Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Tiffany Vergon, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
DAILY STRENGTH FOR DAILY NEEDS
By Mary Wilder Tileston
_Selected by the Editor of_ “Joy and Strength for the Pilgrim’s Day,” “Quiet Hours,” etc.
“As thy days, so shall thy strength be”
PREFACE
This little book of brief selections in prose and verse, with accompanying texts of Scripture, is intended for a daily companion and counsellor. These words of the goodly fellowship of wise and holy men of many times, it is hoped may help to strengthen the reader to perform the duties and to bear the burdens of each day with cheerfulness and courage.
MARY WILDER TILESTON.
January 1
_They go from strength to strength_.–PS. lxxxiv. 7.
_First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear_.–MARK. iv. 28.
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!
O. W. HOLMES.
High hearts are never long without hearing some new call, some distant clarion of God, even in their dreams; and soon they are observed to break up the camp of ease, and start on some fresh march of faithful service. And, looking higher still, we find those who never wait till their moral work accumulates, and who reward resolution with no rest; with whom, therefore, the alternation is instantaneous and constant; who do the good only to see the better, and see the better only to achieve it; who are too meek for transport, too faithful for remorse, too earnest for repose; whose worship is action, and whose action ceaseless aspiration.
J. MARTINEAU.
January 2
_The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore_.–PS. cxxi. 8.
_Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations_.–PS. xc. 1.
With grateful hearts the past we own; The future, all to us unknown,
We to Thy guardian care commit,
And peaceful leave before Thy feet.
P. DODDRIDGE.
We are like to Him with whom there is no past or future, with whom a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, when we do our work in the great present, leaving both past and future to Him to whom they are ever present, and fearing nothing, because He is in our future as much as He is in our past, as much as, and far more than we can feel Him to be, in our present. Partakers thus of the divine nature, resting in that perfect All-in-all in whom our nature is eternal too, we walk without fear, full of hope and courage and strength to do His will, waiting for the endless good which He is always giving as fast as He can get us able to take it in.
G. MACDONALD.
January 3
_As thy days, so shall thy strength be_.–DEUT. xxxiii. 25.
_Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof_.–MATT. vi. 34.
Oh, ask not thou, How shall I bear
The burden of to-morrow?
Sufficient for to-day, its care,
Its evil and its sorrow;
God imparteth by the way
Strength sufficient for the day.
J. E. SAXBY.
He that hath so many causes of joy, and so great, is very much in love with sorrow and peevishness, who loses all these pleasures, and chooses to sit down upon his little handful of thorns. Enjoy the blessings of this day, if God sends them; and the evils of it bear patiently and sweetly: for this day only is ours, we are dead to yesterday, and we are not yet born to the morrow. But if we look abroad, and bring into one day’s thoughts the evil of many, certain and uncertain, what will be and what will never be, our load will be as intolerable as it is unreasonable.
JEREMY TAYLOR.
January 4
_If we sin, we are Thine, knowing Thy power: but–we will not sin, knowing that we are counted Thine. For to know Thee is perfect righteousness: yea, to know Thy power is the root of immortality_.–WISDOM OF SOLOMON xv. 2, 3.
Oh, empty us of self, the world, and sin, And then in all Thy fulness enter in;
Take full possession, Lord, and let each thought Into obedience unto Thee be brought;
Thine is the power, and Thine the will, that we Be wholly sanctified, O Lord, to Thee.
C. E. J.
Take steadily some one sin, which seems to stand out before thee, to root it out, by God’s grace, and every fibre of it. Purpose strongly, by the grace and strength of God, wholly to sacrifice this sin or sinful inclination to the love of God, to spare it not, until thou leave of it none remaining, neither root nor branch.
Fix, by God’s help, not only to root out this sin, but to set thyself to gain, by that same help, the opposite grace. If thou art tempted to be angry, try hard, by God’s grace, to be _very_ meek; if to be proud, seek to be _very_ humble.
E. B. PUSEY.
January 5
_That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish_.–EPH. v. 27.
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.–I PETER ii. 5.
One holy Church of God appears
Through every age and race,
Unwasted by the lapse of years,
Unchanged by changing place.
S. LONGFELLOW.
A temple there has been upon earth, a spiritual Temple, made up of living stones; a Temple, as I may say, composed of souls; a Temple with God for its light, and Christ for the high priest; with wings of angels for its arches, with saints and teachers for its pillars, and with worshippers for its pavement. Wherever there is faith and love, this Temple is.
J. H. NEWMAN.
To whatever worlds He carries our souls when they shall pass out of these imprisoning bodies, in those worlds these souls of ours shall find themselves part of the same great Temple; for it belongs not to this earth alone. There can be no end of the universe where God is, to which that growing Temple does not reach,–the Temple of a creation to be wrought at last into a perfect utterance of God by a perfect obedience to God.
PHILLIPS BROOKS.
January 6
_In all ages entering into holy souls, she [Wisdom] maketh them friends of God, and prophets_.–WISDOM OF SOLOMON vii. 27.
Meanwhile with every son and saint of Thine Along the glorious line,
Sitting by turns beneath Thy sacred feet We ‘ll hold communion sweet,
Know them by look and voice, and thank them all For helping us in thrall,
For words of hope, and bright examples given To shew through moonless skies that there is light in heaven.
J. KEBLE.
If we cannot live at once and alone with Him, we may at least live with those who have lived with Him; and find, in our admiring love for their purity, their truth, their goodness, an intercession with His pity on our behalf. To study the lives, to meditate the sorrows, to commune with the thoughts, of the great and holy men and women of this rich world, is a sacred discipline, which deserves at least to rank as the forecourt of the temple of true worship, and may train the tastes, ere we pass the very gate, of heaven. We forfeit the chief source of dignity and sweetness in life, next to the direct communion with God, if we do not seek converse with the greater minds that have left their vestiges on the world.
J. MARTINEAU.
Do not think it wasted time to submit yourself to any influence which may bring upon you any noble feeling.
J. RUSKIN.
January 7
_The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power_.–EPH. i. 19.
The lives which seem so poor, so low, The hearts which are so cramped and dull, The baffled hopes, the impulse slow,
Thou takest, touchest all, and lo! They blossom to the beautiful.
SUSAN COOLIDGE.
A root set in the finest soil, in the best climate, and blessed with all that sun and air and rain can do for it, is not in so sure a way of its growth to perfection, as every man may be, whose spirit aspires after all that which God is ready and infinitely desirous to give him. For the sun meets not the springing bud that stretches towards him with half that certainty, as God, the source of all good, communicates Himself to the soul that longs to partake of Him.
WM. LAW.
If we stand in the openings of the present moment, with all the length and breadth of our faculties unselfishly adjusted to what it reveals, we are in the best condition to receive what God is always ready to communicate.
