05.02. SECOND WEEK
SECOND WEEK
SUNDAY MORNING
Son of God, this is Your day, and we would give it all, and altogether to You. On this day You rose from the grave, vanquishing death and bringing life into the world. We thank You for Your victory. We thank You for this day, which by its weekly return, keeps us ever in mind of Your completed redemption. May You make this an uplifting day to us. Help us to keep it holy unto You. Give us restful quiet in our hearts. Prepare us in the early morning for receiving the richest things of Your love which may be offered to us during the day. May we spread wide our skirts — while you are raining down blessings. May the public and private reading of Your word, bring to us messages from You which shall enrich our lives. May Your word so enter into our hearts, that it shall sweeten and purify all the fountains of our life. May this Sunday’s communion with You, hold us close to You all the day, so that the warmth of Your love shall infuse itself into our souls, making us more like You.
We pray for all those who shall speak today for You, whether in the great Christian congregation, or in the quiet room with only two or three to hear, or whether Your servants shall speak by the wayside to a single soul. Bless all teachers in Sunday schools, all missionaries, all those who will carry the gospel message into prisons, hospitals, and asylums. Give Your word power, and may it be like a hammer to break rocky hearts; or like the voice of gentle stillness, to carry comfort to hearts that are in sorrow. May this be a day of very rich blessing to our home. Stay with us and keep us, and pour Your love upon us, making our lives more beautiful, and preparing us to be richer blessings to others tomorrow. We ask all in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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SUNDAY EVENING At the close of Your holy day, our Father, we come to You with our evening worship. May our prayers rise like incense before You. We thank You for what the day has brought to us of rest, of spiritual help, of instruction in divine things. We thank You for the glimpses of truth we have had as we have read Your holy word. We thank You for all the good impulses and desires which have stirred in our hearts. May we be made strong, to meet the struggles of life. May we have more quietness and confidence, amid the world’s tumults and strifes. May the holy influences of Sunday, be in us like sweet songs, and every place we go during the coming week, may we carry the music of gladness. May the light which has shone upon us on this holy day, make our faces brighter, that we may shine as lights in the world. May the kindly feelings and yearnings which have been kindled in us by the Holy Spirit, impel us to helpful ministries as we go our way among men. So may we in all ways carry into our paths of life, a blessing which shall make the world a little brighter and put a little new joy into many hearts.
Let a blessing rest upon the preaching of Your word everywhere this day. May Your people be strengthened; may the sorrowing be comforted; may many lost ones date the beginning of their new life from this Sunday. May the world be holier, with more of the Spirit of Jesus in it, because for another day Your people have remembered You, and have called down blessings upon men. Pour out a large measure of Your love.
Forgive all our sins and failures in duty — and grant to us Your grace and peace as we lie down to sleep. We ask all through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
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MONDAY MORNING Our Father, bless us this morning. Lay Your hand on each of our heads as we bow before You, and give us a Father’s blessing. Then we can go out into the great world without fear. Keep us from evil all the day. Let us not wander from Your side. Hold us with Your hand, leading us and guarding us from falling. You are able to keep us from stumbling, and to present us faultless in glory. We cast our weakness upon You.
Bless us in whatever experiences the day may bring to us. May this be to each of us a day of growth in grace. May we be enabled to do our work well. Help us in our household duties and cares. Let us not be fretted or vexed with worries. Help us to do simply our duty, and then leave all of life’s tangles in Your hands. Help us also in our business and work. May we have grace to be honest in all our dealings with others, truthful in all our life and conversation, and consistent in our conduct and behavior — so that all who see us, shall see Jesus in us.
We desire to make this day one of loving ministry in Your name, to others. Fill us with Your Spirit, so that wherever we go, our faces may shine with the brightness of divine love. Help us to be as Jesus to those we meet. Fill us with Your love, Your peace, Your grace, Your compassion — so that Your life really shall be revealed in us. May our wayside ministry be one of blessing. Enable us by simple kindnesses, by gentleness, and grace of manner, and by words of encouragement and comfort — to be a blessing to everyone we meet today.
We remember our friends, and ask You to bless them all. Receive us now into your care, use us, bless us, and keep us, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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MONDAY EVENING
We come now at the close of the day, our Father, to You. For the guidance You have given us, in answer to our morning prayer, we thank You. Whatever we have done to please You — may You accept. Whatever has been wrong in our conduct, in our dispositions, in our tempers, in our affections — may You graciously forgive. If we have cherished unkind feelings toward others; if we have been envious, selfish, resentful, or jealous — we ask You to forgive us and to cleanse our hearts.
