THOU INCOMPREHENSIBLE BUT PRAYER-HEARING GOD,

Known, but beyond knowledge,

revealed, but unrevealed,

my wants and welfare draw me to thee,

for thou hast never said, ‘Seek ye me in vain’.

To thee I come in my difficulties, necessities, distresses;

possess me with thyself,

with a spirit of grace and supplication,

with a prayerful attitude of mind,

with access into warmth of fellowship,

so that in the ordinary concerns of life

my thoughts and desires may rise to thee,

and in habitual devotion I may find a resource that will

soothe my sorrows, sanctify my successes,

and qualify me in all ways for dealings with my fellow men.

I bless thee that thou hast made me capable

of knowing thee, the author of all being,

of resembling thee, the perfection of all excellency,

of enjoying thee, the source of all happiness.

O God, attend me in every part of my arduous and trying pilgrimage;

I need the same counsel, defence, comfort I found at my beginning.

Let my religion be more obvious to my conscience,

more perceptible to those around.

While Jesus is representing me in heaven, may I reflect him on earth,

While he pleads my cause, may I show forth his praise.

Continue the gentleness of thy goodness towards me,

And whether I wake or sleep, let thy presence go with me,

thy blessing attend me.

Thou hast led me on and I have found thy promises true,

I have been sorrowful, but thou hast been my help,

fearful, but thou hast delivered me,

despairing, but thou hast lifted me up.

Thy vows are ever upon me,

And I praise thee, O God.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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THOU ETERNAL GOD,

Thine is surpassing greatness, unspeakable goodness,

super-abundant grace;

I can as soon count the sands of ocean’s ‘lip’ as number thy favours

towards me;

I know but a part, but that part exceeds all praise.

I thank thee for personal mercies,

a measure of health, preservation of body,

comforts of house and home, sufficiency of food and clothing,

continuance of mental powers,

my family, their mutual help and support,

the delights of domestic harmony and peace,

the seats now filled that might have been vacant,

my country, church, Bible, faith.

But, O, how I mourn my sin, ingratitude, vileness,

the days that add to my guilt,

the scenes that witness my offending tongue;

All things in heaven, earth, around, within, without, condemn me—

the sun which sees my misdeeds,

the darkness which is light to thee,

the cruel accuser who justly charges me,

the good angels who have been provoked to leave me,

thy countenance which scans my secret sins,

thy righteous law, thy holy Word,

my sin-soiled conscience, my private and public life,

my neighbours, myself—

all write dark things against me.

I deny them not, frame no excuse, but confess, ‘Father, I have sinned’;

Yet still I live, and fly repenting to thy oustretched arms;

thou wilt not cast me off, for Jesus brings me near,

thou wilt not condemn me, for he died in my stead,

thou wilt not mark my mountains of sin, for he levelled all,

and his beauty covers my deformities.

O my God, I bid farewell to sin by clinging to his cross,

hiding in his wounds, and sheltering in his side.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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O LORD,

I hang on thee; I see, believe, live,

when thy will, not mine, is done;

I can plead nothing in myself

in regard of any worthiness and grace,

in regard of thy providence and promises,

but only thy good pleasure.

If thy mercy make me poor and vile, blessed be thou!

Prayers arising from my needs are preparations for future mercies;

Help me to honour thee by believing before I feel,

for great is the sin if I make feeling a cause of faith.

Show me what sins hide thee from me

and eclipse thy love;

Help me to humble myself for past evils,

to be resolved to walk with more care,

For if I do not walk holily before thee,

how can I be assured of my salvation?

It is the meek and humble who are shown thy covenant,

know thy will, are pardoned and healed,

who by faith depend and rest upon grace,

who are sanctified and quickened,

who evidence thy love.

Help me to pray in faith and so find thy will,

by leaning hard on thy rich free mercy,

by believing thou wilt give what thou hast promised;

Strengthen me to pray with the conviction

that whatever I receive is thy gift,

so that I may pray until prayer be granted;

Teach me to believe that all degrees of mercy arise

from several degrees of prayer,

that when faith is begun it is imperfect and must grow,

as chapped ground opens wider and wider until rain comes.