T. C. UPHAM.
January 8
_As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men_.–GAL. vi. 10.
_Let brotherly love continue_.–HEB. xiii. 1.
I Ask Thee for a thoughtful love,
Through constant watching wise,
To meet the glad with joyful smiles, And to wipe the weeping eyes,
And a heart at leisure from itself, To soothe and sympathize.
A. L. WARING.
Surely none are so full of cares, or so poor in gifts, that to them also, waiting patiently and trustfully on God for His daily commands, He will not give direct ministry for Him, increasing according to their strength and their desire. There is so much to be set right in the world, there are so many to be led and helped and comforted, that we must continually come in contact with such in our daily life. Let us only take care, that, by the glance being turned inward, or strained onward, or lost in vacant reverie, we do not miss our turn of service, and pass by those to whom we might have been sent on an errand straight from God.
ELIZABETH CHARLES.
Look up and not down; look forward and not back; look out and not in; and lend a hand.
EDWARD E. HALE.
January 9
_And in every work that be began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered_.–2 CHRON. xxxi. 21.
_What, shall we do, that we might work the works of God_?–JOHN vi. 28.
Give me within the work which calls to-day, To see Thy finger gently beckoning on; So struggle grows to freedom, work to play, And toils begun from Thee to Thee are done.
J. F. CLARKE.
God is a kind Father. He sets us all in the places where He wishes us to be employed; and that employment is truly “our Father’s business.” He chooses work for every creature which will be delightful to them, if they do it simply and humbly. He gives us always strength enough, and sense enough, for what He wants us to do; if we either tire ourselves or puzzle ourselves, it is our own fault. And we may always be sure, whatever we are doing, that we cannot be pleasing Him, if we are not happy ourselves.
J. RUSKIN.
January 10
_Because Thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee_.–PS. lxiii. 3.
_Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it_.–LUKE xvii. 33.
O Lord! my best desires fulfil,
And help me to resign
Life, health, and comfort, to Thy will, And make Thy pleasure mine.
WM. COWPER.
What do our heavy hearts prove but that other things are sweeter to us than His will, that we have not attained to the full mastery of our true freedom, the full perception of its power, that our sonship is yet but faintly realized, and its blessedness not yet proved and known? Our consent would turn all our trials into obedience. By consenting we make them our own, and offer them with ourselves again to Him.
H. E. MANNING.
Nothing is intolerable that is necessary. Now God hath bound thy trouble upon thee, with a design to try thee, and with purposes to reward and crown thee. These cords thou canst not break; and therefore lie thou down gently, and suffer the hand of God to do what He please.
JEREMY TAYLOR.
January 11
_I will be glad, and rejoice in Thy mercy: for Thou hast considered my trouble; Thou hast known my soul in adversities_.–PS. xxxi. 7.
Nay, all by Thee is ordered, chosen, planned; Each drop that fills my daily cup Thy hand Prescribes, for ills none else can understand: All, all is known to Thee.
A. L. NEWTON.
God knows us through and through. Not the most secret thought, which we most hide from ourselves, is hidden from Him. As then we come to know ourselves through and through, we come to see ourselves more as God sees us, and then we catch some little glimpse of His designs with us, how each ordering of His Providence, each check to our desires, each failure of our hopes, is just fitted for us, and for something in our own spiritual state, which others know not of, and which, till then, we knew not. Until we come to this knowledge, we must take all in faith, believing, though we know not, the goodness of God towards us. As we know ourselves, we, thus far, know God.
E. B. PUSEY.
January 12
_Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer_.–PS. xix. 14.
The thoughts that in our hearts keep place, Lord, make a holy, heavenly throng,
And steep in innocence and grace
The issue of each guarded tongue.
T. H. GILL.
There is another kind of silence to be cultivated, besides that of the tongue as regards others. I mean silence as regards one’s self,–restraining the imagination, not permitting it to dwell overmuch on what we have heard or said, not indulging in the phantasmagoria of picture-thoughts, whether of the past or future. Be sure that you have made no small progress in the spiritual life, when you can control your imagination, so as to fix it on the duty and occupation actually existing, to the exclusion of the crowd of thoughts which are perpetually sweeping across the mind. No doubt, you cannot prevent those thoughts from arising, but you can prevent yourself from dwelling on them; you can put them aside, you can check the self-complacency, or irritation, or earthly longings which feed them, and by the practice of such control of your thoughts you will attain that spirit of inward silence which draws the soul into a close intercourse with God.
JEAN N. GROU.
January 13
_Speak not evil one of another, brethren_.–JAMES iv. 11.
_Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice_.–EPH. iv. 31.
If aught good thou canst not say
Of thy brother, foe, or friend,
Take thou, then, the silent way,
Lest in word thou shouldst offend.
ANON.
If there is any person to whom you feel dislike, that is the person of whom you ought never to speak.
R. CECIL.
To recognize with delight all high and generous and beautiful actions; to find a joy even in seeing the good qualities of your bitterest opponents, and to admire those qualities even in those with whom you have least sympathy, this is the only spirit which can heal the love of slander and of calumny.
F. W. ROBERTSON.
January 14
_Thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint_.–2 SAM. xv. 15.
I love to think that God appoints
My portion day by day;
Events of life are in His hand,
And I would only say,
Appoint them in Thine own good time, And in Thine own best way.
A. L. WARING.
If we are really, and always, and equally ready to do whatsoever the King appoints, all the trials and vexations arising from any change in His appointments, great or small, simply do not exist. If He appoints me to work there, shall I lament that I am not to work here? If He appoints me to wait in-doors to-day, am I to be annoyed because I am not to work out-of-doors? If I meant to write His messages this morning, shall I grumble because He sends interrupting visitors, rich or poor, to whom I am to speak them, or “show kindness” for His sake, or at least obey His command, “Be courteous?” If all my members are really at His disposal, why should I be put out if to-day’s appointment is some simple work for my hands or errands for my feet, instead of some seemingly more important doing of head or tongue?
F. R. HAVERGAL.
January 15
_For this is the will of God, even your sanctification_.–I THESS. iv. 3.
Between us and Thyself remove
Whatever hindrances may be,
That so our inmost heart may prove A holy temple, meet for Thee.
LATIN MSS. OF 15TH CENTURY.
Bear, in the presence of God, to know thyself. Then seek to know for what God sent thee into the world; how thou hast fulfilled it; art thou yet what God willed thee to be; what yet lacketh unto thee; what is God’s will for thee _now_; what thing thou mayest _now_ do, by His grace, to obtain His favor, and approve thyself unto Him. Say to Him, “Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God,” and He will say unto thy soul, “Fear not; I am thy salvation.” He will speak peace unto thy soul; He will set thee in the way; He will bear thee above things of sense, and praise of man, and things which perish in thy grasp, and give thee, if but afar off, some glimpse of His own, unfading, unsetting, unperishing brightness and bliss and love.
