TRUST IN GOD
Daily prayers
Sabbath Morning
O MOST blessed and gracious God, we
bless Thy name, that Thou hast conducted us safe, to see the comfortable light
of this day; and that we have a day of grace wherein to attend to the things
redounding to our peace. We bless Thee that Thou hast set apart this day for
holy uses, to engage us to a solemn attendance upon our Lord: in whose service consists all honor and happiness. O how much higher we might
have been in grace, and in Thy blessed favor – how much nearer to Thee our God,
had we rightly used and conscientiously improved those seasons and means of
grace which Thou hast been pleased to put into our hands, for the advantage of
our souls.
But we have been disobedient, O
Lord, many times frustrating the opportunities of appearing before Thee, and
neglecting the duties of Thy holy service. O be Thou
pleased to look upon us in the Son of Thy love, the Lord of our peace and
righteousness; and forgive us all that is past wherein we have neglected our
work, or ill performed it, or done what is inconsistent with it. Help us, O God
of our salvation, and deliver us from the burden of our guilt; and purge away
all our sins for the glory of Thy name. Let Thy peace, and love, and favor
shine on our souls, that we may with joy draw water
out of the wells of salvation.
O Gracious God, be with us and with
all Thy ministers who are this day to speak Thy word. Furnish them with
abilities suitable to their great work. And grant, Lord, unto us, and to all
the hearers of Thy holy word, humble and teachable spirits, to receive Thy
truth in meekness and in the love of it. O do Thou remove all the hindrances to
our spiritual growth, that Thy word may be glorified among us.
Attend, we beseech Thee all the
endeavors to promote the honor of Thy holy name. Bless our schools and
seminaries. Elevate the press to higher planes of truth. Revive pure religion
in this land and throughout the Christian world; and graciously bring distant
nations to the knowledge of Thy Son.
And let Thy grace and blessing, Thy
love and fellowship, Thy direction and assistance, O Heavenly Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, be with us and with all for whom we ought to pray, this day, and
forevermore, for Jesus’ sake. AMEN.
Sabbath Evening
It is a good thing to give thanks
unto the Lord and to sing praises unto Thy holy name, O Most High, to show
forth Thy loving-kindness in the morning and Thy faithfulness every night.
We this evenings acknowledge the
blessings of another Sabbath. We thank Thee that the lines are fallen to us in
pleasant places, and that we have a goodly heritage: that we have not only the
Scriptures, but the ministry of the gospel; and have this day not only read, but
heard the words of eternal life. May the instructions we received, attend us in
every part of our life, and regulate, and excite us in the discharge of our
duties, so that we may adorn the doctrine of our Savior in all things.
O Lord, we take shame to ourselves
for our violations of Thy law, for our sins and our trespasses which are gone
up into the very heavens. Forgive us, we pray Thee; O hear the voice of the
blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Pity those who have this day been
deprived of the public means of grace by sickness and infirmity. Sustain the
oppressed and comfort the widows and orphans in their bereavement. Let them
know that Thou art near and doest all things well. Bring back the wayward to
the paths of duty. Send out Thy light and Thy truth. Let Thy name be known in
all the earth, Thy saving grace among all nations.
And now we commend ourselves, with
all our connections, into Thy hands. Guard us from every evil to which we are
exposed, and prepare us at length for the rest that remains for Thy people, in
which we shall join all Thy redeemed in ascribing blessing, and honor, and
glory, and power to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, forever
and ever. AMEN.
Monday Morning
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we draw nigh unto Thy throne of grace and most humbly beseech Thee to look upon
us, according to Thy tender mercy in Jesus Christ. We confess our daily
offences against Thee in thought, word, and deed. If Thou shouldst deal with us
according to our transgressions, O Lord, who might abide it! We bless Thee for
Jesus, the Son of Thy love, the righteous and all-prevailing Advocate: by His
cross and intercession, good Lord, deliver us.