We earnestly wish to grow out of these faults of our old nature. We are not content to live, letting the old nature rule in us. But You know how hard it is for us to overcome these evil things in our hearts. May Your grace in us subdue them. We earnestly pray that You will fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and may we put off the things that displease You, and put on the new man, with all the gentle affections of our Savior. May the fruits of the Spirit abound in us. May whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, be in us.
We leave now in Your care, all the work of the day. If we have left any evil influence on any other life — we ask that You will arrest the impression. May You take whatever has been good and helpful in us during the day — and use it for the blessing of other lives, and for the glory of Your great name. As we go now to our rest, we commit ourselves to Your care for the night. You are our keeper. We hide under the shadow of Your wings, and we will rest securely because You will keep us. We pray for the poor, the sick, the troubled, the sorrowing, and the dying. We ask these favors in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
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TUESDAY MORNING Our Father in Heaven, we Your children gather at Your feet this morning, to begin the day with You. We seek a Father’s blessing before we go forth. We are not of ourselves, able for the duties of the coming day — and we seek strength from You. We cannot resist the temptations that we must meet — and we ask You to give us grace to meet them victoriously. We lack wisdom to always choose the best things and the best courses — and we pray that You will give us wisdom that we may walk in the way of holiness.
Graciously remember us, Your children, O God, and mark not our iniquities against us — but in Your mercy, bless and save us. Teach us to do your will. Help us to live all this day so as to please You. Let us not grieve You, nor hurt Your heart of love — by our heedlessness, our unbelief, or our disobedience.
We beseech You to bless us in our employment and in all our common duties this day. Help us to be faithful in all our duties, and skillful in our employment. Help us to make our secular life truly our Father’s business. Thus may we glorify You in the work of our hands.
We would not confine our prayers to ourselves and our own home. We pray for our neighbors. May Your blessing descend upon their households. Some of them know You not. No voice of prayer rises to You from them. Have mercy upon these. Bless the children for whom no father or mother prays. Let Your peace rest upon the homes of those who love You.
Receive us now into Your care as we go our way into the unknown experiences of the day. Keep us and bring us together at the close of the day in peace. We ask all in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
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TUESDAY EVENING
Evening has come again, O God, and we gather back at Your feet. You have kept us through the day, and given us many blessings. We are grateful to You for them all. Fix in our hearts, to abide there forever, every good thing that has come to us this day — the good thoughts that have warmed our hearts, the gentle impressions made upon us by our friends, all that has come to us through books or through nature. Teach us to number our days, so that we may get a heart of wisdom from the things we experience. We would grow wiser with each passing day. So we ask You to teach us all that we should learn from this day, before the day is folded up and put away.
We would remember our friends. Some of them may be in anxiety, or perhaps in sore temptation. We pray for these friends of ours, that the holy things of life may be theirs. We cannot do much to help them — but we can pray for them, and You can reach down Your hand and help them in all true, wise, and holy ways. We put them — all our dear ones — into Your care, leaving them with You. Do for them what is best. Lead them in paths of Your own choosing.
We would remember before You, the great world. It lies in sin. Over our heads is the celestial city — but underneath us and around us is darkness, with all its assailing powers, ready to harm and destroy us. We plead tonight for the lost ones — that You will have mercy upon them and save them. Show us where they are, and send us out to find them, that in Your name we may carry gospel blessing to them. Bless us upon our beds, and give us Your protection and Fatherly blessing. We ask all this through Jesus Christ. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ WEDNESDAY MORNING
Father, bless to us the word we have read this morning together. We thank You that here in this world we can read the very words of Heaven, and hear the voice of our Father speaking to us in human speech. Help us to reverence Your word and love it. Help us to hide its truths away in our heart, and may they then bless and transform our whole life. Help us to lean upon the words of promise as one leans upon a staff. Help us to hide away in them, as one fleeing from danger would hide in the cleft of a rock. Help us to find in Your word, lamps to shine upon our pathway, to show us how to go. Help us to take Your word as a counselor, and may it always guide us in life’s paths. May our morning lesson touch and bless all the day’s life. May its holy truths be inspiration, and strength, and life to us. May they be blessed impulses, stirring within us and quickening us. May they build us up in all holy character, and show us our duty at every point.
We cannot live without You. We need Your presence every passing moment. May we receive Your strength, to make us strong for every task and every conflict. We pray for all of our household. We pray for the homes where our loved ones are, that they may be kept in health and peace. We pray for those who are sick. We pray for the poor and the troubled, for those who go upon the sea, for those who are exposed to danger, for the orphan children. We pray for those who must endure sore temptation, that You will keep them from falling.
We beseech You to forgive all our sins, and to give us grace to live this day sweetly and beautifully, glorifying You, and blessing every life that our lives touch. We ask all in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ WEDNESDAY EVENING
O God our Father, we come now at the close of this day to Your feet with our evening sacrifice. Please accept us and our worship, and grant to us Your mercy. We gave ourselves into Your hand in the morning, and You have kept us through all the experiences of the day.
