For Weanedness from the Creature
“There is none upon earth that I desire “besides Thee.” — Ps. Ixsiii. 25.
0 Lord, Thou blessed fountain of all happiness and joy, do Thou draw near to me this morning in Thy great mercy. All creature-comforts are emanations from Thee. Thy favor is life — Thy displeasure is worse than death. In losing Thee, we lose our all — in having Thee, we can want nothing.
1 have to acknowledge, with shame and confusion of face, that I have not thus been seeking my true enjoyment in Thee. I have been in pursuit of fleeting shadows, which one by one have eluded my grasp. I have been worshipping and serving the creature
more than the Creator, who is” God over all,
7# blessed for evermore.” Lord, bring me to see that nothing short of Thyself can satisfy the longings and desires of my immortal nature. Wean me from what is perishable. Let me reverentially acquiesce in whatever means Thou mayest employ to bring my wandering heart back to Thee, O thou alone-satisfying portion of my soul. Rather, Lord, would I submit to the hardest discipline than listen to the withering words, “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.” Let me feel that Thy presence and love can compensate for the loss of all earthly joys. As prop after prop which has gladdened my pilgrimage totters and falls, may I know what it is to “dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and to abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” As Thou art ever proclaiming over creature-confidence, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,” may I know what it is to cleave to One who is better and surer than the nearest and dearest on earth — the Friend that never fails, and never wearies, and never dies — “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever.”
Blessed Saviour, I devolve my every care on Thee. Thou art noting now on the throne the pangs and sorrows of every burdened heart. All other love is imperfect. All other sympathy is selfish but Thine. May my affections be consecrated to Thee. May it be my joy to serve Thee — my privilege to follow Thee, and, if need be, to suffer with Thee. May every cross lose its bitterness by having Thee at my side. May I feel that nothing but absence from Thee can create a real blank in my heart. Thy presence takes the sting from all afflictions, and imparts security in the midst of all troubles. Living or dying, may I be Thine.
Sprinkle me this new morning with the blood of the covenant. May I feel all throughout the day the joy of being reconciled to God. May my heart be made a little sanctuary of praise. May I breathe the atmosphere of heaven. May God himself be so enthroned
THE MORNmG WATCHES.
in my affections, that I may be enabled to say, in comparison with Him, of all that the world can give, “There is none upon the earth that I desire besides Thee.”
Heavenly Father, I leave all that belongs to me to Thee — “Undertake Thou for them.” Bless them and make them blessings. “Hide them under the shadow of thy wings” until earth’s “calamities be overpast.” Hear this my morning supplication; and when thou hearest, forgive. And all I ask is for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
CAUSE ME TO HEAR THY LOVING-KINDNESS IN THE MORNING, FOR IN THEE DO I TRUST.”