As we are about to enter upon the
worldly employments of another week, we pray Thee, strengthen us and all Thy
people with Thy grace. May the influences of the Sabbath rest upon us through
the week, and may the blessed truths which we heard in the house of prayer,
abide in our memories, and direct our conduct.
We thank Thee for Thy mercies
during the past night, and now cast ourselves upon Thee for Thy protection for
this day, trusting in Thy wisdom and love. Preserve us,
we beseech Thee, from the power of evil and from sin. Send us Thy good Spirit
to direct and guide us in the ways and works of godliness. Purify our
affections; enliven our devotion; teach us how to pray, and how to profit by
Thy holy word. Grant us boldness to show ourselves Thy true disciples.
Let our conversation be such as
becometh Thy gospel; and whatsoever we do in word or deed, let us do all in the
name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Let the words of
our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be
acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. And to God of
all grace, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory,
both now and forever. Amen.
Monday Evening
Eternal God, whose name is love,
and who so loved the world that Thou gavest Thine only-begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have life everlasting, help
us, by the Holy Spirit, to believe in Jesus Christ and trusting in him have
access unto Thee.
We have been forgetful of Thy
presence. We have sinned, notwithstanding the light of Thy word, and the checks
of our own consciences. Grant us Thy grace that we may not be hardened through
the deceitfulness of sin; give us true repentance. Help us,
we pray Thee, by faith to behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of
the world. Teach us to renounce our own righteousness, and to depend wholly on
our Savior Jesus Christ.
We commend ourselves to Thy care
during the night. Let no evil come nigh us. Refresh our bodies with the quiet
repose of the night, and renew our spiritual strength. Teach us ever to watch
and pray, and to be always ready, seeing we know neither the day nor the hour
when the Son of Man shall come.
Be pleased to extend Thy merciful
care to all that are near and dear to us. Grant that we may all be one in
Christ Jesus our Lord. We pray for our Christian friends, and all with whom we
have intercourse. Bless those that minister before Thee. May they be faithful,
wise, humble, and devoted servants of our Lord. Let
Thy gospel be proclaimed throughout the world, and speed the day when all
nations shall give glory, praise and honor to Thee, our Redeemer-King.
O Thou giver of every good and
perfect gift, we praise Thee for Thy continual mercies towards us; Thou givest
freely full provision for all our wants. O keep us in
the hollow of Thy hand; let not calamities overwhelm us. Sustain us in
tribulations and let all trials that come upon us, redound to our salvation and
unto Thy glory.
And now blessing, and honor, and
glory, and power, be unto Him, that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the lamb, forever and ever. AMEN.
Tuesday Morning
Almighty God, source of every good
and fountain of every blessing, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and in Him our God and Father, give us the spirit of adoption, and enable us to
cry, Abba, Father. Enable us to repose on Thy love, to tell Thee all our
desires, and all our sorrows, and to thank Thee for all Thy goodness to us.
Great and abundant cause we have to
bless Thee our God. Thy mercies are new every morning. Thou hast been our
defense and our refuge. Let then the outgoings of the morning and of the
evening praise Thee. We thank Thee more especially for all the mercies of
redemption. Blessed be Thou, the just God and Savior. But O
how unworthy we are of the least of Thy mercies. We have turned every
one to his own way. From our youth up, even till now,
we have been great sinners.
Yet spare us,
good Lord, spare us according to Thy great compassion and Thy tender mercy. We
confess our sins and ask that they may be forgiven. We plead for Thy mercy; we
plead Thy faithfulness according to Thy many precious promises. Cleanse the
thoughts of our hearts by the influence of Thy Holy Spirit. Strengthen us for
the duties of this day, and suffer us not to be tempted above what we are able
to bear. Increase our faith, enliven our hope, and enlarge our charity, that we
may faithfully serve Thee, and in all things glorify Thy holy name.
We pray for all our relatives and
friends. Draw nigh unto those in sickness and distress, and let Thy blessing
rest upon them. Bless our rulers, and guide our statesmen; teach Thy ministers
and prosper Thy people, that it may be said of us, “Happy is that people whose God is the Lord.”
These prayers we offer up in the
name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN.
