FAMILY PRAYERS
BY John MacDuff, 1885
Prayer when detained from public worship
Almighty and everlasting God, You are glorious in
holiness, fearful in praises, continually doing wonders. Your Kingdom is an
everlasting Kingdom, Your dominion endures throughout all generations. Amid
all the changes and vicissitudes of a changing world, You the Lord do not
change. You are the same, and Your years shall have no end. We desire to
bless and praise Your holy name for the return of another day. This is the
day which the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Do go forth
everywhere with the preaching of the everlasting gospel. Clothe Your priests
with salvation: let Your saints shout aloud for joy. May the assemblies of
Your people be enabled to worship You in the beauties of holiness, and feel
it to be good for them to draw near unto God.
It is our comfort to know that You are not confined to
temples made with hands; that wherever there is a true worshiper, there,
there is a prayer-hearing God. O God of Bethel—God of our Fathers, and the
covenant God of all who truly fear You, do look down in kindness on us who
are prevented this day, by the restraints of Your Providence, from joining
with our fellow-Christians in the public services of the sanctuary. It is
not to numbers You look—wherever two or three are gathered together in Your
name, we have Your own recorded promise, that there You will be in the midst
of them to bless them and to do them good. Though You love the gates of
Zion, You are not forgetful of the dwellings of Jacob. You have said that
You will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion, as well as upon her
assemblies, a cloud of smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by
night. Let the pillar of Your promised presence go before us; may we feel
like Your disciples of old, when the voices of heavenly messengers on the
mount were silenced—that we are "alone with Jesus."
Gracious Savior, abide with us; we are independent of all
ordinances—if we have You. It is Your presence and love which gives a
blessing to all outward means of grace. Your most hallowed altar is the
altar of a humble, lowly, contrite heart. Your most acceptable sacrifice is
the incense of grateful love—of devoted, obedient, submissive lives. O Great
Angel of the everlasting covenant, sprinkle these our unworthy prayers and
services with the incense of Your spotless merits, that thus, worthless and
polluted in themselves, they may be made acceptable in the sight of God.
Lord, may every returning Sabbath be finding us better
prepared for the eternal Sabbath. May sin be dying within us. May we be
progressively advancing in the divine life. May we be abounding in faith,
and hope, and love; seeking by Your grace to walk in newness of life—more
humbly—more consistently—more prayerfully. May we live as dying creatures.
May all the solemn events that are taking place among ourselves and around
us, be so many voices proclaiming, "Arise and depart—for this is not your
rest."
Lord, break the world's alluring spell; strip it of its
vain fascinations! Let the "seen and the temporal" be more subordinated
to the "unseen and the eternal." May we give evidence to all, that we are
living under the power and influence of gospel principles and renewed
affections. May we be meek and gentle—patient and forbearing—thankful and
resigned. And even though trial and sorrow should at times be our allotted
portion, may we seek to show that the grace of God can impart an inner
sunshine which no outward darkness can obscure.
Do look down in mercy on all our dear friends—may they
too see the good of Your chosen ones, and glory with Your inheritance. May
the fragrance of this day's services follow them throughout the week; may
they have the increasing experience that the way of holiness is the way
of happiness. Bless all Your missionary servants. Give them a double
portion of Your Spirit. May it be their privilege this day to gather in some
sheaves of the great gospel harvest. May the Lord of the harvest stand by
them to strengthen them; should they be now only sowing in tears, may it be
theirs, at last, to reap in joy.
And now, Lord, what wait we for? Our hope, for ourselves,
and for all near and dear to us—is in You. Hear us for the sake of Him whom
You hear always, and in whose most precious name and words we pray.