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FAMILY CHRISTIAN INSPIRATION, INC.
Refreshing MomentsIn The Sanctuary
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"Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. I am weak in the faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love might go out to my neighbor. I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt, and am unable to trust You altogether. O Lord, help me."
"O Lord, the satisfaction I get from drinking from Your fountain serves only to make me more thirsty. Teach me to learn that You are Infinite and I but finite. That my vessel can never, while on earth, totally grasp Your greatness or fully know Your fullness. May this give me passionate longing to see You, one day, as You are! Amen"
"O God . . . my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. . . . Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. . . . I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips: When I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches. Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice" (Psalm 63:1-7). "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . . .Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. . . . Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation. . . . The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51).
"O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth. LORD, bow down Thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, Thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech Thee, save Thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the LORD God, even Thou only" (2 Kings 19:15-19).
"Lord, I praise Thee for this place I am in; but the wonder has begun to stir in me—is this Thy place for me? Hold me steady doing Thy will. It may be only restlessness; if so, calm me to strength that I sin not against Thee by doubting."
"Lord, I am willing to receive what You give, to lack what You withhold, to relinquish what You take, to suffer what You inflict, to be what You require. And, Lord, if others are to be Your messengers to me, I am willing to hear and heed what they have to say. Amen."
"O God, grant me the serenity to accept what cannot be changed, the courage to change what can be changed, and the wisdom to know one the difference."
"Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know, to love what I ought to love, to praise what delights Thee most, to value what is precious in Thy sight, to hate what is offensive to Thee. Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes, nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men; but to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual, and above all, always to inquire what is the good please of Thy will."
"Lord Jesus, we come to Thee now as little children. Dress us again in clean pinafores; make us tidy once more with the tidiness of true remorse and confession. Oh, wash our hearts, that they may be clean again. Make us to know the strengthening joys of the Spirit, and the newness of life which only Thou can give. Amen." * * * * * "Forgive us, Lord Jesus, for doing the things that make us uncomfortable and guilty when we pray. We say that we believe in God, and yet we doubt God's promises. We say that in God we trust, yet we worry and try to manage our own affairs. We say that we love Thee, O Lord, and yet do not obey Thee. We believe that Thou hast the answers to all our problems, and yet we do not consult Thee. Forgive us, Lord, for our lack of faith and the willful pride that ignores the way, the truth, and the life. Wilt Thou reach down and change the gears within us that we may go forward with Thee. Amen."
"Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!" (1 Chronicles 4:10).
"Forgive me, most gracious Lord and Father, if this day I have done or said anything to increase the pain of the world. Pardon the unkind word, the impatient gesture, the hard and selfish deed, the failure to show sympathy and kindly help where I had the opportunity, but missed it; and enable me so to live that I may daily do something to lessen the tide of human sorrow, and add to the sum of human happiness. Amen."
"Give us the strength to encounter that which is to come, that we may be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath, and in all changes of fortune, and down to the gates of death, loyal and loving one to another."
"Give me Scotland, or I die."
"Holy God, teach me this day how to worship! May my soul be upon its knees! May I discern Thy Presence, and be filled with holy reverence and fear! Teach me to pray. Amen."
"O Lord, take from me what keeps me from Thee. O Lord, give me what brings me to Thee. O Lord, take myself and give me Thyself."
"Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy Holy protection; and Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."
THE FIRST PRAYER IN CONGRESS, DECEMBER 17, 1711 "O Lord, our heavenly Father. High and Mighty, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who dost from the Throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and control over all kingdoms, empires and governments; look down in mercy we beseech Thee on these American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor, and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection desiring henceforth to be dependent only on Thee. To Thee they have appealed for the righteousness of their cause. To Thee do they look up for that countenance and support which Thou alone canst give. Take them therefore Heavenly Father under Thy nurturing care. Give them wisdom in counsel and valor in the field. Defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries. Convince them of the unrighteousness of their cause, and if they persist in their sanguinary purpose, O let the voice of thine own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop their weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle. "Be Thou present, O God of wisdom and direct the counsels of this honorable Assembly. Enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation; that the scent of blood may speedily be closed, that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice and religion and piety may prevail and flourish among Thy people. Preserve the health of their bodies, and the vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they represent such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world, and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name of and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Savior. Amen."
"And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with Thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee" (2 Chronicles 14:11).
"Lord, I have heard that Thou art a merciful God, and hast ordained that Thy Son Jesus Christ should be the Savior of the world; and moreover, that Thou art willing to bestow him upon such a poor sinner as I am, (and I am a sinner indeed;) Lord, take therefore this opportunity and magnify Thy grace in the salvation of my soul, through Thy Son Jesus Christ. Amen."
MORNING
PRAYER
"I call upon you, O Lord, and in the morning you hear me. In the morning I offer you my prayer, watching and waiting. I lift my heart to you, O Lord, to be strengthened for this day. Be with me in all I do, my God; guide me in all my ways. I will carry some burdens today; some trials will be mine. So I wait for your help, Lord, lest I stumble and fall. I will do my work, Father, the work begun by your Son. He lives in me and I in Him; may his work today be done. Amen." — Source unknown
Although things are not perfect —Author Unknown
"Our Father which are in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever." (Matthew 6:9-13).