Tuesday Evening
O Thou, who art our God, enable us by Thy Holy
Spirit, and through Thy Son’s intercession, to worship Thee in spirit and in
truth. We come before Thee,
acknowledging that we are all born in sin. O how often we have offended Thee!
Even this day we have grieved Thy Spirit and incurred Thy displeasure. Our only
refuge is in Thy mercy in Christ Jesus. We cast ourselves wholly on that mercy.
Give us, we beseech Thee, the
comfortable assurance that our sins are forgiven. Let Thy Holy Spirit bear
witness that we are children of God. Grant that we may so copy the example of
our Saviour, as to be the epistles of Christ, known and read of all men; and
have clear evidence of our own salvation. Help us to love Thee our God with all
our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and
with all our strength; and may we be taught of Thee to love one another.
Bless our relatives and friends;
give them grace and guide them by Thy counsel, and let none of them be wanting
in Thy heavenly kingdom. We pray for all in authority; Lord, may their counsels be ordered by
Thee for the welfare of our country. Give, we beseech Thee, to all ministers of
Jesus, true knowledge and understanding of Thy word. Make them wise to win
souls. Lord call forth and send out many laborers to
the work in Thy harvest. May the distant isles wait on Thee, and the Gentiles
come to light.
Accept, O Lord, these prayers and
our praises, which we offer up in and through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator.
AMEN.
Wednesday Morning
O Lord, the blessed God of our
salvation, Thou art the hope of all the ends of the earth, upon whom all the
eyes of all do wait; for Thou givest unto all life, and breath, and all things.
In thee we live and move, and have our being. Daily Thou renewest to us our
lives and Thy mercies, every morning giving us new occasion for Thy praise.
Thou has given us the assurance of Thy word, that if
we commit our affairs to Thee, and acknowledge Thee in all our ways, Thou wilt
establish our thoughts, and direct our path. And therefore we desire, O Lord,
to put ourselves under Thy fatherly protection; and beg heavenly guidance by
Thy good Spirit.
O Lord, withdraw not Thy tender
mercies from us, nor the comforts of Thy presence, nor the assistance of Thy
Spirit, for our contempt and manifold abuses of all such grace and goodness.
Help us walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise; carefully redeeming the
time that we have lost, and conscientiously improving all those means of grace
which Thou art pleased to put into our hands, for the best profit of our souls
Let us never forget the one thing needful.
O gracious Father, keep us this day
in Thy fear and favor; help to live to Thy honor and glory and forgive all our
sins and transgressions. Let Thy grace, O Lord Jesus Christ, Thy love, O
heavenly Father, Thy comfortable fellowship, O Holy Spirit, be with us and with
all for whom we ought to pray, this day, and for evermore. AMEN.
Wednesday Evening
O Thou King of Glory, we desire to approach Thy
divine Majesty with reverence and godly fear, and to worship Thee in the beauty
of holiness. Every perfection adorns Thy nature, and
sustains Thy throne. The heavens are Thine; the earth is also Thine; the world
is Thine and the fulness thereof. Thy power formed the universe,
Thy wisdom has managed all its concerns. Thy goodness is boundless,
the eyes of all are upon Thee. Thou openest Thy hand, and satisfieth the desire
of every living thing. How precious are the thoughts of Thy mercy and grace!
O God, in Thy love and pity Thou
wast pleased to provide for us a Saviour, who bore our griefs and sorrows, and
put away our sins by the sacrifice of Himself. O Lord, apply this redemption to
our hearts. Have mercy upon us. We are heavy laden – Give us rest. We are
ignorant – Let Thy strength be made perfect in our weakness. We are poor and
needy – Bless us with the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Protect and refresh us and Thy
children through the night, and then cause us to hear Thy loving-kindness in
the morning: for in Thee we trust. Cause us to know the way wherein we should
go, for we lift our souls unto Thee. We implore it through the intercession of
Thy dear Son, our Savior, to whom be blessing, and
honor, and glory, and power, forever and ever. AMEN.
