05.05. FIFTH WEEK
FIFTH WEEK
SUNDAY MORNING
O God, we thank You for this holy Sunday. It is Your own day. It was honored and hallowed by You at the beginning. It was made doubly sacred by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is full, too, of holy hopes, as it typifies to us the eternal Heavenly rest. We thank You for all that the day means to us in our personal lives, and for the blessings it has brought to our home. We thank You for its quiet rest, that we can cease from our week-day toil, and spend the day with You. May You make this a day of real blessing to us. May Heaven’s windows be opened, and may holy blessings be sent down upon us. Bless our home life today. May we get closer together as a family. May our affection be sweetened. Fill our hearts with Your own love — and then we shall love each other as we ought. Bless our home conversation. May it be profitable to us, ministering grace to our hearts. May it be worthy of the day. Help us to shut out of our lives whatever is worldly or unworthy of You. May Your Spirit brood over our home, filling it with gentle, enriching influences.
Bless our worship in Your house. Go with us and help us in the public services to honor You. Open our eyes, that we may see wonderful things in Your word. Sanctify to us the worship and the instruction of the sanctuary. May we be so blessed in our hearts by waiting upon You that we shall be ready for good service all the week.
Help us also to be blessings to others today. Fill us so with Your Spirit, that every life which touches ours may receive blessing and good from us.
We ask all these Sunday blessings at Your hand, humbly, believingly, and joyously, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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SUNDAY EVENING May Your peace be upon us, our Father, this sweet Sunday evening. The day has been to us like a quiet oasis in the world’s wilderness. We have enjoyed its restfulness. We have sat under Your shadow with great delight. We have drunk from the springs of water that flow from under Your throne. May You bless to us all Sunday’s enjoyments and privileges. May we be better able for work, because of the strength we have received while waiting only upon You.
Give us now our evening blessing. We long for more familiar acquaintance with You. Somehow we do not get to know You, as we desire to. We cannot see You with our mortal eyes, nor feel the touch of Your hand upon us, nor hear Your voice speaking to us, and we do not realize Your closeness to us. Help us to know You better. Reveal Yourself to us in Your word as we read it. May Your Spirit make You known to us. Make us more conscious of Your love for us. May we receive more spiritual life into our souls. Give us a deeper measure of Your joy, of Your peace, of Your love. May Jesus be in us, and may we be filled with all Your fullness.
We wait at Your feet this evening, to have our lives saturated, as it were, with Your grace. We desire to be like You, Lord Jesus, and we can become like You only by the transforming of our lives through Your indwelling. We hunger and thirst after righteousness, to have our characters made holy and good, like Yourself. You have promised to satisfy those who have this longing. Fill us, and satisfy our cravings. May we go into the new week, full of Jesus, and thus prepared to be a blessing to many. We wait now for your blessing. We ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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MONDAY MORNING Our Father, bless to us Your word which we have read together this morning. We thank You that it brings to us the very counsels of Your own will. May it stay in our hearts all the day. May it be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, as we go forth, and wherever we go. May its truth shine within us to show us Your will, what Your thoughts concerning us are, and what You would have us to do. We thank You for this heavenly light which You have given us. Without it we never could find the way home through the tangled paths. Without it we could not know that You love us or think upon us. Help us to receive Your words always in meekness and humility. Help us to walk in the way which You have made so plain to us.
We ask You to fill us with Your love this morning, as we begin the day, that wherever we go, our faces may shine with something of the light of Your face. We have no light of our own. Our lamps are empty, unless You fill them. We beseech You to give us of Your grace, to fill our little lamps, that they may burn ever brightly. We do not want to be in darkness in this world — but desire to be lights, and we will so shine if we have Your grace in us. Fill us with Your own holy light.
We yearn to be blessings today to each other, and to all whom we meet. Give us something to carry to others — something of Your love and grace. Lay Your hand upon us and give us each a Father’s blessing, first for ourselves and then to bear to our neighbors and friends.
Keep us all from evil. Let us not sin willfully against You this day. Bring us all together in the evening, when our work is done, if it be Your will. We ask all these favors in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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MONDAY EVENING To whom, Lord, shall we go, but to You? You have the words of eternal life! You alone know our needs — and You alone can supply them. You alone can give us guidance, wisdom, help, comfort in sorrow, forgiveness for sin, and eternal life. We bow at Your feet tonight, knowing that we have no need of any kind which You cannot supply. You can make provision for our bodily needs. You can furnish all that we need for our mental and spiritual life. This has been a profitable day for us, because You have blessed us. We have received new mercies at Your hand. We have had food and clothing, and many of life’s good things. For these common mercies we thank You. We thank You for all the good that has come to us through our human friends — their sympathy and kindness. We thank You for home love and trust — for all that our home means to us. It is a shelter from the storms. We can turn away from the world’s insincerity, self-interest, envy and rancor, and find always within our own door — love that is true, deep, unselfish, enriching, and comforting. Here we are sure of each other’s love. We do not need to be so on our guard, as when we are outside. So we thank You for the blessing of our home, for its companionship, its joy, its comfort, the healing of its love.