"O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying `If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us. "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (2 Chronicles 20:6-12).
Dear Heavenly Father, You also said that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
(Romans 10:9). You said that "with the heart that man believes
unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation" (Romans 10:10). I
believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is now my Lord and
I thank You
that because of this, I am saved.
"Lord, I thank Thee that Thy love constraineth me. I thank Thee that, in the great labyrinth of life, Thou waitest not for my consent to lead me. I thank Thee that Thou leadest me by a way which I know not, by a way which is above the level of my poor understanding. . . . Protect me from the impetuous desires of my nature — desires as short-lived as they are impetuous. Ask me not where I would like to go; tell me where to go; lead me in Thine own way; hold me in Thine own light. Amen."
"O God, our Heavenly Father, we Thy children come now to Thy feet with our supplications. We cannot live without Thy blessing. Life is too hard for us and duty is too large. We come to Thee with our weakness, asking Thee for strength. Help us always to be of good cheer. Give us grace to be encouragers of others, never discouragers. Let us not go about with sadness or fear among men, but may we be a benediction to every one we meet, always making life easier, never harder for those who come within our influence. Help us to be as Christ to others, that they may see something of His love in our lives and learn to love Him in us."
"May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love, and joy of God's presence and may not a moment without the entire surrender of my self as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love."
"Day by day, O Lord, three things I pray: to see thee
more clearly, love thee more dearly,
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love, Where there is injury, pardon Where there is doubt, faith, Where there is despair, hope, Where there is darkness, light, Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, not so much to be understood as to understand, not so much to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we awake to eternal life."
"O Lord, take full possession of my heart, raise there your throne,
and command there as you do in heaven. Being created by you, let me live for
you; being created for you, let me always act for your glory; being redeemed
by you, let me give to you what is yours; * * * * * "Deliver me, Lord God, from a slothful mind, from all lukewarmness,
and all dejection of spirit. I know these cannot but deaden my love for you;
mercifully free my heart from them, and give me a lively, zealous, active and
cheerful spirit; that I may vigorously perform whatever you command,
thankfully suffer whatever you choose for me, and always * * * * * "O Lord, let us not live to be useless, for Christ's sake." * * * * * "You are never tired, O Lord, of doing us good; let us never be weary of doing you service. Just as as you have pleasure in the well being of your servants, let us take pleasure in the service of our Lord, and abound in your work and in your love and praise evermore." * * * * * Forgive them all, O Lord: our sins of omission and our sins of
commission;
"Lord Jesus Christ, you said that you are
the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Help us not to stray from you, for you are
the Way; nor to distrust you, for you are the Truth; nor to rest on any other
than you, as you are the Life. You have taught us what to believe, what to do,
what to hope, and where to take our rest. Give us grace to follow you, the
Way, to learn from you, the Truth, and live in you, the Life."
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).
"God, forgive my incompleteness: not growing in Christ, not expanding my knowledge of the Scriptures, not developing all my talents. God, forgive my disinterest: a lack of concern for needs around me, apathy regarding the lostness of millions, blindness to hurts I could help heal. God, forgive my dishonesty: taking, the easy way rather than the right way, speaking in one manner while living in another, silencing truth to preserve tranquility, settling for less than what is best, loving tradition more than obeying your pioneering Spirit. God, forgive my loudness: talking when I should be listening, proclaiming when I should be studying, busying myself with new tasks when I should be finding a quiet place to rest. God, forgive my silence: feeling love and failing to whisper it, reeling with joy and not shouting hallelujah, knowing truth and forfeiting an opportunity to share it, sensing a need to share my faith and squelching the impulse. God, please forgive me."
A prayer by an American Confederate soldier seriously disabled in the Civil War is a beautiful example of the depths of discovery of the gifts of suffering that a wound can bring: I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
Prayer When You Are Depressed "God, life seems so bleak and useless right now. I don't have any energy. I have no ambition to do much of anything. I am really feeling down. I feel "down on" myself and "down on" everyone around me. Even as I pray, I don't sense your presence. I am going through the motions, knowing that you are still with me. "I know that I am sacred and precious but they are just words right now. I know that my life has been worthwhile, full of many wonderful people and experiences, much happiness and joy. I feel little of this right now. God, all I can do is affirm the goodness of life and try to hold on until the darkness is replaced by your light and love. "Help me to spot the lies that my depressed emotions are telling me. Life is good. I am good. You are good. Grant me hope. My loved ones love me. Life will be beautiful again. Soon, I will see the beauty around me again. Soon, I will again know vitality and purpose, happiness and love. Until then, give me the strength and hope to survive this day. "Help me to smile and laugh, even if just for a moment. Be my strength and salvation. I ask you to restore me and make me whole. Fill me with the Word and the Spirit that I might be recreated anew. I praise and thank you. Amen."