Thursday Morning
Merciful God, give ear unto us,
when we cry to Thee, in the name of Jesus Christ. Our voices shalt Thou hear in
the morning, O Lord; in the morning will we direct our prayers unto Thee, and
will look up. Lord, help us to pray.
We beseech Thee, O our God, to be
very merciful unto us, sinners. Incline and enable us to come to Jesus our
blessed Savior, weary and heavy laden as we are, and may
we find rest in Him. Teach us our guilt and ruin; help us to rely on His blood,
and build all our hopes on His righteousness. Quicken Thou our souls. Make our
hearts pure, humble and devout; and our conversation holy and heavenly. Thou
art our Rock, and in Thee do we trust. Thou art our Strength, O establish us.
Preserve us from sin, give us grace to overcome temptation, help us to live
near to Thee all the day long.
Lord, help us this day, prayerfully
to embrace every opportunity of doing good, to redeem the time, and to make
steady advances in that narrow way which leadeth to eternal life.
O Lord God, let the dominion of our
Lord Jesus Christ be spread through the world. Increase both the number and
zeal of those seeking the good of
Thursday Evening
Almighty and everlasting Lord God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth, that faintest not, neither art weary,
whose mercy endureth forever, who is God like unto Thee, that pardonest
iniquity, that passeth by the transgression of Thy heritage; and retainest not
Thy anger forever, because Thou delightest in mercy? –
O for a song of praise, for a psalm
of everlasting thanksgiving unto Thee, the God of salvation. O Lamb of God,
worthy art Thou that wast slain; For Thou hast
redeemed us unto God by Thy blood! Worthy art Thou that was slain, to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and
blessing!
Teach us, O Lord, to live day by
day, in humble dependence on Thy promises, in cheerful obedience to Thy laws,
and in sure and certain hope of a blessed immortality. Keep us,
we beseech Thee, with Thy perpetual mercy. Keep us ever by Thy help from all
things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation. Defend
us, O Christ, from all our enemies, temporal and spiritual. Deliver us, O Lord,
in all time of our tribulation, and in the day of judgment.
Preserve us, especially, from all
the evils to which we may be exposed this night; graciously give Thy angels
charge concerning us. Grant that our neighbors and all who are dear to us, may
be brought in safety to the morning on another day. Be with all for whom we
ought to pray, the sick and the afflicted, the fatherless and those in sore
distress. And finally when we have done on earth, help us to wake to life
everlasting, for Christ’ sake. AMEN.
Friday Morning
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all
that is within me, bless His holy name. O magnify the
Lord and exalt His name, for His mercies have been new every morning, yea,
every moment.
Surely, gratitude becomes us that
will keep us in the fear of the Lord all the day long and lead us to ask, What
shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards me? We therefore, by
the mercies of God, present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable
unto Thee, which is our reasonable service. We desire to commit ourselves into
Thy holy keeping.
May we engage in nothing on which
we cannot implore Thy holy blessing, and to which we cannot welcome Thy
inspection. Prosper us in our lawful undertakings, or prepare us for
disappointment. Teach us how to use the world, not abusing it. Forgive our sins
and many shortcomings. Enable us to improve our talents, and to redeem our
time. May we walk in wisdom towards them that are without,
and in kindness towards them that are within; and to do good as we have
opportunity unto all men, especially unto them that are of the household of
faith.
Bless, I beseech Thee, our friends
and relatives who believe in Thee, and let Thy holy name be known throughout
the world, for the salvation of man.
And unto Him that is able to keep us from falling, to the only wise God, our Savior, be glory,
and majesty, and dominion, and power, both now and forever. AMEN.
Friday evening
Almighty and immortal God, we draw
nigh unto Thee in the name of Christ, trusting to Thy word, that whosoever believeth
in Thy beloved Son shall be saved. And we beseech Thee to grant that we may
come unto Him this night, weary and heavy laden with the burden of our sin, and
may thus find rest to our souls: O reconcile us unto
Thyself, through the blood of Thy beloved Son.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to hear our
prayers for those whom it is our duty and desire to remember at the throne of
grace. May it please Thee to bring into the way of truth all such as have
erred, and been deceived. May it please Thee to guide and protect our
magistrates, and to grant them wisdom for the welfare of the people.