Help us to make our home holier, more loving, more true and pure, more full of inspiration — the best place in the world to grow up in. Now while we kneel together as a family, around the family altar, in our evening prayer, we plead for Your blessing. Abide with us. Be our guest tonight. Give us blessings in sleep. Prepare us for a new day, and give us new blessings when it opens. We ask all in the name of our Redeemer. Amen.
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TUESDAY MORNING
We bow at Your feet, O God, this morning to ask of You the help we shall need for our day. We cannot tell what we shall meet, what burdens may be laid upon us, through what conflicts we may have to pass. But You know all that this day holds for us. Your eye sees every step of its path. Like little children, therefore, we put our hands in Yours, asking that You will lead us in the way in which we should go. We wish it to be a day that shall honor You. We desire to live sweetly, patiently, and unselfishly. But in ourselves, we shall not be able to live up to our own ideals — to do the things we want to do. We cast our weakness on Your strength, asking You for the help we shall need at every step.
We desire that this shall be a day of usefulness. We would do all our tasks well, leaving nothing undone that we ought to do. Help us to be honest, true, skillful, alert, and to do all things faithfully; not for human eyes — but for Your eye. We desire also to be helpful to others during this day. Give us much of the spirit of kindness, thoughtfulness, and helpfulness — so that every life which ours touches, may receive some blessing. May our words be encouraging words, making life easier for others, or making them stronger to meet it.
If there are sick people, or troubled and tempted ones, whom You would have us help today — may You lead us to them and put into our heart the right thought of kindness, into our lips the right words to speak, into our hands the touch which may strengthen and heal.
Thanking You for the goodness of the last night, and asking You for the forgiveness of all our sins, we now give ourselves to You, to be used by You today as You will. In Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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TUESDAY EVENING
Father, as we creep to Your feet, at the close of the day, we beseech You to bless us. The day has not been made white with obedience, as we meant to make it when we set out in the morning. We wanted . . .
to do only Your will,
to be gentle and kindly in all our thought, feeling, and speech,
to keep a sweet temper,
and to live unselfishly.
We fell far below our intention. We were asleep, when we ought to have been waking and watching. Forgive us all this weakness, for You know how frail we are. Have mercy upon us and bless us, as we bow now at Your feet, and grant us Your peace at the ending of the day.
Father, there are many we would pray for. Remember each one of our own household. We cannot tell You the deepest needs of each. Indeed we do not know ourselves, what our realest needs are. Ofttimes the things we want and think we need — would only do us hurt if we had them. What seems to us a loaf of bread — is only a stone, and would not feed us if we had it. Ofttimes the things we would like to have taken out of our life, thinking that they are hindering us — are just the things we need to bless us. We know not what we should pray for. Hence we ask simply that You will bless us. Take each one of us into Your tender care, and do with us whatever will be the best for us.
Hide us away now under Your sheltering wings during the darkness. You have promised to give blessings to Your beloved in their sleep. May we arise in the morning strong for the new day.
We ask for these favors, with hearts grateful for past mercies and full of hope and confidence for the future, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ WEDNESDAY MORNING
Gracious Father, we come to You at the opening of the day to crave Your blessing. We thank You for the rest of the night. We laid us down and slept; we awaked; for You sustained us. We will not be afraid of ten thousands who might set themselves against us round about. You are our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.
Now, our Father, send us out into the new day, on new errands. We want to take our orders from You. Incline our hearts to keep Your commandments. Cleanse us from secret faults and sins; keep us back also from presumptuous sins. You are able to keep us from falling — and we commit our souls to Your holy guardianship. Deliver us from the Evil One. We have no power to stand against his crafty assaults, and can only entrust the keeping of our souls to You, as to a faithful Creator and Friend. Save us from the Tempter.