So shall I wait thy will, pray for it to be done,

and by thy grace become fully obedient.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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O SUPREME MOVING CAUSE,

May I always be subordinate to thee,

be dependent upon thee,

be found in the path where thou dost walk,

and where thy Spirit moves,

take heed of estrangement from thee,

of becoming insensible to thy love.

Thou dost not move men like stones,

but dost endue them with life,

not to enable them to move without thee,

but in submission to thee, the first mover.

O Lord, I am astonished at the difference

between my receivings and my deservings,

between the state I am now in and my past gracelessness,

between the heaven I am bound for and the hell I merit.

Who made me to differ, but thee?

for I was no more ready to receive Christ than were others;

I could not have begun to love thee hadst thou not first loved me,

or been willing unless thou hadst first made me so.

O that such a crown should fit the head of such a sinner!

such high advancement be for an unfruitful person!

such joys for so vile a rebel!

Infinite wisdom cast the design of salvation

into the mould of purchase and freedom;

Let wrath deserved be written on the door of hell,

But the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven.

I know that my sufferings are the result of my sinning,

but in heaven both shall cease;

Grant me to attain this haven and be done with sailing,

and may the gales of thy mercy blow me safely into harbour.

Let thy love draw me nearer to thyself,

wean me from sin, mortify me to this world,

and make me ready for my departure hence.

Secure me by thy grace as I sail across this stormy sea.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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MY GOD,

Thou hast helped me to see,

that whatever good be in honour and rejoicing,

how good is he who gives them, and can withdraw them;

that blessedness does not lie so much

in receiving good from and in thee, but

in holding forth thy glory and virtue;

that it is an amazing thing

to see Deity in a creature, speaking, acting, filling, shining through it;

that nothing is good but thee,

that I am near good when I am near thee,

that to be like thee is a glorious thing:

This is my magnet, my attraction.

Thou art all my good in times of peace,

my only support in days of trouble,

my one sufficiency when life shall end.

Help me to see how good thy will is in all,

and even when it crosses mine

teach me to be pleased with it.

Grant me to feel thee in fire, and food and every providence,

and to see that thy many gifts and creatures

are but thy hands and fingers taking hold of me.

Thou bottomless fountain of all good,

I give myself to thee out of love,

for all I have or own is thine,

my goods, family, church, self,

to do with as thou wilt,

to honour thyself by me, and by all mine.

If it be consistent with thy eternal counsels,

the purpose of thy grace,

and the great ends of thy glory,

then bestow upon me the blessings of thy comforts;

If not, let me resign myself to thy wiser determinations.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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O FOUNTAIN OF ALL GOOD,

Destroy in me every lofty thought,

Break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds,

Annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness,

Implant in me true lowliness of spirit,

Abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence,

Open in me a fount of penitential tears,

Break me, then bind me up;

Thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling for my God;

Then can the Father take up his abode in me,

Then can the blessed Jesus come with healing in his touch,

Then can the Holy Spirit descend in sanctifying grace;

O Holy Trinity, three Persons and one God,

inhabit me, a temple consecrated to thy glory.

When thou art present, evil cannot abide;

In thy fellowship is fullness of joy,

Beneath thy smile is peace of conscience,

By thy side no fears disturb,

no apprehensions banish rest of mind,

With thee my heart shall bloom with fragrance;

Make me meet, through repentance, for thine indwelling.

Nothing exceeds thy power,

Nothing is too great for thee to do,

Nothing too good for thee to give.

Infinite is thy might, boundless thy love,

limitless thy grace, glorious thy saving name.

Let angels sing for sinners repenting, prodigals restored,

backsliders reclaimed, Satan’s captives released,

blind eyes opened, broken hearts bound up,

the despondent cheered, the self-righteous stripped,

the formalist driven from a refuge of lies,

the ignorant enlightened,

and saints built up in their holy faith.

I ask great things of a great God.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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O LORD GOD, WHO INHABITEST ETERNITY,

The heavens declare thy glory,

The earth thy riches,

The universe is thy temple;

Thy presence fills immensity,

Yet thou hast of thy pleasure created life, and communicated happiness;

Thou hast made me what I am, and given me what I have;

In thee I live and move and have my being;

Thy providence has set the bounds of my habitation,

and wisely administers all my affairs.