"Give us, O Lord, steadfast hearts, which no unworthy thought can drag downwards; unconquered hearts, which no tribulation can wear out, upright hearts, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know Thee, diligence to seek Thee, wisdom to find Thee, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace Thee."
ST.
AUGUSTINE "O Lord, grant that I may do Thy will as if it were my will; so that Thou mayest do my will as if it were Thy will." * * * * * "Thou hast made us for Thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee." * * * * * "Lord, when I look upon mine own life it seems Thou hast led me so carefully, so tenderly, Thou canst have attended to no one else; but when I see how wonderfully Thou hast led the world and art leading it, I amazed that Thou hast time to attend to such as I." * * * * * "Great art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and Thy wisdom is infinite. Thee would we praise without ceasing. Thou callest us to delight in Thy praise, for Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts find no rest until we rest in Thee; Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost all glory, praise, and honour be ascribed, both now and for evermore. Amen."
"O Lord, Thy Word is before us, give us a meek, and a reverent and teachable mind, while we read and study it. Be Thou, O blessed Spirit, our Teacher. Shine, O Lord, upon Thine own sacred page and make it clear to us. What we see not, show us, and where we are wrong, correct us. Bring home some portion to our soul, and thus make us wise unto salvation, through Jesus Christ our Savior."
A.D. 1536 tied to the stake, strangled by the hangman, and afterwards consumed with fire, at the town of Vilvorde. Crying at the stake with a fervent zeal, and a loud voice, "Lord! Open the king of England’s eyes." He wrote: "I call God to record against the day we shall appear before our Lord Jesus, that I never altered one syllable of God’s Word against my conscience, nor would do this day, if all that is in earth, whether it be honor, pleasure, or riches, might be given me."
LUDWIG
VON BEETHOVEN "We must praise Thy goodness, that Thou hast left nothing undone to draw us to Thyself. But one thing we ask of Thee, our God, not to cease Thy work in our improvement. Let us tend towards Thee, no matter by what means, and be fruitful in good works, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
REV. J.
H. JOWETT "O God our Father, we would thank Thee for all the bright things of life. Help us to see them, and to count them, and to remember them, that our lives may flow in ceaseless praise; for the sake of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen." * * * * * "O Father, light up the small duties of this day’s life. May they shine with the beauty of Thy countenance. May we believe that glory may dwell in the commonest task. For the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord we ask it. Amen." * * * * * "Our Father, teach us not only Thy will, but how to do it. Teach us the best way of doing the best thing, lest we spoil the end by unworthy means; for the sake of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen." * * * * * "Our Father, may the world not mould us today, but may we be so strong as to help to mould the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
JOHN WESLEY "O Lord, let us not live to be useless; for Christ’s sake. Amen."
PRINCESS
ELIZABETH "What will befall us today, O God, we know not; we only know that nothing will happen which Thou hast not foreseen, determined, desired, and ordered—that is enough for us. Thee do we worship and adore. We ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Saviour, and through His infinite merit, patience in all our sufferings, perfect submission to Thee for all that Thou desirest or permittest, guidance in all that we undertake; for Thine honour and glory we ask it. Amen."
LADY JANE
GREY "O merciful God, be Thou now unto us a strong tower of defense, we humbly entreat Thee. Give us grace to await Thy leisure, and patiently to bear what Thou doest unto us, nothing doubting, or mistrusting Thy goodness towards us; for Thou knowest what is good for us better than we do. Therefore do with us in all things what Thou wilt; only arm us, we beseech Thee, with Thine armour, that we may stand fast; that we may refer ourselves wholly to Thy will, abiding Thy pleasure, and comforting ourselves in those troubles which it shall please Thee to send us, seeing such troubles are profitable for us. We are assuredly persuaded that all Thou doest cannot but be well; and unto Thee be all honour and glory, both now and ever. Amen."
VENERABLE
BEDE "And now, we beseech Thee, Lord Jesus, that to whom Thou doest vouchsafe sweet draughts of the words of Thy knowledge, Thou wilt also, of Thy goodness, grant that we may, in due time, come to Thee, the fountain of all wisdom, and ever stand before Thy face; for Thy sake. Amen."
REV.
HENRY MARTYN "O send Thy light and Thy truth, that we may live always near to Thee, our God. Let us feel Thy love, that we may be as it were already in heaven, that we may do all our work as the angels do theirs. Let us be ready for every work, be ready to go out or come in, to stay or to depart, just as Thou shalt appoint. Lord, let us have no will of our own, or consider our true happiness as depending in the slightest degree on anything that can befall us outwardly, but as consisting altogether in conformity to Thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
IGNATIUS
LOYOLA "Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do Thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." DEAN
HENRY ALFORD "O God, grant unto us that we be not unwise, but understanding Thy will; not slothful, but diligent in Thy work; that we run not as uncertainly, nor fight Thy battles as those that beat the air. Whatsoever our hand findeth to do, may we do it with our might; that when Thou shalt call Thy labourers to give them their reward, we may so have run that we may obtain; so have fought the good fight, as to receive the crown of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
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