Wednesday, Week 10

Seek out the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.
— 1 Chronicles 16:11 (BSB)

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.
— Martin Luther

We would come into Your presence, O God, this morning, with a song. We do not praise You as we ought — and as You deserve. We come to You with our requests, our supplications, our pleadings — and then when our prayers are answered, we fail too often to thank You for the blessings we receive. We take Your gifts from the unseen hand — and do not think of the Giver, from whom all our favors come. We get discouraged too easily when shadows creep over us, or when fragments of cloud come into our sky, and our hearts fill with fear. We confess all this little faith and all this ingratitude — and we ask You for the grace of thankfulness, that we may suitably remember Your love. Having eyes — may we see Your love in all the manifold blessings that come to us in so many forms and ways.

Teach all of us how to sing praise to You. There always are countless reasons for praise. In the darkest day, there is far more light than darkness. Our troubles are always infinitesimally small — in comparison with our mercies and blessings. Give us eyes to see the bright things, and hearts to number our comforts. Teach us not to mind the cares and worries — but to sing through them all. Teach us to rejoice always, even though we are suffering or enduring discomfort.

We thank You for all the mercies we now enjoy. We thank You for the good things of Your providence, and the better things of Your grace — for home and friends, and health and books, and schools and churches, and all Your favors. Give us the spirit of praise. Help us to make this a day of rejoicing in Jesus Christ our Lord. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be on us forever. Amen.