E. B. PUSEY.
January 16
_Now our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work_.–2 THESS. ii. 16, 17.
When sorrow all our heart would ask, We need not shun our daily task,
And hide ourselves for calm;
The herbs we seek to heal our woe
Familiar by our pathway grow,
Our common air is balm.
J. KEBLE.
Oh, when we turn away from some duty or some fellow-creature, saying that our hearts are too sick and sore with some great yearning of our own, we may often sever the line on which a divine message was coming to us. We shut out the man, and we shut out the angel who had sent him on to open the door. There is a plan working in our lives; and if we keep our hearts quiet and our eyes open, it all works together; and, if we don’t, it all rights together, and goes on fighting till it comes right, somehow, somewhere.
ANNIE KEARY.
January 17
_Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings_.–I PETER iv. 12, 13.
We take with solemn thankfulness
Our burden up, nor ask it less,
And count it joy that even we
May suffer, serve, or wait for Thee, Whose will be done!
J. G. WHITTIER.
Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, pain, uneasiness, temptation, darkness, and desolation, with both thy hands, as a true opportunity and blessed occasion of dying to self, and entering into a fuller fellowship with thy self-denying, suffering Saviour. Look at no inward or outward trouble in any other view; reject every other thought about it; and then every kind of trial and distress will become the blessed day of thy prosperity. That state is best, which exerciseth the highest faith in, and fullest resignation to God.
WM. LAW.
January 18
_Thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee_.–DEUT. XXVI. 11.
_Rejoice evermore. In everything give thanks_.–I THESS. v. 16, 18.
Grave on thy heart each past “red-letter day”! Forget not all the sunshine of the way
By which the Lord hath led thee; answered prayers, And joys unasked, strange blessings, lifted cares, Grand promise-echoes! Thus thy life shall be One record of His love and faithfulness to thee.
F. R. HAVERGAL.
Gratitude consists in a watchful, minute attention to the particulars of our state, and to the multitude of God’s gifts, taken one by one. It fills us with a consciousness that God loves and cares for us, even to the least event and smallest need of life. It is a blessed thought, that from our childhood God has been laying His fatherly hands upon us, and always in benediction; that even the strokes of His hands are blessings, and among the chiefest we have ever received. When this feeling is awakened, the heart beats with a pulse of thankfulness. Every gift has its return of praise. It awakens an unceasing daily converse with our Father,–He speaking to us by the descent of blessings, we to Him by the ascent of thanksgiving. And all our whole life is thereby drawn under the light of His countenance, and is filled with a gladness, serenity, and peace which only thankful hearts can know.
H. E. MANNING.
January 19
_Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord_.–PS. cv. 3.
_The joy of the Lord is your strength_.–NEH. viii. 10.
Be Thou my Sun, my selfishness destroy, Thy atmosphere of Love be all my joy;
Thy Presence be my sunshine ever bright, My soul the little mote that lives but in Thy light.
GERHARD TERSTEEGEN.
I do not know when I have had happier times in my soul, than when I have been sitting at work, with nothing before me but a candle and a white cloth, and hearing no sound but that of my own breath, with God in my soul and heaven in my eye… I rejoice in being exactly what I am,–a creature capable of loving God, and who, as long as God lives, must be happy. I get up and look for a while out of the window, and gaze at the moon and stars, the work of an Almighty hand. I think of the grandeur of the universe, and then sit down, and think myself one of the happiest beings in it.
A POOR METHODIST WOMAN, 18TH CENTURY.
January 20
_The Lord taketh pleasure In His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation_.–PS. cxlix. 4.
Long listening to Thy words,
My voice shall catch Thy tone,
And, locked in Thine, my hand shall grow All loving like Thy own.
B. T.
It is not in words explicable, with what divine lines and lights the exercise of godliness and charity will mould and gild the hardest and coldest countenance, neither to what darkness their departure will consign the loveliest. For there is not any virtue the exercise of which, even momentarily, will not impress a new fairness upon the features; neither on them only, but on the whole body the moral and intellectual faculties have operation, for all the movements and gestures, however slight, are different in their modes according to the mind that governs them–and on the gentleness and decision of right feeling follows grace of actions, and, through continuance of this, grace of form.
J. RUSKIN.
There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us.
R. W. EMERSON.
January 21
_Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint_.–ISA. xl. 30, 31.
Lord, with what courage and delight
I do each thing,
When Thy least breath sustains my wing! I shine and move
Like those above,
And, with much gladness
Quitting sadness,
Make me fair days of every night.
H. VAUGHAN.
Man, by living wholly in submission to the Divine Influence, becomes surrounded with, and creates for himself, internal pleasures infinitely greater than any he can otherwise attain to–a state of heavenly Beatitude.
J. P. GREAVES.
By persisting in a habit of self-denial, we shall, beyond what I can express, increase the inward powers of the mind, and shall produce that cheerfulness and greatness of spirit as will fit us for all good purposes; and shall not have lost pleasure, but _changed_ it; the soul being then filled with its own intrinsic pleasures.
HENRY MORE.
January 22
_Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord_.–HOSEA vi. 3.
And, as the path of duty is made plain, May grace be given that I may walk therein, Not like the hireling, for his selfish gain, With backward glances and reluctant tread, Making a merit of his coward dread,–
But, cheerful, in the light around me thrown, Walking as one to pleasant service led; Doing God’s will as if it were my own, Yet trusting not in mine, but in His strength alone!
J. G. WHITTIER.
It is by doing our duty that we learn to do it. So long as men dispute whether or no a thing is their duty, they get never the nearer. Let them set ever so weakly about doing it, and the face of things alters. They find in themselves strength which they knew not of. Difficulties which it seemed to them they could not get over, disappear. For He accompanies it with the influences of His blessed Spirit, and each performance opens our minds for larger influxes of His grace, and places them in communion with Him.
E. B. PUSEY.
That which is called considering what is our duty in a particular case, is very often nothing but endeavoring to explain it away.
JOSEPH BUTLER.
January 23
_If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday; and the Lord shall guide thee continually_.–ISA. lviii. 10, 11.
If thou hast Yesterday thy duty done, And thereby cleared firm footing for To-day, Whatever clouds make dark To-morrow’s sun, Thou shall not miss thy solitary way.
J. W. VON GOETHE.
O Lord, who art our Guide even unto death, grant us, I pray Thee, grace to follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. In little daily duties to which Thou callest us, bow down our wills to simple obedience, patience under pain or provocation, strict truthfulness of word and manner, humility, kindness; in great acts of duty or perfection, if Thou shouldest call us to them, uplift us to self-sacrifice, heroic courage, laying down of life for Thy truth’s sake, or for a brother. Amen.
