TENTH WEEK.—WEDNESDAY. — Morning

O LORD God, thy mercies never cease. Day after day and night after night thy mercy surrounds thy children. During the hours of darkness Thou guardest our beds, Thou givest sleep to our eyes, Thou renewest our wearied strength; and now, refreshed and invigorated, we kneel before Thee in praise and thanksgiving.

How wonderful, O Lord, art Thou in all thy works! How wonderful in thy dealings with us poor weak and sinful creatures! May we walk worthy of thy goodness and love.

We pray Thee, O Lord, to be our Guide and Protector this day. Keep us from all sin, and give us grace to hate it. Let us not whisper to our conscience that our transgression is so secret that none can ever know it, for thou knowest all things, O Lord, even the very innermost thoughts of our heart. Make us to feel that, sooner or later, our iniquities will find us out. Keep us, therefore, O Lord our God, ever in thy trust and love, that we sin not against Thee.

And, O Lord, it may be that some of us may be tried very much with things working, as we think, against us. We may be in deep affliction of soul, and it may be all unknown to those around us. Some trial from Thee may be bringing us down to the very dust. We may be in bitterness of spirit. O Lord, may we not for an instant think that Thou art against us. May we not imagine for one single moment that Thou hast either forgotten or forsaken us.

No, O Lord our God: a woman may forget her child; but Thou never forsakest those who trust in Thee, and who love Thee. To those among us who may be suffering under trial give sweet and holy comfort; and as Thou didst cause all to work together for good for thy servant Jacob, so cause all to work together for the same gracious purpose for all thine afflicted people. Amid their afflictions may they not forget Thee, but feel, with Job of old, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”

And now, O Lord, again we ask Thee to keep us this day from all sin and all danger. Guide us by thy wisdom. Help us by thy blessing. May we so walk, as thy children, and so conduct ourselves, that men may behold in us the epistles of Christ. We pray that we may be useful to those around us. May we live, not only for ourselves, but for others. May we seek their good, as well as our own; and, above all, may we seek the eternal welfare of all.

We go forth in thy name. We depend on thy help. We trust in thy love. May we triumph in thy salvation. Hear us and answer us, for thy dear Son’s sake. Amen.