Valley of Vision (Revised)

Praise And Thanksgiving

2022-05-26T13:51:00.002-05:00

O my God,

O fairest, greatest, first of all things,

my heart admires, adores, and loves you,

for my little vessel is as full as it can be,

and I would pour out all that fullness before you in ceaseless flow.

When I think about and converse with you

ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,

ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,

ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,

crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless you for the soul you have created,

for adorning it, sanctifying it,

though it is fixed in barren soil;

for the body you have given me,

for preserving its strength and vigor,

for providing senses to enjoy delights,

for the ease and freedom of my limbs,

for hands, eyes, ears that do your bidding;

for your royal bounty providing my daily support,

for a full table and overflowing cup,

for appetite, taste, sweetness,

for social joys of relatives and friends,

for ability to serve others,

for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,

for a mind to care for my fellow-men,

for opportunities of spreading happiness around,

for loved ones in the joys of heaven,

for my own expectation of seeing you clearly.

I love you above the powers of language to express,

for what you are to your creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

God Honored

2022-03-11T15:16:00.000-06:00

O God,

Praise waits for you,

and to offer it is my noblest activity;

This is your due from all your creatures,

for all your works display your attributes and fulfill your designs;

The sea, dry land, winter cold, summer heat,

morning light, and evening shade are full of you,

and you give me them richly to enjoy.

You are King of kings and Lord of lords;

At your pleasure empires rise and fall;

All your works praise you and your saints bless you;

Let me be numbered with your holy ones,

resemble them in character and condition,

and sit with them at Jesus' feet.

May my walk with you be always firmly rooted in your Word,

my understanding divinely informed,

my affections holy and heavenly,

my motives simple and pure,

and my heart never wrong with you.

Deliver me from the natural darkness of my own mind,

from the corruptions of my heart,

from the temptations to which I am exposed,

from the daily snares that attend me.

I am in constant danger while I am in this life;

Let your watchful eye ever be upon me for my defense,

Save me from the power of my worldly and spiritual enemies

and from all painful evils to which I have exposed myself.

Until the day of life dawns above

let there be unrestrained fellowship with Jesus;

Until fullness comes, may I enjoy the deposit of my inheritance

and the firstfruits of the Spirit;

Until I finish my course with joy may I pursue it with diligence,

in every part display the resources of the Christian,

and adorn the doctrine of you my God

in all things.

Man's Great End

2022-03-04T14:14:00.000-06:00

Lord of all being,

There is one thing that deserves my greatest care,

that calls forth my fervent desires,

That is, that I may live for the great end for which I am made -

to glorify you who have given me being,

and to do all the good I can for my fellow men;

Truly, life is not worth having

if it is not lived for this noble purpose.

Yet, Lord, how little is this the thought of mankind!

Most men seem to live for themselves,

without much or any regard for your glory,

or for the good of others;

They earnestly desire and eagerly pursue

the riches, honors, and pleasures of this life,

as if they supposed that wealth, greatness and merriment,

could make their immortal souls happy;

But, alas, what false deceptive dreams are these!

And how miserable before long will those be that sleep in them,

for all our happiness consists in loving thee,

and being holy as thou art holy.

O may I never fall into the passions and emptiness,

the sensuality and folly of the present world!

It is a place of inexpressible sorrow, a vast empty nothingness;

Time is a moment, a vapor,

and all its enjoyments are empty bubbles,

fleeting gusts of wind,

from which nothing satisfactory can be gotten;

Give me grace always to keep in covenant with you,

and to reject as delusion personal fame here or hereafter,

together with all sinful pleasures or profits.

Help me to know continually

that there can be no true happiness,

no fulfilling of your purpose for me,

apart from a life lived in and for the Son of your love.

God and Myself

2022-02-21T14:05:00.000-06:00

Lord God Almighty,

Your understanding is unsearchable and infinite,

Your arm cannot be restrained,

Your activity extends through limitless space,

All works hang on your care,

With you all time is a present now.

Holy is your wisdom, power, mercy, ways, works.

How can I stand before you

with my numberless and flagrant offences?

I have often loved darkness,

embraced empty lies,

shunned your given mercies,

trampled underfoot your beloved Son's name,

mocked your blessings,

flattered you with my lips,

and broken your covenant.

It is only because of your compassion that I am not consumed.

Lead me to repentance, and save me from despair;

Let me come to you renouncing, condemning, loathing myself,

but hoping in the grace that flows even to the chief of sinners.

