Prayers: Sorrowing, yet Always Rejoicing
Sorrowing, yet Always Rejoicing
Expecting to receive the precious help of Thy Holy Spirit, we would wait upon Thee, O Lord, with all earnestness of desire, with all sincerity of heart, and with all confidence of faith. Oh that now our fellowship may be with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ! May this be a season of access to God through Christ Jesus. May we not stand at a distance from Thee, but may we now speak to our God as a man speaketh with his friend. Our Father, we feel that we must praise and bless Thy Name this morning. Thou hast smitten us during this week; very many of our families have been made to mourn, but still—
"Thy strokes are fewer than our crimes, And lighter than our guilt."
We are constrained to say, now, when Thy chastening hand falls upon us—"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." It is impossible for Thee to do that which is unkind, and if we have received good at Thy hands, shall we not receive with equal cheerfulness that which appears to be evil? Thou doest well, O Lord, and nothing shall alter us in this our boasting, that in everything Thou doest the best thing that could be done. We would not only be resigned to Thy will, but we would feel a divine pleasure and satisfaction in the thought that Thou hast Thine own will; for who should have it, who should reign, who should be the disposer of events, but Thyself?
O our gracious Friend and Father, we bless Thee, then, with all our hearts for Thy trying dispensations, and for the mercies with which Thou art pleased to sweeten them. Oh how good hast Thou been to us, Thy people. In old eternity Thou didst ascribe our names in the Book of Life. In the fullness of time, Thou gavest Thy Darling from Thy bosom, that He might be offered up a sacrifice for us, and then when the full time was come, Thou didst call us by Thy grace from wandering in the ways of sin unto the paths of righteousness. Thou didst take us out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay. Thou didst set our feet upon a rock, and didst establish all our goings. Therefore will we praise the God of grace. While we have any being we will extol the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And when we leave this clay to be the food of worms, it shall be in confident expectation that our body shall rise again, and our spirit shall mount to heaven, singing as it mounts, to look for ever into the face of God, for ever to sing the praise of Kim who loved us, and washed us from our sins in His blood. Oh that we knew the language of heaven! Would that we could borrow the notes of angels:—
"Teach us some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above."
Oh for the music of those golden harps, and the notes that fall from perfect lips!
"Had we our tongues, like theirs, inspired, Like theirs, our joys should rise."
But till then, good Lord, we offer Thee such as we have, and since 'tis perfumed with a Saviour's merits, and put into the golden censer which waves in His hand, we believe that even our poor frankincense and myrrh shall not be unaccepted, but that Thou wilt receive it through Jesus Christ, the great High Priest.
Father, we now desire Thee to have pity upon us, Thy children; who have of late erred and strayed, even as we have done aforetime. Thou hast washed us,—in that Fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins, we have found perfect cleansing. But as the priests needed to wash their feet in the laver every day, so do we. Oh wash us clean again; and as before the judgment seat we are clean, so now before our Father's face, let us, too, be clean.
O Thou that dwellest in Zion, rid us of corruptions within. Drive out the Canaanites. Some of our besetting sins are like those that have chariots of iron; but do Thou drive them out before us by the irresistible power of Thy grace, till the whole land of Mansoul in its uttermost lengths shall belong unto God alone.
O Father, we have a thousand wants, and we have but few words in which to express them; but Thou knowest them altogether. Our Father, which art in heaven, we want more love to Thee! Sometimes we feel the spirit of adoption, and we can cry "Abba Father;" but there are times when this world creeps in, and when gloomy doubts prevail, and we fear to call Thee ours. Strengthen our faith, that our love may be strengthened too. Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that we love Thee. Oh for grace to love Thee more! and we want to have a greater longing, and hungering, and thirsting after Christ. We would not be indifferent to His charms. He has given Himself to us. Oh let us not live as though we were destitute of such a Treasure. He is, we hope, dearer to us than all our senses are, our limbs, our passions, or our eyes. Oh let us live nearer to Him, or, when absent, let us mourn as the dove that lamenteth for her mate. If we may not drink of Him, give us at least grace to hunger and thirst after Him.
Most glorious and inestimably precious Jesus; we desire to honour Thee more. How few are the jewels which we put into Thy Crown! How small is the homage which we pay to Thee! Do Thou help us to live talking of Jesus, and walking with Jesus, receiving His image. May our lives be distinct portraits of the life of Christ. May we so live that men may take knowledge of us that have been with the Nazarene, and have caught His speech, His manner, and His conduct. Most glorious Spirit, it is Thine to make our bodies temples of the Holy Ghost, and to drive out from us everything which would prevent Jesus from dwelling within. Do Thou do this, until we shall live wholly and only for Him. Better to die for Jesus than to live for self; better to bleed for Jesus than to preserve one's life wholly unsuffering, separated from Him.
Let this church ever have in its midst the sweet savour of Thine ointments! Oh that the name of Jesus might always charm the members of this church. Whatever others may do, may we fear and love Jesus. Oh crucify us, nailing us to His cross. Let us die with Him; let us slumber in His grave; and then let us wake up and live only in His resurrection. And may our life be an ascended one, which He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Do Thou look upon each member of the church now. There are so many families that have been bereaved, that we pray for all. Thou takest away a mother here; Thou takest away a husband there; Thou removest a child yonder; Thou art smiting on the right hand and on the left. We would kiss the rod and the hand that wields it, but we pray that the richest consolation may be given, especially, to those who through years and infirmities suffer much. We pray that richer consolation than usual may be given where most it is required. Do Thou sanctify their bereavements. May the whole of the flock feel that when the Shepherd is taking away one after another, it is time for us to be ready for His coming. May these things be as a shout in the midnight—"Behold the Bridegroom cometh; go ye forth to meet Him." May a deep spirit of earnestness pervade the members. May we walk as those who are Christ's, as men who are alive from the dead, and cannot live as they were once wont to do.
Remember with equal favour the churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do Thou revive Thy work in the midst of the years. Wherever and by whomsoever Thy cross is lifted up, there let the energy of the Spirit be found, and there let sinners believe and live, and let Thy saints be comforted. O Father, remember those present who are not as yet converted to God. O Spirit of God, go forth into their hearts to slay, and like healing balm, make them whole; wound and heal, for Thou must do both. Thou great Omega of our souls, be Thou the Alpha to their souls. Thou who wilt complete, do Thou begin. Mighty Finisher, be Thou the Author. May some man be led to feel that he can go no farther. May some sinner be brought this very morning to a dead pause. May he stand still and say: "This will not do! I must reverse my course; no longer will I live unto the world, for that the time past sufficeth. Now will I live unto Him." Make our word this morning encouraging, and at the same time arousing, to Thy people, and in the evening come up with us, that the word may be specially blessed to unconverted hearts.
Father bless this land. We pray earnestly for our fellow-countrymen, and we pray especially for the Queen. God bless her! May all the blessings of the Covenant be hers, and may its rich consolations be enjoyed. Let all nations know their God. Wherever there are wars and strife, let them cease when the end is answered. Let slavery loose her fetters; let liberty reign everywhere. Let the Advent of Christ soon arrive. Let the idols be dashed in pieces; let all false foundations be razed to the ground, and may He come whose right it is to reign. O Jesus, the world hath waited long; and we have heard the word which saith, "Overturn; overturn;" but when wilt Thou stop the overturn to establish the righteous things, and to cast down all evil? When wilt Thou come to be King of kings and Lord of lords? And now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, our Saviour, be glory for ever and ever, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
April 19, 1863.