Prayers: Praise At All Times

Praise at All Times

O God, our God, we would praise Thee this morning, not only with the voice of song, but with the heart. Sometimes our praise takes the form of thankfulness; and, indeed, we have good reason to thank Thee for mercies more numerous than the sand. "Bless the Lord, O my soul." Sometimes we praise Thee by believing in the teeth of appearances. We have praised Thee for this wet Sunday. We do not know why Thou shouldst send rain on the Sabbath, and keep the people from coming together; but we Believe it is so ordered by Thy wisdom and Thy goodness that we would thank Thee for it. We would learn also to thank Thee when Thy hand is heavy and Thy ways are dark. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord." We are persuaded that the sweetest praise that ever comes to Thee comes from Thy tried children when, under a smarting rod, they kiss the rod, and Him that hath appointed it. Help Thy dear children who are much afflicted, to praise Thee by a cheerful submission to Thy will. It must be right, for God hath done it; it must be for the best, for God is love. Father, when Thou dost stagger us, when we seem at our wits' end, and know not what to do or what to say, may we still hold to Thee, and feel it is the Lord. Let Him do what seemeth to Him good.

Here, in Thy presence, we would each one render that form of praise which is suitable for the hour. The healthy and the happy praise Thee with exultant voice. The sick and the sorry praise Thee with a living hope. Those who are suffering and bowed down, praise Thee with a willing acquiescence, desiring that even from the loosened string some music may come to the Most High. Our Father, when we shall get up to see Thee; when Thine unveiled face shall appear unto Thy perfected ones, we shall fain have nothing to do but to praise. There will be no regrets, no remembrances of any hard words from Thee, or rough stroke from Thy rod. It will be praise and only praise; as it will be so, as it ought to be so. Let it be so now. And here, with heavenly minds, may we be unanimous in praise; may there be no child of God that refuses to praise God this morning. If any have left their harps so long upon the willows that they almost forget the songs of Zion, teach them over again. Let a new flash, a new light arouse the hallowed instincts of their inner life, and may they begin with double zest to praise God who has brought them out of their captivity.

While we praise Thee this morning, we are longing that others might do the same. The deepest prayer of our own heart is, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Lord, bring our friends and kinsfolk to praise Thee—everyone. Just as all the tribes stood in their representatives around their father's bed, so may all Thy children gather to the living God and praise Him: let no one be absent. We pray Thee now to bring in the lost sheep of the House of Israel; the many redeemed by blood, not yet redeemed by power, the many chosen who have never chosen Thee, the many who will be in the glory but as yet are glorying in their shame and minding earthly things. Bring, we pray Thee, many under the influence of the Gospel, myriads to worship Christ and to be saved by Him; and may His name be as ointment poured forth in every place to-day, enchanting many and attracting them to bow at His feet. Our Father, we pray Thee forgive Thy children all the wrong they have done during another week. If there be anything between us and God, take it away. Thou hast taught us to ask and it shall be given us; Thou hast bidden us seek if we cannot find Thee, and seek until we find. But Thou hast also added, "Knock," as if there might be a door between us and Thee: "Knock and it shall be opened." Lord, if there is any door between us, may that door be opened; may we begin knocking at it now, and never cease until it opens. We would not have even the beginning of a cloud between our heart and our Father. Lord, put away the sin as between a child and his father. Thou hast put away our sin as between a subject and a king. We are pardoned; we are clean; we are washed with the blood of Christ—so many as have believed in His name—there is no sin remaining on us. But, as children, we come under another discipline, and members of a family that offend our Father. Our Father, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us." We do very freely and very heartily and very truly forgive anybody who may have aggrieved us. Do Thou so with Thy children, and let us feel of a certainty now that we are perfectly reconciled with God, and that we are one with Thee, and speak with Thee as a man speaketh with his friend.

Then, our Father, when Thou hast thus put away everything that interposes lead us into Thy truth. Teach us more of Thy Word; teach it to us by experience; may we have it burned into our hearts; may we know the truth not only in the letter of it, but in the life and spirit of it. And, teach us to be holy. Oh how we long for this! We would have every passion under subjection; we would have every power and faculty bitted and held in with a bridle; nay, we would have every evil tendency killed, and have every holy tendency imparted. Take us, Lord, and sanctify us. We are not content with justification; we want sanctification. Make and keep us pure within, clean in motive, clean in imagination. Oh, how difficult! Make us so that our very thoughts shall be a matter of conscience, and every thought shall be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh, that we could live as angels do here in this mortal body, living as purely, as joyfully, as obediently, as they do; not bound down by the body nor kept in subjection to any of its appetites but made free to be the servants of God with enhanced delight!

Remember any child of those here who may have slipped; Lord restore him. And, if any of us have wandered and are not aware of it, bring us back at all events; and if grey hairs are upon us here and there, and we know it not, restore to us our youth; bring back to us whatever of energy and holiness we once had, and somewhat more. Oh make us like Christ: we do pray Thee, make us like Christ. We would even accept His cross and the vinegar, if we might have His holiness. We make no exception of anything of Christ's; we would take Him as He was, or as He is: only let Christ be formed in us, the hope of glory.

We pray with great earnestness that Thou wouldst bless this church. We thank Thee for additions constantly made to our members; we pray that they may be good men, and true, holy women, in their very hearts. Lord, keep those that are in membership. Let us not fall; let us not fall. Make us all useful. Keep the church in unity, peace and concord, and give it zeal and passionate longing for the conversion of the souls of men. O Lord, we do pray Thee to remember us to-night, when we come to Thy Communion, may the Lord be there! And when we gather together, and our dear evangelists will be here, may a very large tide of blessing come. May many be brought in who now think nothing of Thee. While we are preaching, may the Holy Spirit be working, may souls be saved by thousands.

Remember the churches of our neighbours round about whenever Christ is preached. May there be a revival of pure and undefiled religion where Christ is not preached. The Lord comfort the ministers, the Lord comfort the churches. Oh, put an end to that revival of heresy, which we see on every side! Thy glorious Word is treated as a common book. nay, hardly so well respected as a poor almanack. The Lord have mercy upon those who doubt His Word, and bring back a reverence for every line of inspiration, above all a deep love to the Atoning Sacrifice. Let it not be despised, but may the precious blood be preached everywhere and multitudes washed in it and made clean. We pray for our country and our Queen. We pray for every other country, and ask that peace may rule everywhere; and we close our prayer with this deepest wish: "Thy Kingdom come"—Thyself, Great King, even so come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen and Amen.

November 3, 1889.