At the cross may I contemplate the evil of sin, and abhor it,

look on him whom I pierced,

as one slain for me, and by me.

May I never despise his death by fearing its ability to save me.

And whatever cross I am required to bear,

let me see him carrying a heavier one.

Teach me in health to think of sickness,

in the brightest hours to be ready for darkness;

in life prepare me for death.

Thus may my soul rest in you, O immortal and transcendent one,

revealed as you are in the Person and work of your Son,

the Friend of sinners.

The Cry of a Convicted Sinner

2022-02-18T16:05:00.001-06:00

O Righteous and Holy King,

In whose hand is my life and whose are all my ways,

Keep me from fluttering around the life of faith;

fix me firm in it,

for I am non-committal;

my decisions are smoke and vapor,

and I do not glorify you,

or behave according to your will;

Please do not cut down my life before my intentions grow into actions,

and the budding of my soul into full flower,

for you are forbearing and good,

patient and kind.

Save me from myself,

from the trickery and deceits of sin,

from the treachery of my perverse nature,

from denying your charge against my offenses

from a life of continual rebellion against you,

from wrong principles, views and aims;

for I know that all my thoughts, affections,

desires and pursuits are alienated from you.

I have acted as if I hated you, although you are love itself;

have striven to tempt you to the uttermost,

to wear our your patience;

have lived wickedly in word and action.

Had I been a ruler

I would long ago have crushed such a rebel;

Had I been a father

I would long since have rejected my child.

O, Father of my spirit,

King of my life,

cast me not into destruction,

drive my not from your presence,

but wound my heart that it may be healed;

break it that your own hand

may make it whole.

The Convicting Spirit

2022-02-16T12:09:00.000-06:00

Blessed Spirit, Author of all grace and comfort,

Come, work repentance in my soul;

Show sin to me in its hideous colors that I may hate it;

Melt my heart by the majesty and mercy of God;

Show me my ruined self and the help there is in him;

Teach me to behold my Creator,

his ability to save,

his arms outstretched,

and his heart big for me.

May I confide in his power and love,

commit my soul to him without reserve,

bear his image, observe his laws, pursue his service,

and be through time and eternity

a monument to the efficacy of his grace,

and a trophy of his victory.

Make me willing to be saved in his way

seeing nothing in myself, but all in Jesus:

Help me not only to receive him but

to walk in him,

depend upon him,

commune with him,

be conformed to him,

and follow him,

imperfect, but still pressing forward,

not complaining about work, but valuing rest,

not murmuring under trials, but thankful for my state.

Give me that faith which is the means of salvations,

and the main producer of all godliness

May I be saved by grace through faith,

live by faith,

feel the joy of faith,

do the work of faith.

Finding nothing in myself, may I find in Christ

wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption

The Awakened Sinner

2022-02-11T12:00:00.002-06:00

O my forgetful soul,

Wake up from your wandering dream;

turn from chasing empty things

look inward, forward, upward

view yourself,

reflect upon yourself,

who and what you are, why you are here

what you must soon be.

You are a creature of God

formed and furnished by him,

housed in a body like a shepherd in his tent;

Do you not desire to know God's ways?

O God,

You injured, neglected, provoked benefactor

when I think upon your greatness and your goodness

I am ashamed at my dullness,

I blush to lift up my face,

for I have foolishly erred.

Should I go on neglecting you,

when every one of your rational creatures should love you

and take every care to please you?

I confess that you have not been in all my thoughts,

that the knowledge of you as the end of my being has been strangely overlooked,

that I have never seriously considered my heart-need

But although my mind is perplexed and divided,

and my nature is perverse,

yet my secret dispositions still desire you.

Let me not delay to come to you;

Break the fatal enchantment that binds my evil affections

and bring me to a happy mind that rests in you,

for you have made me and cannot forget me.

Let your Spirit teach me the vital lessons of Christ,

for I am slow to learn;

And hear my broken cries.

The Gospel Way

2019-01-14T12:36:00.000-06:00

Blessed Lord Jesus,

No human mind could conceive or invent the gospel.

Acting in eternal grace, you yourself are both

the gospel messenger and the gospel message,

lived out on earth through inﬁnite compassion,

applying your life to insult, injury, death,

that I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed.

Blessing be to you, O Father, for devising this way,

Eternal thanks to you, O Lamb of God, for opening this way,

Praise everlasting to you, O Holy Spirit, for applying this way to my heart.

