Preface (continued 2)
Reading edition
Charles Wagner.
Heavenly Father, help us to be like Thyself, as manifested in the person of Jesus Christ, Thy Son! It was His will to do the will of His Father by living and dying for others. Teach us so to live. Help us to learn by positive personal experience that supremest joy comes only "in ministering unto others." Teach us what Jesus meant when He said: "I am among you as he that serveth." Plant deeply within us His passion for a life of service. May our morning hours be gladdened and inspired by this divine purpose. Let Thy holy will be done in us this day. Amen.
Charles Parkhurst.
March 2
The year's at the spring And day's at the morn; Morning's at seven; The hill-side's dew-pearled; The lark's on the wing; The snail's on the thorn; God's in His heaven— All's right with the world! Robert Browning.
Father in Heaven, refreshed and heartened by the night, we begin again with Thee the high adventure of our life. Add to the beauty of the world about us a finer spiritual beauty in our souls. Save us from our own undoing. If our thoughts are dark, shine in upon them with Thy glory; if they be bright, make them to light the pathway of another. Have us wholesomely to forget ourselves, in the joy of Thy good world, the promise of our imperfection and the trust in God that maketh not afraid. And when the duties of the day are done, dismiss us, Thy well-meaning children, with a quiet mind to rest. Amen.
Albert Wellman Hitchcock.
March 3
We will do something worth doing—that is the resolution for you and me.
Edward Everett Hale.
We admire the man who embodies victorious efforts, the man who never wrongs his neighbor, who is prompt to help a friend, but who has those virile qualities necessary to win in the stern strife of actual life.
Theodore Roosevelt.
Father of Lights in whom is no darkness at all, and in whose light we see light, help us to clearly see and never forget that only right deeds are worthy of a child of Thine. May we in no moment forget that to yield to the wrong is to bring upon us Thy just condemnation and sow for us a sure reaping of sorrowful repentance. By doing the things we know to be right and worth doing, the things worthy of our true selves and of our Father and of our Master whose we are, may this day, through us, yield some benefit to other children of Thine, and bring to us the sweet reward of Thine approval. Amen.
Oscar F. Safford.
March 4
It is worth a thousand pounds a year to have the habit of looking on the bright side of things.
Samuel Johnson.
Not by appointment do we meet delight and joy; They wait not our expectancy; But round some corner in the street of life, They, on a sudden, greet us with a smile. Gerald Massey.
Our Father, at the beginning of a new day, refreshed by the night's rest, we turn to Thee for strength for the day's task. We know not what the hours hold for us, but this we do know, that come what may, Thou wilt go with us to bless, to cheer; we shall not walk or work alone. As we faithfully and cheerfully perform our work, conscious of Thy presence, there will come joys and smiles unexpected and unsought. This is Thy way of teaching us faithfulness and endurance. May we soon learn, that if we would make the day happy and worth while, we must not seek our own pleasure and good, but that of our brethren. May we so live that when the night shadows are again upon us, there shall be no cause for shame or regret. In the Master's spirit! Amen.
O. Howard Perkins.
March 5
Not in dumb resignation we lift our hands on high; Not like the nerveless fatalist, content to do and die. Our faith springs, like the eagle's, who soars to meet the sun, And cries exulting unto Thee, "Oh, Lord, Thy will be done." Thy will! It bids the weak be strong; it bids the strong be just; No lips to fawn, no hand to beg, no brow to seek the dust, Wherever man oppresses men beneath the liberal sun, O Lord, be there, Thine arm made bare, Thy righteous will be done. John Hay.
It is with the beautiful assurance of Thy love and kindness, our Father, that we draw nigh unto Thee. It is Faith that seems to give us wings by which we rise above the darkness, into Thy Presence of light and love. We feel our divine relationship to Thee, so that we lift up our hands to Thee, as the child to the parent. We are content to do Thy will, because we know then just what it is to love Thee. Our Master taught us this great lesson by His own faith in Thee. To do Thy will means strength to the weak, hope to the hopeless. To the sorrowing there can be seen, beyond the tear, the rainbow of Thy promise. Thus, as we realize our sonship will we work to make all men feel their own power, and all become one in Thy great love. May Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done, in Christ our Lord. Amen.