I thank thee for thy riches to me in Jesus,

for the unclouded revelation of him in thy Word,

where I behold his Person, character, grace, glory,

humiliation, sufferings, death, and resurrection;

Give me to feel a need of his continual saviourhood,

and cry with Job, ‘I am vile’,

with Peter, ‘I perish’,

with the publican, ‘Be merciful to me, a sinner’.

Subdue in me the love of sin,

Let me know the need of renovation as well as of forgiveness,

in order to serve and enjoy thee for ever.

I come to thee in the all-prevailing name of Jesus,

with nothing of my own to plead,

no works, no worthiness, no promises.

I am often straying,

often knowingly opposing thy authority,

often abusing thy goodness;

Much of my guilt arises from my religious privileges,

my low estimation of them,

my failure to use them to my advantage,

But I am not careless of thy favour or regardless of thy glory;

Impress me deeply with a sense of thine omnipresence,

that thou art about my path, my ways, my lying down, my end.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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O GOD WHOSE WILL CONQUERS ALL,

There is no comfort in anything

apart from enjoying thee

and being engaged in thy service;

Thou art All in all, and all enjoyments are what to me

thou makest them, and no more.

I am well pleased with thy will, whatever it is,

or should be in all respects,

And if thou bidst me decide for myself in any affair,

I would choose to refer all to thee,

for thou art infinitely wise and cannot do amiss

as I am in danger of doing.

I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal,

and it delights me to leave them there.

Then prayer turns wholly into praise,

and all I can do is to adore and bless thee.

What shall I give thee for all thy benefits?

I am in a strait betwixt two, knowing not what to do;

I long to make some return, but have nothing to offer,

and can only rejoice that thou doest all,

that none in heaven or on earth shares thy honour;

I can of myself do nothing to glorify thy blessed name,

but I can through grace cheerfully surrender soul and body to thee,

I know that thou art the author and finisher of faith,

that the whole work of redemption is thine alone,

that every good work or thought found in me

is the effect of thy power and grace,

that thy sole motive in working in me to will and to do

is for thy good pleasure.

O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much

about man’s creaturely power and goodness,

when, if thou didst not hold us back every moment,

we should be devils incarnate.

This, by bitter experience, thou hast taught me concerning myself.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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THREE IN ONE, ONE IN THREE, GOD OF MY SALVATION,

Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit,

I adore thee as one Being, one Essence,

one God in three distinct Persons,

for bringing sinners to thy knowledge and to thy kingdom.

O Father, thou hast loved me and sent Jesus to redeem me;

O Jesus, thou hast loved me and assumed my nature,

shed thine own blood to wash away my sins,

wrought righteousness to cover my unworthiness;

O Holy Spirit, thou hast loved me and entered my heart,

implanted there eternal life,

revealed to me the glories of Jesus.

Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise thee,

for love so unmerited, so unspeakable, so wondrous,

so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.

O Father, I thank thee that in fullness of grace

thou hast given me to Jesus,

to be his sheep, jewel, portion;

O Jesus, I thank thee that in fullness of grace

thou hast accepted, espoused, bound me;

O Holy Spirit, I thank thee that in fullness of grace

thou hast exhibited Jesus as my salvation,

implanted faith within me,

subdued my stubborn heart,

made me one with him for ever.

O Father, thou art enthroned to hear my prayers,

O Jesus, thy hand is outstretched to take my petitions,

O Holy Spirit, thou art willing to help my infirmities,

to show me my need, to supply words, to pray within me,

to strengthen me that I faint not in supplication.

O Triune God, who commandeth the universe,

thou hast commanded me to ask for those things

that concern thy kingdom and my soul.

Let me live and pray as one baptized into the threefold Name.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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GOD’S GOOD PLEASURE

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 make thee a liar.

Yet in Christ thou art reconciled to thy rebellious subjects;

give us the ear of faith to hear him,

the eye of faith to see him,

the hand of faith to receive him,

the appetite of faith to feed upon him;

that we might find in him light, riches, honour, eternal life.

Thou art the inviting One, may we hearken to thee;

the Almighty Instructor, teach us to live to thee;

the Light-Dweller, inaccessible to man and angels,

hiding thyself behind the elements of creation,

but known to us in Jesus;

Possess our minds with the grandeur of thy perfections.

Thy love to us in Jesus is firm and changeless,

nothing can separate us from it,

and in the enjoyment of it nothing can make us miserable.

