A Praise the Lord, call upon His name.—Isa. 12: 4. LMIGHTY GOD, our Heavenly Father, in Whom we live and move and have our being, from Thy kind hand comes down every good and perfect gift; and we humbly thank Thee for all Thy loving kindness to us. And We come before Thee confessing our sins, for which we ask Thy forgiveness. Bless us in our bodies and our spirits, which are Thine. Grant us food and strength and clothing and shelter as we need. give us grace to know and do Thy holy will. Make the path of duty plain before us; keep us from temptation and from sin, enabling us to glorify Thee upon the earth. Bless, too, all our loved ones whom, in the arms of our prayer, we would bring before Thee. Heal any who are sick, comfort the sorrowful, and strengthen any who are faltering; grant them each one Thy favor, in which is life; Thy loving kindness, which is better than life. Remember graciously the community in which we dwell, in all its interests temporal and spiritual. Prosper Thy Church among us, and give success to its work. Bless our country, and make us that happy people whose God is the Lord. Send out Thy light and Thy truth, and hasten the coming of Thy Kingdom. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.-Eph. 6:18. WE COME before Thee, our Father and our God, Wto worship, to praise Thy name, and to thank Thee for Thy great mercy and Thy many blessings. We confess our sins, but we come with boldness to Thy throne of grace, for our trust is in Him Who is our Advocate and our Mediator. We pray that Thou wilt show to each one of us Thy will for this day, and help us to do it, not going in our own selfish and sinful ways. O Lord, grant that Thy will may be done more and more by all men, and that Jesus may not only be given a place in the throne room of our hearts, but may we let Him be seated on the throne and crown Him Lord of all. Our Father, we ask that Thy Holy Spirit may be our comforter, our guide and our helper this day. May we let our light so shine today-in the home, on the street, at work or at play -that others may be drawn to Him Who is the Light of the World. We pray that it may be our earnest desire to know Christ better, and to make Him known. Help us to watch and be faithful, so when He comes He may find us with lamps trimmed and burning. And all we ask is in His own blessed name. Amen. REV. J. L. READ, Little Rock, Arkansas. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.-Rom, 6:18. HEAVENLY FATHER, we thank Thee for the rest which has come to our bodies in sleep. During the long hours of the night Thou hast been watching over us. Thou art always mindful of us, not only in the night, but also in the workaday. Help us, dear Father, to be as mindful of Thee as Thou art thoughtful of us. Forbid that we forget our God. May we not become so occupied with worldly affairs that we have no time or place for Thee. As we talk to Thee, our sins rise like mountains from the deep. We are ashamed of our weaknesses. We confess everything, and plead for Thy forgiveness. Leave us not in our humiliation, but take us by the hand and lift us up. Give us the assurance that our sins are pardoned, and help us to live this day as the blessed Jesus lived every day. We pray for the discouraged and distressed; Lord, give them cheer. We pray for all the people who are living in darkness; Lord, give them light. We pray for those who fight against themselves, against each other and against God; Lord, give them peace. We ask it all in the name of Jesus, for Thy glory and for our good. Amen. LUTHER E. TODD, D.D., He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.-Ps. 91:1-2, 4. IN 'N THY wisdom, Whose ways are past finding out, Thou hast appointed our dear ones unto tears. Thou hast called them into sorrow's Gethsemane, where great loneliness and anguish wring their hearts. Grant, Father, that they may meet Jesus there. This is all that we can pray. Our blundering lips cannot comfort them and our blind eyes cannot discern the purpose of Thy providence. But, O Father of love, draw these sorrowing ones close to Thyself in the person of the sympathetic Saviour. Through their tears may they see Jesus. There is no comfort but in Thee, O God Triune; may all who weep find Thee. Be Thou companionship for their perplexity, strength for their weakness and courage for their new life of bereavement. Show them that all Thy plans for Thy children include two worlds. Reveal unto them the tenderness and humaneness of Thy sympathy; comfort them as those whom a mother comforts. This we ask in the name of the Saviour Who sorrowed and wept. Amen. REV. WILLIAM T. ELLIS, LL.D., Swarthmore, Penna. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.Matt. 5:13-16. Let OUR UR Saviour and our Intercessor, Thou camest into the world not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give Thy life a ransom for many. Thou didst go about doing good. Looking upon the young man, Thou didst love him. Thou didst weep over Jerusalem. In the spirit of Thy love and sacrifice for lost souls, inflame our hearts with a sacred passion for the redemption of men. 0 Thou, the sinners' Christ, pour upon us a tender and undying yearning to save precious souls! Give us a greater zeal than our fathers had. May we take no neighboring saint for our standard, but dwell with our God for power. Amen. ARTHUR S. PHELPS, D.D., |