C. E. Fisher.
March 6
If you are my friend you cannot be indifferent to my faults of character, any more than you can be indifferent to my sickness or suffering. But, if you care to help me cure these faults, please let them alone! Please make much of my good qualities if you can discover any. And especially bless me with the encouraging sight of a better man than myself, and cheer me with a high example. I know that there are times when a sharp or gentle rebuke is in order, and that "faithful are the wounds of a friend." But the wiser doctors have lost their faith in blood-letting; and they know that clumsy surgery kills more than it cures.
Charles G. Ames.
In our prayer, our Heavenly Father, we desire to be consciously grateful for the opportunities this new day affords us of being helpful to each other. The inspiration so to act comes from Thee. Thou art the constant and never-failing Helper of Thy children. May we be mindful of the fact that our noblest service to another may not be an alms, but a look of encouragement, a word of cheer. Enable us to be not too sensible of others' faults and failings. Assist us to see and magnify the good in other lives. To this end may we be to others such examples in conduct and character as we would have them be to us. We offer and ask all in the spirit of Jesus. Amen.
Leroy W. Coons.
March 7
The mariner of old said to Neptune in a great tempest, "O God! Thou mayest save me if Thou wilt, and if Thou wilt Thou mayest destroy me, but whether or no, I will steer my rudder true."
Montaigne.
I go to prove my soul I see my way as birds their trackless way. I shall arrive! what time, what circuit first, I ask not; but unless God send His hail Or blinding fire-balls, sleet or stifling snow, In some time, His good time, I shall arrive; He guides me and the bird. In His good time! Robert Browning.
Once more we face the day that can be dreadful only to our poor sight and trembling faith. For Thou hast made flame and pain, the hurricane and quaking earth to be Thy ministers of grace. Shall trust depart when shadows fall? Thou art "in the shadow keeping watch above Thine own." As truly in severity as in gentleness, Thou art the All-Loving and All-Wise. Shall we fear to go anywhere? Lord, Thou art everywhere! Defend us only from the blindness and fear of ignorance and sin. Draw us nearer to Thee, this day, by any means in Thy good pleasure, so that at last, truly knowing Thy way, we shall rise above the worst that circumstances may do into joy unspeakable and peace unbroken. In the name of Him made perfect through suffering. Amen.
Henry B. Taylor.
March 8
We complain of the slow, dull life we are forced to lead, of our humble sphere of action, of our low position in the scale of society, of our having no room to make ourselves known, of our wasted energies, of our years of patience. So do we say that we have no Father who is directing our life, so do we say that God has forgotten us, so do we boldly judge what life is best for us, and so by our complaining do we lose the use and profit of the quiet years.
Bishop Huntington.
Infinite and Holy One, by the tender mercies of Thy great love show us this day the true life that is hid in Thee. Feed us with Thy spirit that we hunger not. Make us strong and merciful in Thee. Help us to be simple, brave, and true. Give us to speak and live the truth. Make us content with life while ever dreaming of the more perfect day. Fix our lives in a great and brave integrity. Humble us in our pride, lift us from our despondency. Keep our hearts pure and our lips from speaking guile. Send us forth in perfect faith that here and now our lives may be patterned after that of Jesus without loss of influence over men. Make us not ashamed to be good and forgiving and gentle in all our ways. Amen.
Frederick W. Bette.
March 9
Count each affliction, whether light or grave, God's messenger sent down to thee; do thou With courtesy receive him; rise and bow; And, ere his shadow pass thy threshold, crave Permission first his heavenly foot to lave. * * * * * Grief should be Like joy, majestic, equable, sedate, Confirming, cleansing, raising, making free. Strong to consume small troubles; to commend Great thoughts, grave thoughts, thoughts lasting to the end. Aubrey DeVere.
