Almighty God,my King,
let me feel
the warmth of your smile
on all I do today;
let your favor refresh my heart
like a gentle rain.
Amen.
Gentle Rain
Almighty God,my King,
let me feel
the warmth of your smile
on all I do today;
let your favor refresh my heart
like a gentle rain.
Amen.
For Small, Homely Things
Sunlight through a jar of beach-plum jelly...
A rainbow in soapsuds in dishwater...
An eggyolk in a blue bowl...
White ruffled curtains sifting moonlight...
The color of cranberry glass...
A little cottage with blue shutters...
Crimson roses in an old stone crock...
The smell of newly baked bread...
Candlelight on old brass...
The soft brown of a cocker spaniel's eyes...
Thank you, in Jesus' name, amen.
(based on lines from Peter Marshall; photo via pixabay.com)
Saturday Psalm #65
I will fulfill my vows to you, Most Worthy King,
hearer of my prayers,
drawer of all men.
When I was overwhelmed by sins,
you willingly and readily and completely
forgave all my transgressions.
How blessed you have made me,
to call me to your service
and allow me to live in your courts!
I am filled with the bounty of your house,
the beauty of your holy temple.
You answer my prayers with works of awe-inspiring righteousness,
O God my Savior,
the hope of all people
from all tribes and tongues and nations,
who formed the Himalayas by your power,
and display your strength
in the roar of the Atlantic,
the vastness of the Pacific,
and the icecaps of the Poles.
From east to west, north to south,
you are to be honored,
and your wonders praised;
from morning's dawns to evening's dusk
you deserve full-throated songs of worship.
You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
You cause snows to fall
and streams to fill;
you water the fields
and provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
You drench the furrows of the field
and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers
and remind us, whether we are farmers
or builders
or painters
or travelers
or writers,
that you still call the shots...
we are always, constantly in need of your favor.
You bring forth a harvest every year,
and in your sovereign love and wisdom
you supply our needs
and drape our landscape
with an ever-changing garment of provision,
and cause the meadows and valleys
to shout for joy and sing. Amen.
Run
(photo via pixabay.com)
Completely
I desire that I may feel no sense of possessing anything outside of Thee.
I want constantly to be aware of Thy overshadowing Presence and to hear Thy speaking Voice.
I long to live in restful sincerity of heart.
I want to live so fully in the Spirit that all my thought may be as sweet incense ascending to Thee and every act of my life may be an act of worship.
Therefore I pray in the words of Thy great servant of old, “I beseech Thee so for to cleanse the intent of mine heart with the unspeakable gift of Thy grace, that I may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee.”
And all this I confidently believe Thou wilt grant me through the merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son. Amen.
(a prayer by A.W Tozer in The Pursuit of God; photo via pixabay.com)
My Faith Looks Up
My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior Divine;
Now hear me while I pray;
Take all my guilt away;
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine.
May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire;
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire.
While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my Guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.
All thru life’s transient dream,
Until death’s sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll,
Blest Savior, with Thy love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Make me Thy grace to prove
Transform my soul.
(hymn by Ray Palmer, photo via pixabay.com)
Saturday Psalm #64
protect me from the Enemy's attacks.
Shelter me from gossips
and negative people,
from anyone with sharp tongues
and deadly mouths.
Help me to walk with eyes wide open,
not fearing ambush,
but not ignorant of the snares in my path, either.
Save me from people's intrigues,
deliver me from unkind assumptions
and those who whisper in secret
instead of just approaching a person
and speaking with honesty and integrity.
Lord, pierce the unforgiveness that's out there,
and strike down the walls of bitterness
and separation
that I know grieve your heart more than mine.
Twist cunning tongues into knots;
ruin the plans of my Enemy.
Let everyone revere you, Lord God;
let everyone proclaim your works
and ponder what you have done.
Let me rejoice in you, LORD,
and take refuge in you;
let all the upright in heart praise you!
Amen.
(photo via pixabay.com)
All to All
Hope of the homeless,
The Strength of those tossed with tempests,
The Haven of those who sail:
Be all to all.