C. G. ROSSETTI.
January 24
_I will bless the Lord, who bath given me counsel_.–PS. xvi. 7.
_Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord_.–ROM. xii. 11.
Mine be the reverent, listening love That waits all day on Thee,
With the service of a watchful heart Which no one else can see.
A. L. WARING.
Nothing is small or great in God’s sight; whatever He wills becomes great to us, however seemingly trifling, and if once the voice of conscience tells us that He requires anything of us, we have no right to measure its importance. On the other hand, whatever He would not have us do, however important we may think it, is as nought to us.
How do you know what you may lose by neglecting this duty, which you think so trifling, or the blessing which its faithful performance may bring? Be sure that if you do your very best in that which is laid upon you daily, you will not be left without sufficient help when some weightier occasion arises. Give yourself to Him, trust Him, fix your eye upon Him, listen to His voice, and then go on bravely and cheerfully.
JEAN NICOLAS GROU.
January 25
_If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them_.–JOHN xiii. 17.
_Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin_.–JAMES iv. 17.
We cannot kindle when we will
The fire that in the heart resides, The spirit bloweth and is still,
In mystery our soul abides:
But tasks in hours of insight willed Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled.
MATTHEW ARNOLD.
Hurt not your conscience with any known sin.
S. RUTHERFORD.
Deep-rooted customs, though wrong, are not easily altered; but it is the duty of all to be firm in that which they certainly know is right for them.
JOHN WOOLMAN.
He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing; not only he who does a certain thing.
MARCUS ANTONINUS.
Every duty we omit obscures some truth we should have known.
JOHN RUSKIN.
January 26
_O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His–ways past finding out_!–ROM. xi. 33.
_It doth not yet appear what we shall be_.–I JOHN iii. 2.
No star is ever lost we once have seen, We always may be what we might have been. Since Good, though only thought, has life and breath, God’s life–can always be redeemed from death; And evil, in its nature, is decay,
And any hour can blot it all away; The hopes that lost in some far distance seem, May be the truer life, and this the dream.
A. A. PROCTER.
St. Bernard has said: “Man, if thou desirest a noble and holy life, and unceasingly prayest to God for it, if thou continue constant in this thy desire, it will be granted unto thee without fail, even if only in the day or hour of thy death; and if God should not give it to thee then, thou shalt find it in Him in eternity: of this be assured.” Therefore do not relinquish your desire, though it be not fulfilled immediately, or though ye may swerve from your aspirations, or even forget them for a time…. The love and aspiration which once really existed live forever before God, and in Him ye shall find the fruit thereof; that is, to all eternity it shall be better for you than if you had never felt them.
J. TAULER.
January 27
_For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones_.–ISA. lvii. 15.
Without an end or bound
Thy life lies all outspread in light; Our lives feel Thy life all around,
Making our weakness strong, our darkness bright; Yet is it neither wilderness nor sea,
But the calm gladness of a full eternity.
F. W. FABER.
O truth who art Eternity! And Love who art Truth! And Eternity who art Love! Thou art my God, to Thee do I sigh night and day. When I first knew Thee, Thou liftedst me up, that I might see there was somewhat for me to see, and that I was not yet such as to see. And Thou streaming forth Thy beams of light upon me most strongly, didst beat back the weakness of my sight, and I trembled with love and awe: and I perceived myself to be far off from Thee in the region of unlikeness.
ST. AUGUSTINE.
January 28
_O fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him_–PS. xxxiv. 9.
_Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing_.–PS. cxlv. 16.
What Thou shalt to-day provide,
Let me as a child receive;
What to-morrow may betide,
Calmly to Thy wisdom leave.
‘Tis enough that Thou wilt care;
Why should I the burden bear?
J. NEWTON.
Have we found that anxiety about possible consequences increased the clearness of our judgment, made us wiser and braver in meeting the present, and arming ourselves for the future? If we had prayed for this day’s bread, and left the next to itself, if we had not huddled our days together, not allotting to each its appointed task, but ever deferring that to the future, and drawing upon the future for its own troubles, which must be met when they come whether we have anticipated them or not, we should have found a simplicity and honesty in our lives, a capacity for work, an enjoyment in it, to which we are now, for the most part, strangers.
F. D. MAURICE.
January 29
_I the Lord will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee_.–ISA. xli. 13.
_Show Thy marvellous loving-kindness, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee_.–PS. xvii. 7.
Take Thy hand, and fears grow still; Behold Thy face, and doubts remove;
Who would not yield his wavering will To perfect Truth and boundless Love?
S. JOHNSON.
Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto,–do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen to-morrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you to-day, will take care of you to-morrow, and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
January 30
_If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me_.–PS. cxxxix. 9, 10.
I cannot lose Thee! Still in Thee abiding, The end is clear, how wide soe’er I roam; The Hand that holds the worlds my steps is guiding, And I must rest at last in Thee, my home.
E. SCUDDER.
How can we come to perceive this direct leading of God? By a careful looking at home, and abiding; within the gates of thy own soul. Therefore, let a man be at home in his own heart, and cease from his restless chase of and search after outward things. If he is thus at home while on earth, he will surely come to see what there is to do at home,–what God commands him inwardly without means, and also outwardly by the help of means; and then let him surrender himself, and follow God along whatever path his loving Lord thinks fit to lead him: whether it be to contemplation or action, to usefulness or enjoyment; whether in sorrow or in joy, let him follow on. And if God do not give him thus to feel His hand in all things, let him still simply yield himself up, and go without, for God’s sake, out of love, and still press forward.
J. TAULER.
January 31
_In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths_.–PROV. iii. 6.
_He leadeth me_.–PS. xxiii. 2.
In “pastures green”? Not always; sometimes He Who knoweth best, in kindness leadeth me In weary ways, where heavy shadows be.
So, whether on the hill-tops high and fair I dwell, or in the sunless valleys, where The shadows lie, what matter? He is there.
HENRY H. BARRY.
The Shepherd knows what pastures are best for his sheep, and they must not question nor doubt, but trustingly follow Him. Perhaps He sees that the best pastures for some of us are to be found in the midst of opposition or of earthly trials. If He leads you there, you may be sure they are green for you, and you will grow and be made strong by feeding there. Perhaps He sees that the best waters for you to walk beside will be raging waves of trouble and sorrow. If this should be the case, He will make them still waters for you, and you must go and lie down beside them, and let them have all their blessed influences upon you.
H. W. SMITH.
February 1
_Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus_.–ROM. xv. 5.
_Let patience have her perfect work_.–JAMES i. 4.