Our Father, we would learn to trust Thy love, to live so that Thy grace shall have in us its perfect work. Not the easy thing is what we ask, but strength for duty. Give us the confidence that Thou art by our side. Let Thy strong touch be felt, Thy blessed presence seen. In all the turmoil that rages within, without, grant us Thy peace. In childish helplessness, grant us the Father's help. To grow like Jesus is our heart's desire. All things that Thy great heart permits or sends, we would receive with gratitude, that so our wills and lives may be in harmony with Thine. And so day by day may something of the Saviour's glory shine through us and bless and brighten other lives in need. Amen.
Frank M. Holt.
March 10
Dawn and its silence draw a silver sigh Far in the east where early shadows lie All flocked and folded like soft peaceful sheep. The spirit of the spring stirs in its sleep, Breathes into life a misty floating sheen; The willows dreamy drip of constant green; Exultant beats a bird-heart o'er a nest, Where dim, vague stirrings 'neath the tiny breast Spell fresh the miracle of motherhood. Ah, how the world is young! ah, how 'tis good! To feel the new life flutter mystic wing; Like to a lark to feel one's soul upspring, Transpierce the very limit of the sky, And toss its challenge to Eternity! Mary Baldwin.
O God, our heavenly Father, make our hearts exultant, as the earth in the spring morning, with the radiance of Thy Presence. Fill them with the joy and hopefulness of eternal youth, and cause them to be uplifted in gratitude and thankfulness to Thee. We have seen earthly faces so beaming with the light of love that we never shall forget them. We have spoken names that are so endeared to us that they will linger in our memory as long as we live. So, O Father, may it be with Thy face and Thy name. May Thy face beaming upon us as the sun of righteousness win our love to holiness and virtue, making us fruitful of good works, and Thy name be so woven in our affections that we shall cherish and hallow it forever. Amen.
Edgar W. Preble.
March 11
You must be serving something, some one, that needs your help in order to really appreciate the Divine care. It may be the parents' care of their children; the teacher and her scholars; the charity-worker and the poor, the friendless, the benighted; it may be friend helping friend—in some way the life of loving service must be there as something out of which God can help us think of and value the care which infinite love bestows upon us.
Julian K. Smyth.
Heavenly Father, with the opening of a new day we thank Thee for father love and mother love, for love of patriot and philanthropist, and for the love which that has called into being in our own hearts. Through this love and the service of mutual helpfulness to which we have been led thereby, Thou openest our eyes to behold the world pervaded and overruled by a spirit of infinite goodness, society resting upon mutual services, and through that service mankind rising to a nobler and diviner civilization. Help us to be mindful of this heavenly vision, and so make our feet swift to run and our hands eager to work in the service of righteousness and mutual helpfulness. We ask in His name, who loving us, has taught us the divinity of service. Amen.
LeGrand Powers.
March 12
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt.
But only he whose judgment never strays Beyond the threshold of the right, learns this— Not always is it good to have one's wish; What seemeth sweet full oft to bitter turns; Fulfilled desire hath made mine eyes to weep. Therefore, O reader of these lines, if thou Would'st virtuous be, and held by others dear Will ever for the power to do aright. Leonardo da Vinci.
God of the morning light, with the dawn of another day we come to Thee with prayer for help in the steadfastness of our manifold duties. The cares that oppress us, the burdens we carry, the obligations that fall upon us, are too much for our little strength without Thy help. That help we crave from Thee, the only source of all-availing strength. Let us not be dismayed by the powers of this world or busy ourselves in vain ambitions seeking the praise of men, but may we seek that Divine approval which is of more worth than all the favors of earth. Make us brave and strong to follow in the way of Thine appointment, and grant that we may so sincerely feel and act in the busy times of this day that when the evening comes no wasted hours may be laid to our charge. Amen.
Edward M. Barney.
March 13
You are in God's world; you are God's child. Those things you cannot change; the only peace and rest and happiness for you is to accept them and rejoice in them. When God speaks to you, you must not believe that it is the wind blowing or the torrent falling from the hill. You must know that it is God. You must gather up the whole power of meeting Him. You must be thankful that life is great and not little. You must listen as if listening were your life. And then, then only can come peace. All other sounds will be caught up into the prevailing richness of that voice of God. The lost proportions will be perfectly restored. Discord will cease; harmony will be complete.
Phillips Brooks.