We ask that You will make us strong for duty. We have many things to do, which will require wisdom and persistence. Give us the strength which comes out of victoriousness in struggle. Fit us for doing good at home — one to another. May our home receive rich blessings from You. Let nothing embitter our affection, or mar our fellowship. Make our love for each other more sincere, more patient, thoughtful, and kind. May we learn the lessons of love better and better. May the light shine out from the windows of our home, to show others outside how to live more sweetly. May Your grace be upon us in proportion to our need, filling heart and life, and preparing us for every experience we may have. We ask all in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ WEDNESDAY EVENING
O God, who has taught us in Your holy word to be anxious for nothing — but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to make known our requests unto You — hear us this evening as we come to You with our supplications. There are many things in our lives which might cause us to be anxious, were it not for the promises of Your love. There have been things in the life of this day which naturally would make us worry. There have been discouragements — not all our expectations have been realized. It would be easy for us to be anxious — if we would yield to our feelings. But we remember our Savior’s earnest teachings against worrying — that we ought to take no anxious thought, because our Heavenly Father knows what things we need, and that we ought to seek first the kingdom of Heaven — and we want to obey His counsel. Help us to learn this beautiful lesson. It is not easy to learn it. We are prone to fret, complain, and worry. Help us to overcome this disposition, and never to yield to its sway.
Help us to learn the lesson Your servant Paul tells us that he had learned — in whatever state we are, therein to be content. May the love of Jesus in us be so strong, that we shall not mind the little trials along the way. May Your peace in our hearts be so deep, so tranquil, so controlling — that all frets and discontents shall be swallowed up in its blessed fullness. Help us to follow so intently the one essential thing of Christian life — the doing of Your will — that no hardness of the way, no cross bearing, no difficulties, no discouragements — shall have any power to divert our hearts and thoughts from our supreme purpose. We ask for grace to learn this lesson, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THURSDAY MORNING Our Father, bless to us Your word which we have read together this morning. We thank You that it brings to us the very counsels of Your own will. May it be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, as we go forth, and wherever we go. May its truth shine within us to show us Your will, what Your thoughts concerning us are, and what You would have us to do. We thank You for this heavenly light which You have given us. Without it, we could never find our way home through the tangled paths. Without it, we could never know that You love us or think upon us, that You are indeed our Father. Help us to receive Your word always in meekness and humility. Help us to walk in the way which You have made so plain to us.
We ask You to fill us with Your love as we begin the day — that wherever we go we may carry something of the light of Your face. We have no light of our own. We beseech You to give us Your grace, to fill our little lamps that they may burn all this day. We do not want to be darkness in this world — but desire to shine as lights, and we will so shine if we have Your grace in us. Fill us with Your own blessed light.
We yearn to be blessings to each other today, and to all whom we meet. Give us something to carry to others — something of Your love and grace. Lay Your hand upon us, and give us each a Father’s blessing, first for ourselves, and then to take to our neighbors and friends.
Keep us all from evil. Let us not willfully sin against You this day. Help us to be faithful in all our ways. Bring us all together in the evening, when our work is done, if it be Your will. We ask these favors in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ THURSDAY EVENING
O Lord, You have taught us to cast our burden upon You, with the assurance that You will sustain us; and we beseech You to hear us tonight as we come with our burdens. Life is too hard for us. Duty is too great for us. We have no power of our own to do the things that it is our duty to do. We cannot meet our responsibilities. We have obligations to each other in our home. We owe duties to Your church, to society, to the state, to our friends, to the whole world. We are debtor to everyone, even to the heathen in dark lands. Who is sufficient for these things? We cannot carry the burden of our personal responsibility.
Then we have our burdens of duty. Temptation puts burdens upon us. The world’s sorrow lays a heavy load upon our hearts. There are burdens, too, which belong to our condition, or our circumstances. It is hard for us to be holy. It is hard for us to go on, day after day, year after year, in the dreary rounds of our task-work. It is hard for us to endure life’s frictions and irritations — and always keep sweet. It is hard for us to be patient with all kinds of people, in all sorts of trying experiences — never losing temper, never yielding to exasperating things.
We have our burdens which are hard to carry, our daily crosses which it is hard to take up and bear. We never could do it — but for the privilege of casting them upon You. We do not ask to have the burdens taken off, for it may be that we need to bear them, for the world’s good, or our own; but we ask that You will sustain us, and that we may walk beneath our load quietly and confidently, leaning upon You. Help us, O God, and then we shall be able to bear our burdens without fainting, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
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FRIDAY MORNING
O most merciful Father, who loves all Your redeemed children — we confess our manifold sins and shortcomings, and beseech You to show us Your mercy and favor. We are not worthy to be called Your children. We have gone astray from Your commandments, wandering like lost sheep, walking in paths of our own choosing. We have known Your ways — and have not walked in them. We make humble confession of all our transgressions, and implore Your forgiveness.