Make me patient, kind, and gentle,
Day by day;
Teach me how to live more nearly
As I pray.
SHARPE’S MAGAZINE.
The exercise of patience involves a continual practice of the presence of God; for we may be come upon at any moment for an almost heroic display of good temper, and it is a short road to unselfishness, for nothing is left to self; all that seems to belong most intimately to self, to be self’s private property, such as time, home, and rest, are invaded by these continual trials of patience. The family is full of such opportunities.
F. W. FABER.
Only as we know what it is to cherish love when sore at some unkindness, to overmaster ourselves when under provocation, to preserve gentleness during trial and unmerited wrong,–only then can we know in any degree the “manner of spirit” that was in Christ.
T. T. CARTER.
February 2
_Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men_.–I THESS. v. 14.
The little worries which we meet each day May lie as stumbling-blocks across our way, Or we may make them stepping-stones to be Of grace, O Lord, to Thee.
A. E. HAMILITON.
We must be continually sacrificing our own wills, as opportunity serves, to the will of others; bearing, without notice, sights and sounds that annoy us; setting about this or that task, when we had far rather be doing something very different; persevering in it, often, when we are thoroughly tired of it; keeping company for duty’s sake, when it would be a great joy to us to be by ourselves; besides all the trifling untoward accidents of life; bodily pain and weakness long continued, and perplexing us often when it does not amount to illness; losing what we value, missing what we desire; disappointment in other persons, wilfulness, unkindness, ingratitude, folly, in cases where we least expect it.
J. KEBLE.
February 3
_Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting_.–PS. cxxxix. 23, 24.
Save us from the evil tongue,
From the heart that thinketh wrong, From the sins, whate’er they be,
That divide the soul from Thee.
ANON.
Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye it then with a continuous series of such thoughts as these: for instance, that where a man can live, there he can also live well. But he must live in a palace: well, then, he can also live well in a palace.
MARCUS ANTONINUS.
Who is there that sets himself to the task of steadily watching his thoughts for the space of one hour, with the view of preserving his mind in a simple, humble, healthful condition, but will speedily discern in the multiform, self-reflecting, self-admiring emotions, which, like locusts, are ready to “eat up every green thing in his land,” a state as much opposed to simplicity and humility as night is to day?
M. A. KELTY.
February 4
_If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body_.–JAMES iii. 2
_Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips_.–PS. cxli. 3.
What! never speak one evil word,
Or rash, or idle, or unkind!
Oh, how shall I, most gracious Lord, This mark of true perfection find?
C. WESLEY.
When we remember our temptations to give quick indulgence to disappointment or irritation or unsympathizing weariness, and how hard a thing it is from day to day to meet our fellow-men, our neighbors, or even our own households, in all moods, in all discordances between the world without us and the frames within, in all states of health, of solicitude, of preoccupation, and show no signs of impatience, ungentleness, or unobservant self-absorption,–with only kindly feeling finding expression, and ungenial feeling at least inwardly imprisoned;–we shall be ready to acknowledge that the man who has thus attained is master of himself, and in the graciousness of his power is fashioned upon the style of a Perfect Man.
J. H. THOM.
February 5
_Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times_.–PS. cvi. 3.
_Thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away_.–JOB xi. 15, 16.
In the bitter waves of woe,
Beaten and tossed about
By the sullen winds that blow
From the desolate shores of doubt, Where the anchors that faith has cast
Are dragging in the gale,
I am quietly holding fast
To the things that cannot fail.
WASHINGTON GLADDEN.
In the darkest hour through which a human soul can pass, whatever else is doubtful, this at least is certain. If there be no God and no future state, yet even then, it is better to be generous than selfish, better to be chaste than licentious, better to be true than false, better to be brave than to be a coward. Blessed beyond all earthly blessedness is the man who, in the tempestuous darkness of the soul, has dared to hold fast to these venerable landmarks. Thrice blessed is he, who, when all is drear and cheerless within and without, when his teachers terrify him, and his friends shrink from him, has obstinately clung to moral good. Thrice blessed, because _his_ night shall pass into clear, bright day.
F. W. ROBERTSON.
February 6
_Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe_.–PROV. xxix. 25.
_I will cry unto God most high; unto God, that performeth all things for me_.–PS. lvii. 2.
Only thy restless heart keep still,
And wait in cheerful hope; content To take whate’er His gracious will,
His all-discerning love hath sent; Nor doubt our inmost wants are known
To Him who chose us for His own.
G. NEUMARK.
God has brought us into this time; He, and not ourselves or some dark demon. If we are not fit to cope with that which He has prepared for us, we should have been utterly unfit for any condition that we imagine for ourselves. In this time we are to live and wrestle, and in no other. Let us humbly, tremblingly, manfully look at it, and we shall not wish that the sun could go back its ten degrees, or that we could go back with it. If easy times are departed, it is that the difficult times may make us more in earnest; that they may teach us not to depend upon ourselves. If easy belief is impossible, it is that we may learn what belief is, and in whom it is to be placed.
F. D. MAURICE.
February 7
_Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you_.–JER. vii. 23.
And oft, when in my heart was heard
Thy timely mandate, I deferred
The task, in smoother walks to stray; But thee I now would serve more strictly, if I may.
W. WORDSWORTH.
Pray Him to give you what Scripture calls “an honest and good heart,” or “a perfect heart;” and, without waiting, begin at once to obey Him with the best heart you have. Any obedience is better than none. You have to seek His face; obedience is the only way of seeing Him. All your duties are obediences. To do what He bids is to obey Him, and to obey Him is to approach Him. Every act of obedience is an approach–an approach to Him who is not far off, though He seems so, but close behind this visible screen of things which hides Him from us.
J. H. NEWMAN.
As soon as we lay ourselves entirely at His feet, we have enough light given us to guide our own steps; as the foot-soldier, who hears nothing of the councils that determine the course of the great battle he is in, hears plainly enough the word of command which he must himself obey.
GEORGE ELIOT.
February 8
_He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake_.–PS. xxiii. 2, 3.
He leads me where the waters glide,
The waters soft and still,
And homeward He will gently guide
My wandering heart and will.
J. KEBLE.
Out of obedience and devotion arises an habitual faith, which makes Him, though unseen, a part of all our life. He will guide us in a sure path, though it be a rough one: though shadows hang upon it, yet He will be with us. He will bring us home at last. Through much trial it may be, and weariness, in much fear and fainting of heart, in much sadness and loneliness, in griefs that the world never knows, and under burdens that the nearest never suspect. Yet He will suffice for all. By His eye or by His voice He will guide us, if we be docile and gentle; by His staff and by His rod, if we wander or are wilful: any how, and by all means, He will bring us to His rest.
H. E. MANNING.
February 9
_I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine_.–MATT. xxv. 25.