Glorious Trinity, impress the gospel on my soul,

until its virtue pervades every aspect of my life;

Let it be heard, acknowledged, professed, felt.

Teach me to do everything needful to secure this might blessing;

Help me to give up every darling lust,

to submit heart and life to its command,

to have it always in my will,

controlling my affections,

molding my understanding;

to keep strictly to your ways,

not departing from them in any instance,

even if doing so would enable me to escape the evil of others, inconvenience or danger.

Take me to the cross to seek glory from its infamy;

Strip me of every pleasing pretense that I am making my own righteousness.

O gracious Redeemer,

I have neglected you too long,

often crucified you,

crucified you afresh by my unrepentant ways,

put you to open shame.

I thank you for the patience that has borne with me so long,

and for the grace that now makes me want to be yours.

O unite me to yourself with inseparable bonds,

that nothing may ever draw me back from you, my Lord, my Savior.

The Spirit's Work

2018-04-28T10:34:00.001-05:00

O God the Holy Spirit,

You who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

have mercy on me.

When thou first hovered over chaos, order came to life,

beauty robed the world, fruitfulness sprang forth.

Move, I pray, upon my messed up heart;

Take away the sickness of out-of-control desires and hateful lusts;

Lift the mists and darkness of unbelief;

Brighten my soul with the pure light of truth;

Make it fragrant as the garden of paradise,

rich with every good fruit,

beautiful with heavenly grace,

radiant with rays of divine light.

Fulfill in me the glory of your divine ministries;

Be my comforter, light, guide, sanctiﬁer;

Take of the things of Christ and show them to my soul;

Through you may l daily learn more of his love,

grace, compassion, faithfulness, beauty;

Lead me to the cross and show me his wounds,

the hateful nature of evil, the power of Satan;

May l there see my sins as

the nails that pinned him there,

the cords that bound him,

the thorns that tore him,

the sword that pierced him.

Help me to find in his death the reality and immensity of his love.

Open for me the wondrous volumes of truth in his, ‘It is ﬁnished’.

Increase my faith in the clear knowledge of

atonement achieved, payment completed,

satisfaction made, guilt erased,

my debt paid, my sins forgiven,

my life redeemed, my soul saved,

hell vanquished, heaven opened, eternity made mine.

O Holy Spirit, deepen in me these saving lessons.

Write them upon my heart, that my walk would be sin-hating, sin-fleeing, and Christ-loving; And allow no snare of Satan to beguile or deceive me.

The Spirit of Jesus

2018-04-21T12:07:00.000-05:00

Lord Jesus Christ,

Fill me with your Spirit

that I may be occupied with his presence.

I am blind - send him to make me see;

dark - let him say, ‘Let there be light’!

May he give me faith to behold

my name engraved on your hand,

my soul and body redeemed by your blood,

my sinfulness covered by your life of pure obedience.

Replenish me by his revealing grace,

that l may realise my unbreakable union with you;

that I may know you have married me to yourself for ever,

in righteousness, love, mercy, faithfulness;

that l am one with you,

as a branch with its trunk,

as a building with its foundation.

May his comforts cheer me in my sorrows,

his strength sustain me in my trials,

his blessings revive me in my weariness,

his presence render me a fruitful tree of holiness,

his might establish me in peace and joy,

his promptings make me ceaseless in prayer,

his enlivening kindle in me undying devotion.

Send him as the searcher of my heart,

to show me more of my corruptions and helplessness

that I may ﬂee to thee,

cling to thee

rest on thee

as the beginning and end of my salvation.

May I never grieve him by my indifference and waywardness,

grieve him by my cold welcome,

resist him by my hard rebellion.

Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your great name's sake.

Spiritus Sanctus

2018-02-24T10:38:00.001-06:00

O HOLY SPIRIT,

As the sun is full of light,
the ocean full of water,
Heaven full of glory, so may my heart be full of you.
Vain are all divine purposes of love
and the redemption wrought by Jesus
unless you work within me,
regenerating me by your power,
giving me eyes to see Jesus,
showing me the realities of the unseen world.
O give me yourself without measure,
as an unimpaired fountain,
as inexhaustible riches.
I lament my coldness, poverty, emptiness,
imperfect vision, apathetic service,
prayerless prayers, praiseless praises.
Allow me not to grieve or resist you.
Come as power,
to expel every rebel lust, to reign supreme and keep me yours;
Come as teacher,
leading me into all truth, ﬁlling me with all understanding;
Come as love,
that I may adore the Father, and love him as my all;
Come as joy,
to dwell in me, move in me, animate me;
Come as light,
illuminating the Scripture, molding me in its precepts;
Come as sanctiﬁer,
body, soul and spirit wholly yours;
Come as helper,
with strength to bless and keep, directing my every step;
Come as beautifier,
bringing order out of confusion, loveliness out of chaos.
Magnify to me your glory by being magniﬁed in me,
and make me to radiate thy fragrance.