We bring You our day’s work. It is not what it should have been. We have not lived as well as we knew how to live. We have done many things we did not mean to do — and we have failed to do many things we meant to do. Our own hearts condemn us, and You are greater than our hearts, and Your holy eye has seen much sin in our day, that even we ourselves have not seen. We plead with You for forgiveness.
Yet we beseech You to accept what we bring to You, imperfect and stained as it is. You know how frail we are. You remember that we are dust. Pity our weakness, and teach us how to grow strong. Accept, therefore, the mere fragments of living which we bring You tonight, and use them for the honoring of Your own name, and the blessing of the world.
Whatever has been acceptable in our life and work this day — may You take from our hands and use so that it may become a blessing to others. Bless to others the influences that have gone forth from our lives. If we have done hurt to any of Your children, may You forgive us, and heal the wounds we have made. If we have discouraged others by word or act, or by example, making life harder for them — we plead for forgiveness, and may we be enabled so to live that our lives shall be a constant help and inspiration to others. We ask all in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THURSDAY MORNING
O God, our heavenly Father, we cannot go into the day without Your blessing and help. We are blind, and cannot see where to set our feet, and we need to be led by the hand One who knows all the paths. We put our hands in Yours this morning. Show us the way, for You know its every step.
Tell us what You would have us to do. You have a plan for our day’s life. There are things You have set down for each one of us to do. May we find these things, and may we have grace to do them all. Keep us from being so absorbed in our own plans and schemes, that we cannot take Your plan and do Your will. If sometimes it is hard for us to take Your way, if it breaks into our cherished hopes and desires — still help us always to say, "May Your will be done."
We ask You to give us grace to live today as we should live. Life is not easy for us. Our burdens are heavy. There are temptations at each step. Help us to speak only the words that will minister grace to those who hear. Help us to be honest in all our business transactions. Help us to be thoughtful and kind to all we meet. Help us to be a strength to many. Let us be a discourager to none.
Please bless all of our work today. Without your blessing, there can be no true profit. As earth’s flowers need Heaven’s sun and dew — so our lives need Heaven’s grace and love to make them what they should be. Breathe on us now, as we bow here at Your feet, and fill us with Your Spirit as we go forth. Then we shall be blessed, and be ready for a day of love and peace and joy.
We ask all these favors, with the forgiveness of our sins, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THURSDAY EVENING Our Father, before we lay ourselves down to sleep, we thank You for protection and provision, and for all the blessings of this day. We committed ourselves to Your keeping in the morning — and You have not forgotten us for a moment. We thank You for our home-happiness during the day. Father, bless our family life, and make it more tender and helpful. May our home become a holier place to live in and to grow in. May all its influences be holy, stimulating, uplifting, and enriching. Fill it with Your Holy Spirit, and then it shall be like Heaven.
O Son of God, who made Your home in a household of earth for many years at Nazareth, and went often as a guest into the home of love at Bethany — come and dwell in our home, and bless it with Your tender grace. May we sit at Your feet as Mary did, hearing Your word and learning from You. Then in the time of sorrow, You will come to be our Comforter. We would also break the alabaster box of our heart’s love and anoint Your feet. Come, dear Master, and be our abiding guest. Stay with us all the time. Help us to make our home such a place as You will care to dwell in — a home of truth, of pure feelings, of gentle words, of thoughtful affection. So now, at the end of this day, as we retire to rest, we commit all our household to Your care. Forgive us all our sins. Accept the work we bring to You — only little fragments of what we meant it to be — stained, too, by sins. Take it as it is, and let your blessing rest upon it. Keep us through the darkness, and prepare us for the morrow, whether we shall spend it on earth or in Heaven. We ask all in Your name, O Lamb of God. Amen.
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FRIDAY MORNING
O God, our Father, we thank You for this bright morning. We would catch something of the gladness which everywhere abounds. All Your works praise You. We also would praise You, not simply with our lips — but also with our hearts. We desire to make our lives songs which shall be music to those among whom we move. We desire to live victoriously in our cares and trials, not yielding to them — but keeping Your praise in our hearts even in the deepest darkness and the sorest trial. May You therefore breathe your Spirit into our souls this morning, that we may go out and live cheerfully all the day. Let us not be discouraged by the things that will seem hard. Let us not lose the joy out of our hearts, nor the brightness out of our faces, if we have troubles to meet.
We thank You that You have promised to give Yourself to us according to our needs. We know that while You are always with us, You do come nearer to us when we are in trouble; that while Your strength is always given to us, more of Your strength is given when we are in weakness. May You come to us today according to our needs.
