Patience for the Kingdom’s Slow Growth

WE give Thee thanks, Almighty God, that more clearly to us than to our fathers it is revealed that Thy mercy endureth for ever. Far behind the later days in which they dreamed the world began, Thou hast given to us to see the times in which its teeming life went forth, and for what long, long ages Thy mercy has been over all Thy works. To us Thou hast given clearer vision, of Thy works, and by thought upon them, to know the long ages throughout which Thou hast put forth Thy power, Thy wondrous wisdom, Thy clear design.

We give Thee thanks that many things which were not visible to the men of old, are clear to us; that the dreams which as they thought explained the deep things of the world, are passed away; and though there are many things we cannot yet understand, we rejoice to know of the far-stretching ages, into which we may look and cry, “Thy mercy endureth for ever.” May this gladden us in the hour of our littleness, and teach us patience, and how independent of all such things are the pious life, the godly heart, and the charitable spirit.

Lord God, our day is so short, and our desire to do much so strong, that we would fain, before we go to our fathers, gather the harvest, before the seed we have sown has had time to grow. The more we desire good and hate evil, the more we ourselves pass out of darkness, the more we wish, by some quick change, the world should be made good, and the Kingdom of God should come. We vex ourselves with the unrighteousness of the world, and, like children, wonder that the seeds come not up more quickly.

Lord, let the solemn ages that have rolled by, teach us how patient Thou art. When we think of the vast forests of distant time, and see how slowly and surely the coal for us was made; and how Thy Spirit has brooded over the world for ages, may we remember Thy sure patience, and remember that if Thy purpose worketh slowly, Thy victories are sure. When we look into the deep things of righteousness, and again mourn that the Kingdom of God comes so slowly, teach us how patient was the Master, how few disciples He made before He departed, and may we learn His patience.

Lord God, we would not be patient with anything evil in ourselves, but with the slow growth of good in us. That which is evil, help us to cast out at once; but help us to be content if every day we give up what is hurtful, and practise what is just, and try beyond what we have before attempted, to be more like Thee, to make the world wiser, sweeter, and more true than we found it.

Let us try, at least, to cheer the lonely, to dry some tear, and if, whilst we are doing this, death should come, let us not mourn that before our work was finished the end came, but rejoice, as did the men of old, that they could hand down Thy work from child to child, and teach Thy will to those who are to come.

When we long to lay hold upon the hidden things and make them our own, when we would fain light up the darkness, so that there should be no more mystery, teach us to be patient; teach us that in better times, and under happier conditions, the Spirit of God shall be more fully manifested. Teach us in all things to trust Thy mercy which endureth for ever. In day and in night, in life and in death, Thy mercy endureth for ever.

Especially when the shadows shall fall, and the signs which cannot be mistaken tell us that the longest night is drawing near, and our little day is coming to its close; when the heart sinks low, and the natural clinging to life still would bid us stay; let Thy mercy be about us, that we, without fear, may shut our eyes in death, trusting to open them in eternal Life.

Take out of us all sin, that the sting of death may be done away, and we may lie down at last to sleep our longest, sweetest sleep; out of which, by Thy mercy, which endureth for ever, we may wake to eternal Life.

Hear us of Thy mercy; we ask all in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.—AMEN.