A Present Salvation

2016-02-24T09:23:00.000-06:00

Creator and Redeemer God,

Author of all existence, source of all blessedness,
I adore you for making me capable of knowing you,
for giving me reason and conscience,
for leading me to desire you;
I praise you for the revelation of yourself in the gospel,
for your heart as a dwelling place of pity,
for your thoughts of peace towards me,
for your patience and your graciousness,
for the vastness of your mercy.
You have moved my conscience to know how
the guilty can be pardoned,
the unholy sanctified,
the poor enriched.
May I be always amongst those who not only hear but know you,
who walk with and rejoice in you,
who take you at your word and find life there.

O keep me always longing
for a present salvation in Holy Spirit comforts and rejoicings
for spiritual graces and blessings,
for help to value my duties as well as my privileges.
May I cherish simplicity and godly sincerity of character.
Help me to be in reality before you
as in appearance I am before men,
to be religious before I profess religion,
to leave the world before I enter the church,
to set my affections on things above,
to shun forbidden follies and vanities,
to be a dispenser of as well as a partaker of grace,
to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good.
O God, make me worthy of this calling,
that the name of Jesus may be glorified in me
and I in him.

God Enjoyed

2016-01-14T09:07:00.000-06:00

O incomprehensible but prayer-hearing God,

Known, but beyond knowledge,
revealed, but unrevealed,
my wants and welfare draw me to you
for you have never said, "Seek me in vain".
To you I come in my difficulties, necessities, distresses;
possess me with yourself,
with a spirit of grace and supplication,
with a prayerful attitude of mind,
with access into warmth of fellowship,
so that in the ordinary things of life
my thoughts and desires may rise to you,
and in constantly looking to you I may find a resource
that will soothe my sorrows,
sanctify my successes,
and equip me in all ways for dealings
with my fellow men.
I bless you that you have made me capable
of knowing you, the author of all being,
of resembling you, the perfection of all excellency,
of enjoying you, the source of all happiness.
O God, be with me in every part of my taxing and trying life journey;
I need the same counsel, defense and comfort
I found at my beginning with you.
Let my walk with you be more at the forefront of my mind,
more observable to those around me.
While Jesus is representing me in heaven,
may I reflect him on earth,
While he pleads my cause, may I show forth his praise.

Please continue the gentleness of your goodness towards me,
And whether I wake or sleep, let your presence go with me,
and your blessing attend me.
You have led me on and I have found your promises true,
I have been sorrowful, but you have been my help,
fearful, but you have delivered me,
despairing, but you have lifted me up.
Your guarantees are ever upon me,
And I praise you, O God.

Divine Mercies

2015-09-08T09:21:00.000-05:00

O Eternal God,

Yours is surpassing greatness, unspeakable goodness, super-abundant grace;
I can more easily count the sands on the ocean's shore
than number your favors towards me;
I know only a part, but that part exceeds all praise.
I thank you for personal mercies,
a measure of health, preservation of body,
comforts of house and home, sufficiency of food and clothing,
continuance of mental wellness,
my family, their mutual help and support
the delights of domestic harmony and peace,
the seats now filled that might have been vacant,
my country, church, Bible, faith.
But, O, how I mourn my sin, ingratitude, vileness,
the days that add to my guilt,
the scenes that witness my offending tongue;
All things in heaven, earth, around, within, without, condemn me -
the sun which sees my misdeeds,
the darkness which is light to you,
the cruel accuser who justly charges me,
the good angels who have been provoked to leave me,
your face which scans my secret sins,
your righteous law, your holy Word,
my sin-soiled conscience, my private and public life,
my neighbors, myself -
all write dark things against me.
I deny them not, offer no excuse, but confess,
"Father, I have sinned";
Yet still I live, and fly repenting to your outstretched arms;
you will not cast me off, for Jesus brings me near,
you will not condemn me, for he died in my place,
you will not mark my mountains of sin, for he leveled all,
and his beauty covers my deformities.
O my God, I bid farewell to sin by clinging to his cross,
hiding in his woulds, and sheltering in his side.