Time was, I shrank from what was right, From fear of what was wrong;
I would not brave the sacred fight, Because the foe was strong.
But now I cast that finer sense
And sorer shame aside;
Such dread of sin was indolence,
Such aim at heaven was pride.
J. H. NEWMAN.
If he falls into some error, he does not fret over it, but rising up with a humble spirit, he goes on his way anew rejoicing. Were he to fall a hundred times in the day, he would not despair,–he would rather cry out lovingly to God, appealing to His tender pity. The really devout man has a horror of evil, but he has a still greater love of that which is good; he is more set on doing what is right, than avoiding what is wrong. Generous, large-hearted, he is not afraid of danger in serving God, and would rather run the risk of doing His will imperfectly than not strive to serve Him lest he fail in the attempt.
JEAN NICOLAS GROU.
February 10
_We have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation_.–ISA. xxv. 9.
Blest are the humble souls that wait With sweet submission to His will;
Harmonious all their passions move, And in the midst of storms are still.
P. DODDRIDGE.
Do not be discouraged at your faults; bear with yourself in correcting them, as you would with your neighbor. Lay aside this ardor of mind, which exhausts your body, and leads you to commit errors. Accustom yourself gradually to carry prayer into all your daily occupations. Speak, move, work, in peace, as if you were in prayer, as indeed you ought to be. Do everything without excitement, by the spirit of grace. As soon as you perceive your natural impetuosity gliding in, retire quietly within, where is the kingdom of God. Listen to the leadings of grace, then say and do nothing but what the Holy Spirit shall put in your heart. You will find that you will become more tranquil, that your words will be fewer and more effectual, and that, with less effort, you will accomplish more good.
FRANCOIS DE LA MOTHE FENELON.
February 11
_I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do_.–JOHN xvii. 4.
_She hath done what she could_.–MARK xiv. 8.
He who God’s will has borne and done, And his own restless longings stilled, What else he does, or has foregone,
His mission he has well fulfilled.
FROM THE GERMAN.
Cheered by the presence of God, I will do at each moment, without anxiety, according to the strength which He shall give me, the work that His Providence assigns me. I will leave the rest without concern; it is not my affair. I ought to consider the duty to which I am called each day, as the work that God has given me to do, and to apply myself to it in a manner worthy of His glory, that is to say, with exactness and in peace. I must neglect nothing; I must be violent about nothing.
FRANCOIS DE LA MOTHE FENELON.
It is thy duty oftentimes to do what thou wouldst not; thy duty, too, to leave undone what thou wouldst do.
THOMAS A KEMPIS.
February 12
_Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits_.–PS. lxviii. 19.
_Nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy_.–I TIM. vi. 17.
Source of my life’s refreshing springs, Whose presence in my heart sustains me, Thy love ordains me pleasant things,
Thy mercy orders all that pains me.
A. L. WARING.
And to be true, and speak my soul, when I survey the occurrences of my life, and call into account the finger of God, I can perceive nothing but an abyss and mass of mercies, either in general to mankind, or in particular to myself; and whether out of the prejudice of my affection, or an inverting and partial conceit of His mercies, I know not; but those which others term crosses, afflictions, judgments, misfortunes, to me who inquire farther into them than their visible effects, they both appear, and in event have ever proved, the secret and dissembled favors of His affection.
SIR T. BROWNE.
February 13
_Let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him_.–2 SAM. xv. 26.
To have, each day, the thing I wish, Lord, that seems best to me;
But not to have the thing I wish,
Lord, that seems best to Thee.
Most truly, then, Thy will is done, When mine, O Lord, is crossed;
It is good to see my plans o’erthrown, My ways in Thine all lost.
H. BONAR.
O Lord, Thou knowest what is best for us; let this or that be done, as Thou shalt please. Give what Thou wilt, and how much Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt. Deal with me as Thou thinkest good. Set me where Thou wilt, and deal with me in all things just as Thou wilt. Behold, I am Thy servant, prepared for all things: for I desire not to live unto myself, but unto Thee; and oh, that I could do it worthily and perfectly!
THOMAS A KEMPIS.
Dare to look up to God, and say, “Make use of me for the future as Thou wilt. I am of the same mind; I am one with Thee. I refuse nothing which seems good to Thee. Lead me whither Thou wilt, clothe me in whatever dress Thou wilt. Is it Thy will that I should be in a public or a private condition, dwell here, or be banished, be poor or rich? Under all these circumstances, I will testify unto Thee before men.”
EPICTETUS.
February 14
_I would have you without carefulness_.–I COR. vii. 32.
O Lord, how happy should we be
If we could cast our care on Thee, If we from self could rest;
And feel at heart that One above,
In perfect wisdom, perfect love,
Is working for the best.
J. ANSTICE.
Cast all thy care on God. See that all thy cares be such as thou canst cast on God, and then hold none back. Never brood over thyself; never stop short in thyself; but cast thy whole self, even this very care which distresseth thee, upon God. Be not anxious about little things, if thou wouldst learn to trust God with thine all. Act upon faith in little things; commit thy daily cares and anxieties to Him; and He will strengthen thy faith for any greater trials. Rather, give thy whole self into God’s hands, and so trust Him to take care of thee in all lesser things, as being His, for His own sake, whose thou art.
E. B. PUSEY.
February 15
_If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well_.–JAMES ii. 8.
Come, children, let us go!
We travel hand in hand;
Each in his brother finds his joy
In this wild stranger land.
The strong be quick to raise
The weaker when they fall;
Let love and peace and patience bloom In ready help for all.
G. TERSTEEGEN.
It is a sad weakness in us, after all, that the thought of a man’s death hallows him anew to us; as if life were not sacred too,–as if it were comparatively a light thing to fail in love and reverence to the brother who has to climb the whole toilsome steep with us, and all our tears and tenderness were due to the one who is spared that hard journey.
GEORGE ELIOT.
Would we codify the laws that should reign in households, and whose daily transgression annoys and mortifies us, and degrades our household life,–we must learn to adorn every day with sacrifices. Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices. Temperance, courage, love, are made up of the same jewels. Listen to every prompting of honor.
R. W. EMERSON.
February 16
_Serve Him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind_.–I CHRON. xxviii. 9.
And if some things I do not ask,
In my cup of blessing be,
I would have my spirit filled the more With grateful love to Thee,–
More careful,–not to serve Thee much, But to please Thee perfectly.
A. L. WARING.
Little things come daily, hourly, within our reach, and they are not less calculated to set forward our growth in holiness, than are the greater occasions which occur but rarely. Moreover, fidelity in trifles, and an earnest seeking to please God in little matters, is a test of real devotion and love. Let your aim be to please our dear Lord perfectly in little things, and to attain a spirit of childlike simplicity and dependence. In proportion as self-love and self-confidence are weakened, and our will bowed to that of God, so will hindrances disappear, the internal troubles and contests which harassed the soul vanish, and it will be filled with peace and tranquillity.
