my religion by occasional impressions and                 impulses, but by my constant and prevailing disposition. ...

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 believing is my receiving,     for a thankful acceptance is no paying of the debt. What didst thou see in me?     that I a poor, diseased, despised sinner         should be clothed in thy bright glory?     that a creeping worm         should be advanced to this high state?     that one lately groaning, weeping, dying,         should be as full of joy as my heart can hold?     that a being of dust and darkness        should be taken like Mordecai from captivity,             and set ...

O GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT; That which I know not, teach thou me, Keep me a humble disciple in the school of Christ,    learning daily there what I am in myself,        a fallen sinful creature,    justly deserving everlasting destruction; O let me never lose sight of my need of a Saviour, or forget that apart from him I am nothing, and can do nothing. Open my understanding to know the Holy Scriptures; Reveal to my soul the counsels and works of the blessed Trinity; Instil into my dark mind the saving knowledge of Jesus; Make me acquainted with his covenant undertakings    and his perfect fulfilment of them,    that by resting on his finished work    I may find the Father’s love in the Son,    his Father, my Father,    and may be brought through thy influence    to have fellowship with the Three in One. O lead me into all truth, thou Spirit of wisdom...

O SON OF GOD AND SON OF MAN, Thou wast incarnate, didst suffer, rise, ascend for my sake; Thy departure was not a token of separation but a pledge of return; Thy Word, promises, sacraments, show thy death until thou come again. That day is no horror to me,    for thy death has redeemed me,        thy Spirit fills me,        thy love animates me,        thy Word governs me. I have trusted thee and thou hast not betrayed my trust;    waited for thee, and not waited in vain. Thou wilt come to raise my body from the dust, and re-unite it to my soul,    by a wonderful work of infinite power and love,    greater than that which bounds the oceans’ waters,                  ebbs and flows the tides,                  keeps the stars in their courses,         ...

My Father, In a world of created changeable things,    Christ and his Word alone remain unshaken. O to forsake all creatures,    to rest as a stone on him the foundation,    to abide in him, be borne up by him! For all my mercies come through Christ,   who has designed, purchased, promised, effected them. How sweet it is to be near him, the Lamb,    filled with holy affections! When I sin against thee I cross thy will, love, life,    and have no comforter, no creature, to go to. My sin is not so much this or that particular evil,    but my continual separation, disunion, distance from thee,    and having a loose spirit towards thee. But that hast given me a present, Jesus thy Son,    as Mediator between thyself and my soul,    as middle-man who in a pit       holds both him below and him above,    for only he can span the chasm breached by sin, ...

O MY GOD, Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,    my heart admires, adores, loves thee,    for my little vessel is as full as it can be,    and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow. When I think upon and converse with thee    ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,    ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,    ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,    crowding into every moment of happiness. I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,           for adorning it, sanctifying it,              although it is fixed in barren soil;           for the body thou hast given me,           for preserving its strength and vigour,           for providing senses to enjoy delights,          ...