The Divine Will

2014-12-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

O Lord,

I hang on you; I see, believe, live,
when your will, not mine, is done;
I can plead nothing in myself
in regard of any worthiness and grace,
in regard of your providence and promises,
but only your good pleasure.
If your mercy makes me poor and vile, blessed be you!
Prayers arising from my needs are preparations for future mercies;
Help me to honor you by believing before I feel,
for great is the sin if I make feeling a cause of faith.

Show me what sins hide you from me
and eclipse your love;
Help me to humble myself for past evils,
to be resolved to walk with more care,
For if do not walk in holiness before you,
how can I be assured of my salvation?

It is the meek and humble who are shown your covenant,
know your will, are pardoned and healed,
who by faith depend and rest upon grace,
who are sanctified and enlivened,
who evidence your love.
Help me to pray in faith and so find you will,
by leaning hard on your rich free mercy,
by believing you will give what you have promised;
Strengthen me to pray with the conviction
that whatever I receive is your gift,
so that I may pray until prayer be granted;
Teach me to believe that all degrees of mercy arise
from several degrees of prayer,
that when begins it is imperfect and must grow,
as dry ground opens wider and wider
until rain comes.

So shall I wait for your will, pray for it to be done,
and by your grace become fully obedient.

The Mover

2014-12-01T09:44:00.000-06:00

O Supreme Moving Cause,

May I always be submitted to you
be dependent upon you
be found in the path where you walk
and where your Spirit moves,
be aware of wandering from you,
of becoming numb to your love.
You do not move men like stones,
but you give them life,
not to enable them to move without you,
but in submission to you, the first mover.
O Lord, I am astonished at the difference
between my receivings and my deservings,
between the state I am now in and my past gracelessness,
between the heaven I am bound for and the hell I have earned.
Who made me to differ, but you?
for I was no more ready to receive Christ
than were others;
I could not have begun to love you had you not first loved me,
or been willing unless you had first made me so.
O that such a crown should fit the head of such a sinner!
such high advancement be for such an unfruitful person!
such joys for so vile a rebel!
Infinite wisdom cast the design of salvation
into the mold of purchase and freedom;
Let wrath deserved be written on the door of hell,
But the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven.
I know that my sufferings are often the result of my sinning,
but in heaven both shall cease;
Grant me to attain this haven and be done with sailing,
and may the gales of your mercy blow me safely into harbor.
Let your love draw me nearer to yourself,
wean me from sin, make me dead to this world,
and make me ready for my departure hence.
Secure me by your grace as I sail across this stormy sea.

The All-Good

2014-11-20T08:57:00.000-06:00

My God,

You have helped me to see,
that whatever good is in the blessings of being honored and of happiness,
how good is he who gives them,
and can withdraw them;
that blessedness is not so much found
in receiving good from you and in you,
but in showing your glory and virtue;
that it is an amazing thing for you to be seen
in a creature as you speak, act
fill, and shine through it;
that nothing is good but you,
that I am near good when I am near you,
that to be like you is a glorious thing:
This is my magnet, my attraction.

You are all my good in times of peace,
my only support in days of trouble,
my one sufficiency when life shall end.
Help me to see how good your will is in all,
and even when it crosses mine
teach me to be pleased with it.
Grant me to feel you in shelter and food and every providence,
and to see that your many gifts and creatures
are but your hands and fingers taking hold of me.
O bottomless fountain of all good,
I give myself to you out of love,
for all I have or own is yours,
my possessions, family, church, self,
to do with as you will,
to honor yourself by me, and by all that is mine.
If it is in harmony with your eternal counsels,
the purpose of your grace,
and the great ends of your glory,
then bestow upon me the blessings of your comforts;
If not, let me accept
your wiser determinations.