Almighty God! We thank Thee for the peace and comfort of the night; for the new day and all the hope and peace and promise that it brings to us. Help us that with glad faces and joyous hearts we may take up its every privilege and duty, doing, in the spirit of the Master every good and helpful thing our hands find to do. And when the evening shall have come may we look back on a day of plenty, service, and peace, retiring to our rest with songs in our hearts and thanksgiving on our lips because Thy blessings have been on this, as on all other days new every morning and fresh every evening. Amen.
George Mayo Gerrish.
March 14
It is the first mild day of March: Each minute sweeter than before, The red-breast sings from the tall larch That stands beside our door. There is a blessing in the air, Which seems a sense of joy to yield, To the bare trees and mountain bare, And grass in the green field. William Wordsworth.
Our Father, we wake each morning refreshed and thankful for the joy of living; for the air we breathe, the things we see, the sounds of nature's sweetest harmonies and all the beauty which surrounds our earthly life. May the wonders of the earth speak to us in witness of Thy love. Let springing-grass and opening flower remind us of the new life which is ours through the resurrection of our Lord. His blessing like the light of the sun runs everywhere, carrying with it morning and hope, springtime and gladness. The joy is in the song of the birds, the murmur of the waters, the children's laughter and the song of happy hearts. Attune our hearts to notes of praise and make us glad upon the earth until Thou bringest us to perfect and unshadowed joys where we shall see Thee as Thou art and be like Thee. Amen.
J. W. Stephan.
March 15
As to equality and inequality, all the beauty and glory of life come from inequalities. If we were all Beethovens or Shakespeares or marvelous in any one direction, life would be unbearable. Who shall tell me if an Easter lily is the equal of a rose, or if either is equal to an oak or a pine? The question of equality is out of the court. The one thing we need to do is to cultivate the finest and sweetest things in us; and then, whether we are one of the California big trees or the violet in a valley, we shall help on the beauty and glory of the earth.
Robert Collyer.
Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the manifold beauties of Thy universe, the revelations of Thyself to Thy children. For those large wonders which stir men's minds and rouse their souls to awe, we thank Thee, but not less for the little things of life, filling their places well, and showing daily to the seeing eye that without them Thy universe could not be complete. Help us to grasp the lesson that they teach. If Thou hast given to us the great place, we thank Thee, but we thank Thee not less for the homely task, the humble duty, for it is all necessary to Thy plan. Help us, day by day, with stronger purpose, larger consecration, to fill our place, to do Thy will, in His name. Amen.
George F. Fortier.
March 16
There must be a way of taking worry rightly, so that it shall do us good and not harm. Worry, rightly taken, should train to quietness, humility, patience, gentleness, sympathy. It ought not to eventuate (though it naturally does) in making others suffer because we are uncomfortable; in making us a source of painful worry to others because we are worried ourselves.
A. H. K. Boyd.
Father of Love, Thy blessing it is which gives us another day. Help us to put before its cares the spirit that will banish care, to find in its beginning the power that will make labors happy and its ending sweet, and so to open our hearts to Thy light that no gloom of night shall linger round our way. If heaviness there be in ours or others' lives may every wholesome cheer make it less sore. If remembered faults and follies quench a better hope, send Thy patience and Thy will to be our courage and fresh resolve. Through all the noisy world may the secret music of Thy law swell in our breasts and every step keep time with its glorious march. Amen.
John Day.
March 17
Therefore to whom turn I but to Thee, the ineffable Name? Builder and maker, Thou, of houses not made with hands! What, have fear of change from Thee who art ever the same! Doubt that Thy power can fill the heart that Thy power expands! There shall never be one lost good! What was, shall live as before; The evil is null, is nought, is silence implying sound; What was good, shall be good, with, for evil, so much good more; On the earth the broken arcs; in the heaven, a perfect round. Robert Browning.
We thank Thee, O God, that each morning brings us fresh assurance of Thy wisdom and goodness—that the days have taught us to believe in Thee and to trust Thee as our perfect Friend. We are glad that we can face the day in the faith that Thou art sufficient to the needs of the day—to all the needs of all Thy children. In this trust, we beseech Thee, make us more and more to rejoice in life and its high privileges. Help us to go on our way with gladness and peace in our hearts—to worship Thee hourly by honest work, by faithful service, by kind words, by helpful deeds, and so, to find life good by doing something to make it good. Amen.