We desire to enter more deeply into the experience of Your love. Help us to believe in the love You have for us, and to understand something of the greatness of Your love. We are like little children over whom mothers bend with holy affection — but who are unconscious of it. We do not know the divine love that yearns over us. If we knew it, we would never doubt nor be afraid. We long to realize this love that never fails nor forgets.
We desire to be conscious all this day of Your divine care and affection. Then nothing shall disturb us, nor quench our ardor, nor break our peace. We shall not then be vexed by cares. Temptation will have no power over us. Dangers will not alarm us. Then our very faces shall shine with the luster of indwelling grace.
We ask for help in all our duties, that we do our work faithfully; not carelessly nor negligently — but everything diligently. We pray for our friends, that they may all be kept near You in the shelter of Your love. Let a blessing be on those who are sick, upon any who are near to death — that they may be ready to depart when You call them; upon all who are in trouble; upon the poor, the bereft, the sorrowing, and the sinning. We ask all these things in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
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FRIDAY EVENING
O Lord, open our lips — and our mouth shall show forth Your praise. We thank You for all Your bountiful goodness. This has been a day of faithfulness and mercy. The heavens over our heads have dropped down their gentle influences upon us, filling our lives with the dews of grace. The earth beneath our feet has been filled with the fruits of Your love and thoughtfulness. We give you hearty thanks — for every good gift and every perfect blessing is from You.
We thank You for our home, and all that it contains of comfort and blessing. We thank You for home’s friendships and for all the blessings they bring to us. We thank You for the blessings which we do not recognize — which do not seem to be blessings, but trials. We know that in every one of them, is wrapped up some gift of divine love. Help us always to find the blessing and the good, even in the rough husk. We desire never to miss any token of love You may send, though it comes in form of pain or sorrow.
We would worship You as our God. Let no voice of our soul be silent to You — but may every power of our being utter thanksgiving to You, the gracious God. We entrust ourselves to Your keeping for the night. Watch over us and let no evil touch our lives. Purify our hearts. Fill us with Your truth. Let your Spirit enter into us and make us like Yourself. Consecrate us to Your own service and use.
Lay not to our charge our manifold sins against You — but grant to us full remission and cleansing, and give us such a measure of Your grace that we shall henceforth live to Your honor and glory. We ask it in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ SATURDAY MORNING The day is Yours, O God; so also is the night. We have come out of the night, where we were with You, for darkness and light are both alike to You. Now we are entering again upon another day, and You are here too, in the light. We would spend the day with You, as we have spent the night. Light has its dangers, as has darkness. The pestilence walks at noonday. Evil wears the garb of an angel of light. Temptation comes in our busy hours. Sin is always about us and within us. We need You in the day, as well as in the night. Let not our feet stumble. Let no iniquity have dominion over us. Keep us back from presumptuous sins. May we indeed live as children of the light. May we wear light as a garment. Clothe us with righteousness — Your righteousness. May we all stand before You clad in the garments which Jesus Christ has provided for us, the garments of redemption and salvation. Then before the world may we appear also, robed in the righteousness which grace provides. May we put off the spotted and filthy rags of the old sinful nature. Then may we put on the new man who is created in righteousness and true holiness. May we put on whatever things are pure, whatever things are true, whatever things are lovely. May our light so shine, that men seeing our good works may glorify You, our Father in Heaven.
We ask, therefore, for the fullness of Your holy Spirit. Only when You live in us, can we be clad in the garments of light. May we be all glorious within, through the renewing of our nature; then may our dress be robes of golden beauty. Breathe upon us, this morning, and give us Your Spirit as we go forth. We ask in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ SATURDAY EVENING Our Father, the closing of another week reminds us that we are now nearer home than ever we have been before — nearer our Father’s house where the many mansions are; nearer the great white throne; nearer the crystal sea; nearer the end of life where we shall lay our burdens down. Beyond death’s shadows, is Heaven.
Help us to believe in the invisible things of our Christian faith, and let us not dread any night that leads to glory’s day. It may be that we are nearer home than we think. Father, perfect our trust. Let our spirits feel, when the hour of death comes, that our feet are firmly set on the rock of a living faith.
We ask You to accept our week and bless it. If it is for any of us the last week we shall live in this world — we leave it now with You, asking You graciously to forgive whatever has been wrong in our conduct, in our words, in our disposition. We cast our lives on Your mercy. We live no day, without sinning many times. Our hope is always in Your grace. Take our week and cleanse it. May all its experiences work for good. May its lessons be well learned and never be forgotten. May all of its work be blessed. May we have sweet, refreshing sleep, and be made ready for a quiet and good Sunday of love and grace. We ask all in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.
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