The Great God

2013-12-08T13:56:00.001-06:00

O Fountain of All Good,

Destroy in me every lofty thought
Break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds,
Annihilate each clinging shred of
self-righteousness,
Plant in me true lowliness of spirit,
Humble me to a state of loathing and abhorring my sinful self,
Open in me a fountain of penitential tears,
Break me, then bind me up;
Thus will my heart be a ready dwelling
for my God;
Then can the Father take up residence in me,
Then can the blessed Jesus come with healing in his touch
Then can the Holy Spirit descend in sanctifying grace;
O Holy Trinity, three Persons and one God,
inhabit me, a temple consecrated to your glory.
When you are present, evil cannot abide;
In your fellowship is fullness of joy,
Beneath your smile is peace of conscience,
By your side no fears disturb,
no anxieties banish rest of mind,
With you my heart shall bloom with fragrance;
Make me fit, through repentance,
for your indwelling.
Nothing exceeds your power,
Nothing is too great for you to do,
Nothing too good for you to give.
Infinite is your might, boundless your love,
limitless your grace, glorious your saving name.
Let angels sing for
sinners repenting,
prodigals restored,
backsliders reclaimed,
Satan's captives released,
blind eyes opened,
broken hearts bound up,
the despondent cheered,
the self-righteous stripped,
the legalist driven from a refuge of lies,
the ignorant enlightened,
and saints built up in their holy faith.
I ask great things of a great God.

God The Source of All Good

2013-11-24T08:55:00.002-06:00

O Lord God, Who inhabits eternity,

The heavens declare your glory,
The earth your riches,
The universe is your temple;
Your presence fills the vastness
Yet it pleased you to create life,
and communicate happiness;
You have made me what I am,
and have given me what I have;
I you I live and move and have my being;
Your loving care has determined the structure of my life
and wisely governs my affairs.
I thank you for your riches to me in Jesus,
for the unclouded revelation of him in your Word,
where I behold his person, character, grace, glory
humiliation, sufferings, death and resurrection;
Please help me to feel my need of his continual saving
and cry with Job, 'I am vile',
with Peter, 'I perish',
with the tax collector, 'Be merciful to me, a sinner'.
O Subdue in me the love of sin,
Let me know the need of renovation
as well as forgiveness,
in order that I may serve and enjoy you forever.
I come to you, Father, in the all-prevailing name of Jesus,
with nothing of my own to offer,
no works, no worthiness, no promises.
I am often straying,
often knowingly opposing your authority,
often abusing your goodness;
Much of my guilt arises from the spiritual advantages that I have,
how little I value them,
and my failure to use them to my advantage,
But I am not careless of your favor or regardless of your glory;
Will you impress me deeply with a sense of your
omnipresence, that you are near to me in my path,
my ways, my lying down, and my end.

God The All

2013-11-17T09:28:00.003-06:00

There is no comfort in anything apart from enjoying you
and working in service to you.
You are All in all, and all enjoyments
are pleasant to the degree that you are in them, and no more.
I am well pleased with your will, whatever it is,
or at least I should be in everything
And if you ask me to decide for myself in anything,
I would choose to submit those things to you,
for you are infinitely wise and cannot choose wrong,
as I am in danger of doing.
I rejoice to think that all things are at your disposal,
and it delights me to leave them there.
Then my prayer turns wholly into praise,
and all I can do is to adore and bless you.
What shall I give you for all your benefits?
I am caught between two things,
knowing not what to do;
I long to give you something in return,
but have nothing to offer,
and can only rejoice that you do all things,
that none in heaven or on earth shares your honor;
I can do nothing of myself to glorify your blessed name,
but I can, through grace, cheerfully surrender soul and body to you,
I know that you are the author and finisher of faith,
that the whole work of redemptions is yours alone,
that every good work or thought found in me
is the result of your power and grace,
that your sole motive in working in me to will and to work is for your good pleasure.
O God, it is amazing that people can talk so much
about man's creaturely power and goodness,
when, if you did not hold us back every moment,
we should be demons incarnate.
This, by bitter experience, you have taught me
concerning myself.

The Trinity

2013-11-03T03:49:00.001-06:00

Three in One, One in Three, God of my Salvation,

Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit,
I adore you as one Being, one Essence,
one God in three distinct Persons,
for bringing sinners to know you intimately and to be members of your kingdom
O Father, you have loved me and sent Jesus to redeem me;
O Jesus, you have loved me and took on my human nature,
shed your own blood to wash away my sins,
and brought forth your righteousness to cover my unworthiness;
O Holy Spirit, you have loved me and entered my heart,
implanted there eternal life,
revealed to me the glories of Jesus.
Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise you,
for love so unmerited, so unspeakable,
so wondrous, so mighty to save the lost
and raise them to glory.
O Father, I thank you that in fullness of grace
you have given me to Jesus, to be his sheep, his jewel, his portion;
O Jesus, I thank you that in fullness of grace
you have accepted me, joined me to your Bride, and bound me to yourself;
O Holy Spirit, I thank you that in fullness of grace
you have
revealed Jesus as my salvation,
planted faith within me,
subdued my stubborn heart,
and made me one with him for ever.
O Father, you are enthroned to hear my prayers,
O Jesus, your hand is outstretched to take my petitions,
O Holy Spirit, you are willing to help my weaknesses,
to show me my need,
to supply words,
to pray within me,
and to strengthen me so that I do not give up in bringing you my needs.
O Triune God, who commands the universe,
you have commanded me to ask for those things that concern your kingdom and my soul.
Please let me live and pray as one baptized into the threefold Name.