Be within us, to strengthen us;
without us, to keep us;
above us, to inspire us;
beneath us, to uphold us;
before us, to direct us;
behind us , to propel us;
around us, to sustain us.
Be all to all in present need.
(a prayer of Lancelot Andrewes, from Lancelot Andrewes and His Private Devotions; photo via pixabay.com)
Saturday Psalm #63
I seek you hungrily;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body craves you,
in a dry and weary land
parched and cracked for lack of water.
I have beheld you in worship;
I have tasted your power and your glory.
I know how satisfying your love is--
better than life, in fact,
and for that I will speak up and praise you.
I will praise you for the rest of my life,
and I will worship you unreservedly.
You surfeit my soul;
how can I not praise you with the songs of my heart?
How can I not call out to you from my bed?
How can I not turn to you as I close my eyes in sleep?
You are my help,
therefore I sing like a baby bird
in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
I feel your strong right hand holding onto me.
I know that those who seek to harm me will be frustrated;
they will fail utterly.
Destroy every evil effort against me.
By your grace, I will rejoice in you;
let all who follow you truly praise your great name,
and let the mouths of liars be silenced.
Amen.
(photo via pixabay.com)
I Have Disfigured the Beauty of My Mind
With my lustful desires I have formed within myself the deformity of the passions and disfigured the beauty of my mind.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have discolored with the passions the first beauty of the image, O Savior. But seek me, as once Thou hast sought the lost coin, and find me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like the Harlot I cry to Thee: I have sinned, I alone have sinned against Thee. Accept my tears also as sweet ointment, O Savior.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like David, I have fallen into lust and I am covered with filth; but wash me clean, O Savior, by my tears.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Like the Publican I cry to Thee: Be merciful, O Savior, be merciful to me. For no child of Adam has ever sinned against Thee as I have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
I have no tears, no repentance, no compunction; but as God do Thou Thyself, O Savior, bestow them on me.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Lord, Lord, at the Last Day shut not Thy door against me; but open it to me, for I repent before Thee.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
O Lover of mankind, who desirest that all men shall be saved, in Thy goodness call me back and accept me in repentance.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.
Give ear to the groaning of my soul, and accept the tears that fall from mine eyes; O Lord, save me.
(excerpt from The Great Canon of Repentance, Ode Two, by St. Andrew, Bishop of Crete; image via pixabay.com)
Only in God
Only in God is my soul at rest;
In Him comes my salvation.
He only is my Rock,
My strength and my salvation.
My stronghold, my Savior,
I shall not be afraid at all.
My stronghold, my Savior,
I shall not be moved.
Only in God is my soul at rest;
In Him comes my salvation.
Only in God is found safety,
When my enemy pursues me.
Only in God is found glory,
When I am found meek and found lowly.
My stronghold, my Savior,
I shall not be afraid at all.
My stronghold, my Savior,
I shall not be moved.
Only in God is my soul at rest;
In Him comes my salvation.
1980 Birdwing Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)|(Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)
BMG Songs, Inc. (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)|(Admin. by BMG Music Publishing)
Saturday Psalm #62
for my salvation comes from you.
You alone are my bedrock,
my foundation,
the fortress where I can hide,
feeling safe.
I know enemies array against me,
countless.
They see the chinks in my armor,
the most vulnerable parts of my soul.
They're out to get me,
and I know it.
But I remain hushed before you,
placing my confidence in you.
You alone are my safe place,
my mountain retreat,
the palisade surrounding me.
My salvation, my honor come
from you alone.
You are my eyrie,
my crag of safety.
Increase my trust in you, Lord.
Turn my heart constantly to you,
my shelter, my refuge.
I am the lowest and smallest
of your servants,
unworthy of your notice,
yet you lift me up,
you place me in a privileged position,
and you prosper me like I've never dreamed.
As everyone should know,
power belongs to you, Lord,
and you are unfailingly loving.
You have been more than fair,
so much more than fair
to me
and to all you have made. Amen.
(photo via pixabay.com)