JEAN NICOLAS GROU.
February 17
_My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations [or “trials”], knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience_.–JAMES i. 2, 3.
For patience, when the rough winds blow! For patience, when our hopes are fading,– When visible things all backward go,
And nowhere seems the power of aiding! God still enfolds thee with His viewless hand, And leads thee surely to the Fatherland.
N. L. FROTHINGHAM, _from the German_.
We have need of patience with ourselves and with others; with those below, and those above us, and with our own equals; with those who love us and those who love us not; for the greatest things and for the least; against sudden inroads of trouble, and under our daily burdens; disappointments as to the weather, or the breaking of the heart; in the weariness of the body, or the wearing of the soul; in our own failure of duty, or others’ failure toward us; in every-day wants, or in the aching of sickness or the decay of age; in disappointment, bereavement, losses, injuries, reproaches; in heaviness of the heart; or its sickness amid delayed hopes. In all these things, from childhood’s little troubles to the martyr’s sufferings, patience is the grace of God, whereby we endure evil for the love of God.
E. B. PUSEY.
February 18
_It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes_.–PS. cxix. 71.
_But though He cause grief yet will He have compassion, according to the multitude of His mercies_.–LAM. iii. 32.
And yet these days of dreariness are sent us from above; They do not come in anger, but in faithfulness and love; They come to teach us lessons which bright ones could not yield, And to leave us blest and thankful when their purpose is fulfilled.
ANON.
Heed not distressing thoughts when they rise ever so strongly in thee; nay, though they have entered thee, fear them not, but be still awhile, not believing in the power which thou feelest they have over thee, and it will fall on a sudden. It is good for thy spirit, and greatly to thy advantage, to be much and variously exercised by the Lord. Thou dost not know what the Lord hath already done, and what He is yet doing for thee therein.
I. PENINGTON.
Why should I start at the plough of my Lord, that maketh deep furrows on my soul? I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth a crop.
S. RUTHERFORD.
February 19
_My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work_.–JOHN iv. 34.
I am glad to think
I am not bound to make the world go right; But only to discover and to do,
With cheerful heart, the work that God appoints. I will trust in Him,
That He can hold His own; and I will take His will, above the work He sendeth me, To be my chiefest good.
J. INGELOW.
Don’t object that your duties are so insignificant; they are to be reckoned of infinite significance, and alone important to you. Were it but the more perfect regulation of your apartments, the sorting-away of your clothes and trinkets, the arranging of your papers,–“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, _do it_ with all thy might,” and all thy worth and constancy. Much more, if your duties are of evidently higher, wider scope; if you have brothers, sisters, a father, a mother, weigh earnestly what claim does lie upon you, on behalf of each, and consider it as the one thing needful, to pay _them_ more and more honestly and nobly what you owe. What matter how miserable one is, if one can do that? That is the sure and steady disconnection and extinction of whatsoever miseries one has in this world.
T. CARLYLE.
February 20
_Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall, in his brother’s way_.–ROM. xiv. 13.
_Them that were entering in, ye hindered_.–LUKE xi. 52.
My mind was ruffled with small cares to-day, And I said pettish words, and did not keep Long-suffering patience well, and now how deep My trouble for this sin! in vain I weep For foolish words I never can unsay.
H. S. SUTTON.
A vexation arises, and our expressions of impatience hinder others from taking it patiently. Disappointment, ailment, or even weather depresses us; and our look or tone of depression hinders others from maintaining a cheerful and thankful spirit. We say an unkind thing, and another is hindered in learning the holy lesson of charity that thinketh no evil. We say a provoking thing, and our sister or brother is hindered in that day’s effort to be meek. How sadly, too, we may hinder without word or act! For wrong feeling is more infectious than wrong doing; especially the various phases of ill temper,–gloominess, touchiness, discontent, irritability,–do we not know how catching these are?
F. R. HAVERGAL.
February 21
_If ye then, being evil, know bow to give good gifts unto your children, bow much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good gifts to them that ask Him_?–MATT. vii. 11.
For His great love has compassed
Our nature, and our need
We know not; but He knoweth,
And He will bless indeed.
Therefore, O heavenly Father,
Give what is best to me;
And take the wants unanswered,
As offerings made to Thee.
ANON.
Whatsoever we ask which is not for our good, He will keep it back from us. And surely in this there is no less of love than in the granting what we desire as we ought. Will not the same love which prompts you to give a good, prompt you to keep back an evil, thing? If, in our blindness, not knowing what to ask, we pray for things which would turn in our hands to sorrow and death, will not our Father, out of His very love, deny us? How awful would be our lot, if our wishes should straightway pass into realities; if we were endowed with a power to bring about all that we desire; if the inclinations of our will were followed by fulfilment of our hasty wishes, and sudden longings were always granted. One day we shall bless Him, not more for what He has granted than for what He has denied.
H. E. MANNING.
February 22
_Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God_.–PHIL. iv. 6.
We tell Thee of our care,
Of the sore burden, pressing day by day, And in the light and pity of Thy face,
The burden melts away.
We breathe our secret wish,
The importunate longing which no man may see; We ask it humbly, or, more restful still, We leave it all to Thee.
SUSAN COOLIDGE.
That prayer which does not succeed in moderating our wish, in changing the passionate desire into still submission, the anxious, tumultuous expectation into silent surrender, is no true prayer, and proves that we have not the spirit of true prayer. That life is most holy in which there is least of petition and desire, and most of waiting upon God; that in which petition most often passes into thanksgiving. Pray till prayer makes you forget your own wish, and leave it or merge it in God’s will. The Divine wisdom has given us prayer, not as a means whereby to obtain the good things of earth, but as a means whereby we learn to do without them; not as a means whereby we escape evil, but as a means whereby we become strong to meet it.
F. W. ROBERTSON.
February 23
_Let the Lord do that which is good in His sight_.–I CHRON. xix. 13.
_Let Thy mercy O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee_.–PS. XXXIII. 22.
I cannot feel
That all is well, when darkening clouds conceal The shining sun;
But then, I know
He lives and loves; and say, since it is so, Thy will be done.
S. G. BROWNING.
No felt evil or defect becomes divine until it is inevitable; and only when resistence to it is exhausted and hope has fled, does surrender cease to be premature. The hardness of our task lies _here_; that we have to strive against the grievous things of life, while hope remains, as if they were evil; and then, when the stroke has fallen, to accept them from the hand of God, and doubt not they are good. But to the loving, trusting heart, all things are possible; and even this instant change, from overstrained will to sorrowful repose, from fullest resistance to complete surrender is realized without convulsion.