Sometimes I Think About Heaven

2013-01-23T02:26:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I think about Heaven...

I think about the moment when I will first get there and I wonder if arriving in heaven will really be all happy and joyful like all of the songs say. I can't help feeling, sometimes, that it might be very different from all of that.

I see myself running, like in a race, and I'm nearing the finish line. Only I'm not exactly running anymore. I'm stumbling, staggering, trying to run but failing.

My legs are wobbling, my chest is heaving and the pain that wracks my body seems to double every time my foot hits the ground. Tears are streaming down my cheeks, sweat is running into my eyes, and I'm almost ready to give up - to collapse in a heap on the road and die - when something up ahead catches my eye.

I strain my eyes and see that it is my Heavenly Father, in all his glory, waiting for me at the finish line, waving his arms excitedly, beckoning me, urging me on. I can't hear what he saying exactly because I'm still too far away, but I imagine him yelling to all the angels:

"Gabriel! Michael! Look over there!” And then, letting a grin spread over his face, he explains, “Andy's coming!"

One by one the angels stop what they're doing and come over to see what is going on. Then, spotting me, all the host of heaven join in - yelling and waving and beating their wings excitedly.

But then the grin on my Father’s face turns to a look of concern and I see the him whisper something in one of the angel's ears and he zips off toward me at light speed.

I am encouraged by what I see but my body is giving out in spite of it all. One of my feet catches on a stone; I stumble. My body lurches forward and I see the ground rushing up at me. I am falling.

I feel my body stiffen, preparing for the impact when suddenly, I stop short. There are arms under me, lifting me up and I am suspended in mid air.

"Good," I think, "no more running." And my body goes limp. But as soon as the words pass through my mind I hear a firm voice in my ear.

"I am sorry little one. I can only protect you on the road and keep you from falling as the Master has bid me. You must finish the race. But remember the Master’s words, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

The angel then sets me on my feet and my legs, limp from exhaustion, immediately buckle underneath me.

"Steady!" says my helper. "Stand. You must finish the course."

I stand. I wobble. I feel dizzy and the mucous in my mouth tastes like blood. I cough: it hurts. I spit: it is blood.

I rock forward hoping that a leg will be there to keep my body from hitting the ground. Surprisingly it is. I try the trick again, and again my leg comes forward keeping distance between the road and my aching body. I repeat the process over and over again - lean forward, move foot; lean forward, move foot; until I am wheeling down the road like a drunk at bar time.

When I get used to this method of movement, I raise my eyes from the patch of ground immediately in front of my feet and look again to my goal. I am closer now than I was a bit ago and the celestial crowd seems even more excited because of my progress. I can see their faces now and I see that mixed with their excitement is a look of concerned urgency. The look on my Father's face is similar but more confident, more reassuring, not anxious. The intensity of the love in His eyes warms me. And though I am exhausted I cannot take my eyes from His. Then I hear Him:

"Come on Andy! Come on home!"

"But Abba, I can't! I'm too tired."

'"You can do it, Andy! Just keep moving!"

"But Abba. Papa..."

I can't say anymore. I am crying, weeping for the pain and the sorrow of the road. My heart is breaking to be with my Abba, to feel his strong arms around me.

I trip again but catch myself and stand there staggering, black spots swarming my vision. I try to move again, but my body is screaming at me to stop and with each step I wince with pain and feel as if I must collapse.

Suddenly it is too much.

“I CAN'T!!”

I stop dead in the road and sink to my knees. I don't ever want to move again. Let this be my tomb. I give up.

Then I hear it, can't help but hear it: his strong, warm voice speaking low and deep and softly now.

"Andy, my son..." His voice is less kind now, but not cruel either. "Andy, get up on your feet and come home to your rest."

"But Abba..." I whimper. my face buried in my hands.

"Andy, look at me. I made you. I called you. I put my Spirit in you and made you into a new creation. The road is very hard, but you can finish the race. I know the pain. I know the weariness. I know the despair...I've been there Andy.