Sometimes we get discouraged and fretful. Keep us today from these depressing moods. Help us to live among our neighbors so that they will say of us that we have God to help us. Keep us from worry and anxiety. Teach us how to cast all our cares upon Jesus, who cares for us. May we trust You so perfectly that whatever may come into our life, we shall be happy and strong in You.
We pray for all of our household. Prepare us for all the duties, tasks, and cares of the day. Let no accident befall any of us, and bring us together again in the evening. We ask these favors, with the forgiveness of our sins, in the Savior’s precious name. Amen.
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FRIDAY EVENING Our Father, bless us, Your children, as we bow before You now, at the close of the day. We have not lived as well as we meant to do, when we set out in the morning. We thought we would mount up on wings — but we have only dragged ourselves along on the earth. We thought we would not forget You for a moment — but somehow we have let You out of our thoughts very often. Our day that began so brightly, with good resolutions and honest purposes, has been only a marred, stained day. Father, forgive us — and then teach us lessons of wisdom from the mistakes and sins of today, so that we may make tomorrow a holier day. Help us to learn from our own errors, so that we may never repeat them.
We bring You our day’s work. It does not seem much. We have tried to do our duty, each of us in our different places — in our business and work outside, in our household task-work, in school, in play. We have tried to be patient and kind, the one to the other, within our own home. We have tried to be good neighbors to those about us. Wherein we have failed in any of these duties — we ask You to forgive us, and give us grace to do better.
Bless us now at the end of this day. As we pass to our rest for the night, may You receive us into Your care. If death should come to any of us before the morning, receive us home to our Father’s house. If we live until the dawn of a new day, prepare us for its duties.
We would not forget tonight, those who have not the shelter of home-love as we have. Remember the sick and those who are watching through the darkness beside the sick. Comfort all who are sitting in sorrow, and make them strong to accept God’s will.
Grant us these mercies and favors, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ SATURDAY MORNING Our Father, breathe upon us and give us a morning blessing. For keeping us through the night, we thank You. For the blessings which came to us in our sleep, we thank You. As a new day has dawned upon us, may new divine light and peace be poured upon us. Make our pathway full of gladness. We ask You to give us this day our daily bread. We ask not for luxury — but we ask for what we need. May Your blessing be upon what we receive. We ask for strength for our labor, that we may earn the food we require. We ask You to open our eyes, that we may see You as the Giver of all the good things we enjoy. Sometimes we forget that these mercies come from Your hand. We think we have gotten them ourselves. Show us Yourself as the giver of every good and perfect blessing, and give us grace to be grateful.
We desire to live cheerfully this day. Sometimes we complain and find fault, murmuring at the little trials that come to us. Forgive us all our complainings, and give us hearts that shall be always grateful. You have said that You work all things together for good, to those who love You. Help us to believe this promise; and when there are trials and losses, still to rejoice, because Your hand will surely bring good out of evil. Help us in all things to trust You, to lay all our cares in Your hand and leave them there, without anxiety.
You have promised to be with us always. Fulfill to us this word on which You have caused us to hope. We cannot go out into the new way of this day, without Your presence. We beseech You to walk beside us, and to give us Your protection, and Your guidance and help. We have never gone this way before, and we cannot find the path ourselves. All this we ask in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ SATURDAY EVENING
O Jesus, You love us, and we come now to rest in Your love at the close of the week. It has not been easy for us. We have had our labors, our tasks, our burdens, our struggles, our anxieties, our duties, our sorrows. We are tired tonight. Our feet are weary from the long journey. It is very sweet for us to remember that You were tired, blessed Jesus, more than once during Your earthly experience. We have read how You sat down on the old well curb, so weary after traveling in the hot dust, that You could not go any further. You are able to understand how we feel, when we are tired. We are glad of Your sympathy tonight.
Accept our day’s work and make it Yours. Forgive all that You see wrong in what we have said or done. Forbid, O Jesus, that anything we have done may have caused hurt to Your cause or to any other life. Forgive any rash word or act of ours, which may have given pain to anyone. Take our work, cleanse it, perfect it — and then use it to help in some way to establish Your kingdom.
Before us is the night, yet in its darkness — You walk, our unseen Friend. We desire to keep near to You, to hide ourselves in the shelter of Your love — and then no harm shall befall us, and no evil shall come near us. Take care of us — for we cannot take care of ourselves. Keep us — for we cannot keep ourselves. Watch over us in the darkness of the night — for we cannot protect our own lives. Give us refreshing rest in sleep, and fit us for the Sunday that will dawn upon us in the morning. May it be to us indeed the Lord’s Day, and may we be in the Spirit, and the Spirit in us. Gather us all near Your heart, and overspread our home with Your wings. We ask all in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
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