May it please Thee to illuminate all the ministers of Thy blessed gospel, that
both by their preaching and their living, they may set it forth unto Thy glory. May it please Thee to bless the faithful in Christ Jesus,
and to give them grace to continue faithful unto death.
May it please Thee to bless the rising generation. Grant that it may grow in
wisdom and in grace, and in favor with Thee and man. Finally, may it please to
stand at the right hand of the poor and destitute, and the widows and the
fatherless, and be unto them a tower of strength against all their enemies.
Grant, O Lord, these
our petitions, through the merits of our blessed Savior; who liveth and
reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. AMEN.
Saturday Morning
We appear before Thee, O Lord, to
give Thee tanks for Thy persevering goodness through another night. Spared by
Thy mercy, we enter upon the duties and dangers of another day. Our bodies and
souls – our life, our property, our health, our talents, are all Thine. Thou
art the Father of our spirits, and the God of our lives. Thou hast redeemed us
by the blood of Christ, Thine only Son. Thou hast sent down Thy Holy Spirit to
renew and sanctify our hearts. And to Thy holy service, O Lord our God, we
desire now unfeignedly to devote our lives. Make us useful to our fellow
creatures. Open before us paths of benevolence, and dispose us to walk therein.
May our time, and influence, and property, and all that we have and are, be
consecrated to Thy holy service. May we not live in vain.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, it is owing
to Thine infinite mercy, that we are not left in the darkness of heathen lands.
Thou hast blessed us with the light of Thy truth. Grant us grace that we may
live unto Thy glory. – Regard especially, we beseech Thee, O Lord, with Thine infinite love, those who have gone forth in Thy name
to heathen lands, to labor to make Christ known unto the Gentiles. Give them
utterance, to make known the mystery of the gospel, and sustain them at all
times in their arduous task.
O we entreat the out-pouring of Thy
Spirit upon all flesh, and most especially upon Thy ministers and all those in
authority. Let all men praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is
excellent, His glory is above the earth and heaven. Do for us and Thy Church
exceedingly and abundantly above all we ask or think, for Thy great name’s
sake.
These prayers we offer up in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Saturday Evening
O Gracious God, by Thy good hand
upon us we have been conducted through the perils, not only of another day, but
another week; a period, during which many have been carried down to their
graves, and we have been brought so much nearer to our own. Impress us with the
lapse of our time, and so teach us to number our days, that we may apply our
hearts to wisdom. We have seen Thy lovingkindness every morning, and Thy
faithfulness every night; and have had all things richly to enjoy.
But, how little we have been
affected by Thine infinite goodness, how imperfectly have we improved our many
privileges. We appear before Thee, this evening, in our trespass; enter not
into judgment with Thy servants, O Lord. Have mercy upon us, O God, according
to Thy lovingkindness, according to the multitudes of Thy mercies, blot out our
transgressions. Uphold us by Thy Spirit; restrain us from sin and mortify us to
it. May sleep refresh our bodies, and fit them for Thy service on the ensuing
day; and may Thy grace prepare our minds. May we leave all the cares of the
world behind for a while; that we may attend on the Lord without distraction.
May we call the Sabbath a delight, and be glad when they say to us, Let us go
into the house of the Lord.
And, O Thou God of compassion, do
as Thou hast said. Fulfill Thy word unto Thy servants. Bless abundantly the
provisions of Thy house, and let Thy saints shout aloud for joy.
And to the God of all grace, the
triune God, be all honor and glory, both now and
forever. AMEN.
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These prayers are taken, word for
word, from a little black book in the library of Miles Bennett, entitled Trust in God, A Series of Prayers for
Daily Use and for Special Occasions, Copyright 1904, CENTRAL PUBLISHING HOUSE,
We trust they will be a blessing
and inspiration to all who read them
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