"I am your strength. I am your victory. Arise, little one. Though your legs wobble and your knees buckle, do not be faint of heart for I am with you.”

As He speaks I sit there entranced: ashamed yet assured. His words are familiar, they seem to come echoing down from the ages gone by.

"Do not anxiously look about you. for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

"Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for Yahweh will gain new strength: they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not grow faint."

All at once it is silent. The angels no longer cheer but stand there straight and tall, their eyes burning for the love of their God. Then, as I raise my eyes to meet His. He speaks again.

"My child, arise. Come home."

Slowly I climb to my feet and begin limping forward, step by step. He does not take His eyes from mine the whole way.

And then it will be that when I have finished the race I will stagger into heaven and collapse into the embrace of my Father. And oh, what a queer scene there will be then. Myriads of angels whooping and laughing, clapping their hands and beating their wings for joy, making such a noise as has never been heard by mortal man.

And in the middle of the celebration a child will be clinging to his Father, sobbing, wailing at the top of his lungs, crying his life out.

On and on he will cry, weeping for the pain of the road and the many troubles of life; once and for all crying away the pain and the blackness that has plagued him ever since who knows when. He will stay there long, crying and wailing and sobbing into the chest of His Father who will simply hold the child tight in His arms rocking him back and forth and stroking his head, saying no words but beaming with joy that his Andy has come home.

Sometimes I think about Heaven...

The Valley of Vision

2012-12-09T20:41:00.000-06:00

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

You have brought me to the valley of vision
where I live in the depths but see you
in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold your glory
Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from
deepest wells, 
and the deeper the wells the brighter 
your stars shine; 
Let me find your light in my darkness, 
your life in my death, 
your joy in my sorrow, 
your grace in my sin, 
your riches in my poverty 
your glory in my valley.

The Lord's Supper

2012-12-05T09:54:00.000-06:00

God of all good,

Thank you for the methods you give us for getting grace;
   please help me to see in those methods your loving purposes
and to know that they are the joy and strength of my soul.
You have prepared for me a feast;
   and though I am unworthy to sit down as guest,
   I wholly rest on the worthiness of Jesus,
   and hide myself beneath his righteousness;
When I hear his tender invitation
   and see his wondrous grace,
I cannot wait, but must come to you in love.
By your Spirit will you stir my faith that I may rightly discern
   and spiritually recognize the Savior?
While I gaze upon the emblems of
my savior's death,
   may I ponder why he died, and hear him say,
'I gave my life to purchase yours,
presented myself an offering to take the wrath for
   your sin,
shed my blood to blot out your guilt,
opened my side to make you clean,
endured your curses to set you free,
bore your condemnation to satisfy
   divine justice.'
O may I rightly grasp the width and length
of this design,
   May I draw near, obey, extend the hand,
   take the bread, receive the cup,
   eat and drink, testify before all men
that I do for myself, gladly, in faith,
   esteem, love and receive my Lord,
to be my life, strength, nourishment,
   joy, delight.
In the Lord's supper I remember his eternal love,
boundless grace, infinite compassion,
agony, cross, redemption,
   and receive assurance of pardon, adoption,
life, glory.
As the outward elements nourish my body,
   so may your indwelling Spirit invigorate
my soul
   until that day when I hunger and thirst
no more,
   and sit with Jesus at his heavenly feast.

WORSHIP

2012-11-22T14:35:00.000-06:00

Glorious God,
It is the flame of my life to worship you,
the crown and glory of my soul to adore you,
and heavenly pleasure to approach you.
Please give me power by your Spirit to help me
worship now,
that I may forget the world,
  be brought into fullness of life,
  be refreshed, comforted, blessed.
Give me knowledge of your goodness
that I might not be overwhelmed by your greatness;
Give me Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God,
that I might not be terrified,
  but be drawn near with devoted love,
     with holy boldness;
Jesus is my Mediator, Brother, Interpreter,
Source, Mediator, Lamb;

  him I glorify,
  in him I am set on high.
Crowns to give I have none,
but what you have given I give back,
content to feel that everything is mine
  when it is yours,
and the more fully mine when I have yielded
  to you.
Let me live wholly to my Savior,
free from distractions,
  from worrying care,
  from hindrances to the pursuit
of the narrow way.
I am pardoned through the blood of Jesus -
O give me a new sense of it,
continue to pardon me by it,
may I come every day to the fountain,
and every day be washed anew,
that I may worship you always
  in spirit and truth.