God’s Watchfulness Through Darkness and Death

ALMIGHTY GOD! let Thy goodness cheer us, Thy righteousness comfort us, Thy holiness uphold us, Thy pity sustain us; and make us wise out of Thy greatness to gain our chiefest joy, to remember, until we glow with the remembrance, that the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. Not to us, for whether it be the darkness of the eye, or the darkness of the soul, how feeble we be, how fearful, how sad; when the dark night cometh over us, how we tremble; and when the cold chill of death is nigh us, in the dark hour, Lord God, what are we! When calamity comes and we lie low, when the heart is sad, and the loves are gone, and the idols broken, and the house is desolate, how little, how weak are we! Then, Lord God, it does us good to remember darkness and light are both alike to Thee. Thou seest clearly in our night, Thou meanest wisely in our sorrow, Thou lovest sweetly in our sadness, Thou art as light in our night, as in the day of our gladness.

So grant to us, Almighty God! that at all times of our lives we may comfort us with Thy love. And if the worst darkness of all be upon us, the darkness of choice, the darkness of wilful evil, the darkness of foolish neglect, the darkness of those who go away from the light, still have mercy; even that darkness is open to Thee, for in the darkest day that man can know, Thou seest clearly the issue; out of that darkness Thou canst bring light. So, Lord God! whatsoever be the state of any of us, whether it be thick night, or there be but a few clouds; or whether it be a grey day, or a glad and bright sunshine, let us ever comfort ourselves; the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.

Lord God! sweet it is for us who are but children in weakness, sweet to hear that wise child sing: "When I awake in the morning I am still with Thee." Thou hast not slept. Thou hast not slumbered; Thy watchful eye is over all Thy works at all times. We fail, we fall away into sleep, our strength perishes, and by-and-by we shall sleep the great deep sleep of death. Help us every morning when we rise, every glad time when the sorrows depart, and above all when the great deep sleep comes, help us to say: "When I awake I am still with Thee." Wheresoever we go, wheresoever we stay, in whatsoever state we be, ever let us remember, "When I awake I am still with Thee."

O Thou Who neither slumberest nor sleepest, but keepest constant watch and guard over all Thy people, grant unto us the Divine comfort and the heavenly joys, that come from our remembrance of Thy mindfulness; and so being upheld, in the time of our gladness giving Thee thanksgiving, in the time of our sadness may we turn if it be but a dumb tongue, yet a longing face toward Thee.

Forgive our sins, renew within us Thy Holy Spirit, give us the peace of God which passeth understanding. Guard us and guide us in life, in death, and then at last may we know the great truth, "When I awake from the night of death I shall still be with Thee." So let it be for all of us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.—AMEN.