J. MARTINEAU.
February 24
_These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world_.–JOHN xvi. 33.
O Thou, the primal fount of life and peace, Who shedd’st Thy breathing quiet all around, In me command that pain and conflict cease, And turn to music every jarring sound.
J. STERLING.
Accustom yourself to unreasonableness and injustice. Abide in peace in the presence of God, who sees all these evils more clearly than you do, and who permits them. Be content with doing with calmness the little which depends upon yourself, and let all else be to you as if it were not.
FRANCOIS DE LA MOTHE FENELON.
It is rare when injustice, or slights patiently borne, do not leave the heart at the close of the day filled with marvellous joy and peace.
GOLD DUST.
February 25
_But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine_.–ISA. xliii. I.
Thou art as much His care as if beside Nor man nor angel lived in heaven or earth; Thus sunbeams pour alike their glorious tide, To light up worlds, or wake an insect’s mirth.
J. KEBLE.
God beholds thee individually, whoever thou art. “He calls thee by thy name.” He sees thee, and understands thee. He knows what is in thee, all thy own peculiar feelings and thoughts, thy dispositions and likings, thy strength and thy weakness. He views thee in thy day of rejoicing and thy day of sorrow. He sympathizes in thy hopes and in thy temptations; He interests himself in all thy anxieties and thy remembrances, in all the risings and fallings of thy spirit. He compasses thee round, and bears thee in His arms; He takes thee up and sets thee down. Thou dost not love thyself better than He loves thee. Thou canst not shrink from pain more than He dislikes thy bearing it, and if He puts it on thee, it is as thou wilt put it on thyself, if thou art wise, for a greater good afterwards.
J. H. NEWMAN.
February 26
_The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth_.–PS. cxlv. 18.
_I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears_.–PS. xxxiv. 4.
Be Thou, O Rock of Ages, nigh!
So shall each murmuring thought be gone; And grief and fear and care shall fly,
As clouds before the mid-day sun.
C. WESLEY.
Take courage, and turn your troubles, which are without remedy, into material for spiritual progress. Often turn to our Lord, who is watching you, poor frail little being as you are, amid your labors and distractions. He sends you help, and blesses your affliction. This thought should enable you to bear your troubles patiently and gently, for love of Him who only allows you to be tried for your own good. Raise your heart continually to God, seek His aid, and let the foundation stone of your consolation be your happiness in being His. All vexations and annoyances will be comparatively unimportant while you know that you have such a Friend, such a Stay, such a Refuge. May God be ever in your heart.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.
February 27
_Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed_.–PS. xxxvii. 3.
Build a little fence of trust
Around to-day;
Fill the space with loving work,
And therein stay;
Look not through the sheltering bars Upon to-morrow,
God will help thee bear what comes, Of joy or sorrow.
MARY FRANVES BUTTS.
Let us bow our souls and say, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord!” Let us lift up our hearts and ask, “Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?” Then light from the opened heaven shall stream on our daily task, revealing the grains of gold, where yesterday all seemed dust; a hand shall sustain us and our daily burden, so that, smiling at yesterday’s fears, we shall say, “_This is easy, this is light;_” every “lion in the way,” as we come up to it, shall be seen chained, and leave open the gates of the Palace Beautiful; and to us, even to us, feeble and fluctuating as we are, ministries shall be assigned, and through our hands blessings shall be conveyed in which the spirits of just men made perfect might delight.
ELIZABETH CHARLES.
February 28
_Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God_.–I JOHN iv. 7.
So to the calmly gathered thought
The innermost of life is taught,
The mystery dimly understood,
That love of God is love of good;
That to be saved is only this,–
Salvation from our selfishness.
J. G. Whittler.
The Spirit of Love, wherever it is, is its own blessing and happiness, because it is the truth and reality of God in the soul; and therefore is in the same joy of life, and is the same good to itself everywhere and on every occasion. Would you know the blessing of all blessings? It is this God of Love dwelling in your soul, and killing every root of bitterness, which is the pain and torment of every earthly, selfish love. For all wants are satisfied, all disorders of nature are removed, no life is any longer a burden, every day is a day of peace, everything you meet becomes a help to you, because everything you see or do is all done in the sweet, gentle element of Love.
WM. LAW.
February 29
_Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings_.–MAL. iv. 2.
_O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me_.–PS. xliii. 3.
Open our eyes, thou Sun of life and gladness, That we may see that glorious world of Thine! It shines for us in vain, while drooping sadness Enfolds us here like mist; come, Power benign, Touch our chilled hearts with vernal smile, Our wintry course do Thou beguile,
Nor by the wayside ruins let us mourn, Who have th’ eternal towers for our appointed bourn.
J. KEBLE.
Because all those scattered rays of beauty and loveliness which we behold spread up and down over all the world, are only the emanations of that inexhausted light which is above; therefore should we love them all in that, and climb up always by those sunbeams unto the eternal Father of lights: we should look upon Him, and take from Him the pattern of our lives, and always eying Him, should, as Hierocles speaks, “polish and shape our souls into the clearest resemblance of Him;” and in all our behavior in this world (that great temple of His) deport ourselves decently and reverently, with that humility, meekness, and modesty that becomes His house.
DR. JOHN SMITH.
March 1
_Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on_.–MATT. vi. 25.
One there lives whose guardian eye
Guides our earthly destiny;
One there lives, who, Lord of all, Keeps His children lest they fall;
Pass we, then, in love and praise, Trusting Him through all our days,
Free from doubt and faithless sorrow,– God provideth for the morrow.
R. HEBER.
It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when to-morrow’s burden is added to the burden of to-day that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present.
G. MACDONALD.
_Cast thy burdens upon the Lord_,–hand it over, heave it upon Him,–_and He shall sustain thee_; shall bear both, if thou trust Him with both, both thee and thy burden: _He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved_.
ROBERT LEIGHTON.
March 2
_But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased_.–HEB. xiii. 16.
_For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another_.–I JOHN iii. 11.
Be useful where thou livest, that they may Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still. …Find out men’s wants and will,
And meet them there. All worldly joys go less To the one joy of doing kindnesses.
G. HERBERT.
Let the weakest, let the humblest remember, that in his daily course he can, if he will, shed around him almost a heaven. Kindly words, sympathizing attentions, watchfulness against wounding men’s sensitiveness,–these cost very little, but they are priceless in their value. Are they not almost the staple of our daily happiness? From hour to hour, from moment to moment, we are supported, blest, by small kindnesses.
F. W. ROBERTSON.
Small kindnesses, small courtesies, small considerations, habitually practised in our social intercourse, give a greater charm to the character than the display of great talents and accomplishments.
M. A. KELTY.