Preserve us from hypocrisy and formality in religion;

Enable us to remember what thou art and what we are,

to recall thy holiness and our unworthiness;

Help us to approach thee clothed with humility,

for vanity, forwardness, insensibility, disorderly affection, backwardness to duty, proneness to evil are in our hearts.

Let us never forget thy patience, wisdom, power, faithfulness, care,

and never cease to respond to thy invitations.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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THE MEDIATOR

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 I am God and there is none else.’

They that know thy name put their trust in thee.

How many now glorified in heaven, and what numbers living on earth,

are thy witnesses, O God,

exemplifying in their recovery from the ruins of the Fall

the freeness, riches and efficacy of thy grace!

All that were ever saved were saved by thee,

and will through eternity exclaim, ‘Not unto us,

but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and truth’s sake.’

Thou hast chosen to transact all thy concerns with us through a Mediator

in whom all fullness dwells

and who is exalted to be Prince and Saviour.

To him we look, on him we depend, through him we are justified.

May we derive relief from his sufferings without ceasing to abhor sin,

or to long after holiness;

feel the double efficacy of his blood, tranquillizing and cleansing

our consciences;

delight in his service as well as in his sacrifice;

be constrained by his love to live not to ourselves but to him;

cherish a grateful and cheerful disposition,

not murmuring and repining if our wishes are not indulged,

or because some trials are blended with our enjoyments,

But, sensible of our desert,

and impressed with the number and greatness of thy benefits,

may we bless and praise thee at all times.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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THE GOSPEL

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

are the doctrines, promises, and invitations of the gospel of peace!

We are lost: but in it thou hast presented to us

a full, free and eternal salvation;

weak: but here we learn that help is found in One that is mighty,

poor: but in him we discover unsearchable riches,

blind: but we find he has treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

We thank thee for thy unspeakable gift.

Thy Son is our only refuge, foundation, hope, confidence;

We depend upon his death,

rest in his righteousness,

desire to bear his image;

May his glory fill our minds,

his love reign in our affections,

his cross inflame us with ardour.

Let us as Christians fill our various situations in life,

escape the snares to which they expose us,

discharge the duties that arise from our

circumstances,

enjoy with moderation their advantages,

improve with diligence their usefulness,

And may every place and company we are in be benefited by us.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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PROTECTION

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 profitable to ourselves.

Bring us into that state which attracts thine eye,

and prepare us to receive the proofs of thy love.

Show us our danger,

that we may fly to thee for refuge.

Make us sensible of our sin’s disease,

that we may value the good Physician.

Placard to us the cross,

that it may slay the enmity of our hearts.

Help us to be watchful over our ways,

jealous over our tempers,

diligent over our hearts.

When we droop, revive us,

When we loiter, quicken us,

When we go astray, restore us.

Possess us with more of that faith

which is the principle of all vital godliness.

May we be rich in faith,

strong in faith,

live by faith,

walk by faith,

experience the joy of faith,

do the work of faith,

hope through faith.

Perceiving nothing in ourselves, may we find in the Saviour

wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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THE GIVER

CREATOR, UPHOLDER AND PROPRIETOR OF ALL THINGS,

We cannot escape from thy presence and control,

nor do we desire to do so.

Our privilege is to be under the agency of thy omnipotence,

righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy and grace;

For thou art Love with more than parental affection.

We admire thy goodness,

stand in awe of thy power,

abase ourselves before thy purity.

It is the discovery of thy goodness alone

that can banish our fear

allure us into thy presence,

help us to bewail and confess our sins.

We review our past guilt

and are conscious of present unworthiness.

We bless thee that thy steadfast love and attributes

are essential to our happiness and hope;

Thou hast witnessed to us thy grace and mercy

in the bounties of nature,

in the fullness of thy providence,

in the revelations of Scripture,

in the gift of thy Son,

in the proclamation of the gospel.

Make us willing to be saved in thy own way,

perceiving nothing in ourselves but all in Jesus.

Help us not only to receive him

but to walk in him,

depend upon him,

commune with him,

follow him as dear children,

imperfect, but still pressing forward,

not complaining of labour, but valuing rest,

not murmuring under trials, but thankful for our state.

And by so doing let us silence the ignorance of foolish men.

This week’s devotionals are from The Valley of Vision

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