Flint M. Bissell.
March 18
"If I were you," she said, "I should not worry. Just make up your mind to do better when you get another chance. One can't do more than that. That is what I shall think of: that God will give each of us another chance, and that each one of us will take it and do better—I and you and everyone. So there is no need to fret over failure, when one hopes one may be allowed to redeem that failure later on. Besides which life is very hard. Why, we ourselves recognize that. If there be a God, some intelligence greater than human intelligence, He will understand better than ourselves that life is very hard and difficult, and He will be astonished not because we are not better, but because we are not worse. At least, that would be my notion of a God. I should not worry if I were you. Just make up your mind to do better if you get the chance and be content with that."
Beatrice Harraden.
O Lord, how often we have failed—how weak and frail we are—we have groped and stumbled along the pathway of life and have been defeated over and over again. Yet in the light of Thy providence and Thy love in spite of all defeats, we take heart and face the day with hope. In Thine economy no failure is ever final—we rejoice that Thou openest before us another opportunity. Let us be brave and earnest to seize the opportunities of these passing hours. Amen.
George L. Perin.
March 19
To every life there comes a time supreme: One day, one night, one morning, or one noon, One freighted hour—one moment opportune, One rift through which sublime fulfilments gleam; One time when fate goes tiding with the stream, One Once in balance 'twixt Too Late, Too Soon— And ready for the passing instant's boon That shall in favor tip the wavering beam. Ah! happy he who, knowing how to wait, Knows also how to watch and how to stand On life's broad deck alert, and at the prow, To seize the happy moment big with fate From Opportunity's extended hand When the great clock of Destiny strikes Now! Mary Ashley Townsend.
Our heavenly Father! Thou art the Author of all our days, and all our times and seasons are hid in the unfolding mystery of Thy Thought and Purpose. It is not given to us to know what a day or an hour may bring forth, but the opportune moments come, ways are opened before us to larger life and usefulness and privilege and duty. May we, by faithfulness, and watchfulness, and the readiness of those on duty, be prepared for each divinely offered opportunity. Surrounded by blessings, may we live to bless. Ministered unto, may we minister. Grateful to Thee, may we show our gratitude by service. In Thy name, Amen.
Dwight M. Hodge.
March 20
Put out of your thought the past whatever it may be; let go even the future with its golden dream and its high ideal; and concentrate your soul in this burning, present moment. For the man who is true to the present is true to his best; and the soul that wins the ground immediately before it, makes life a triumph.
Ozora Stearns Davis.
Almighty Giver of every good, we come to Thee amid the joys of a new morning, with its new blessings and opportunities. We would dedicate this day to Thy service. We would forget the past and waste not our time in idle dreaming of to-morrow, but with consecrated zeal we would apply ourselves to the tasks Thou hast appointed us for this present hour. Thy hand is ever opened to let down the tokens of Thy love. May all that is best within us rise up in answer, and may we be dedicated anew to our upbuilding in righteousness and the fulfilment of our duties to one another. May we this day follow the footsteps of the Christ and prove ourselves His faithful disciples! Amen.
R. Perry Bush.
March 21
I believe that today is better than yesterday, and that tomorrow will be better than today.
George F. Hoar.
Make yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts, bright fancies, faithful sayings; treasure-houses of precious and restful thoughts, which care cannot disturb nor poverty take away from you,—houses built without hands for your souls to live in.
John Ruskin.
Dear Father in heaven, around Thy name cluster the most sacred and holy affections. Thy name, indeed, is above every name infinite in love, and awakening in each heart a sense of filial gratitude. At this morning hour, therefore, we are mindful of the tie that binds us to Thee, that provides a nesting-place for pleasant and restful thoughts, that makes duty less irksome, home-love more tender, sacrifice more willing, and character more noble. In this spirit we pray Thee, O Father, send us forth to the labor which awaits us, only to realize, under Thy Providence, that this is the best day of our life, and full of assurance and rejoicing for a still better tomorrow. In the light of faith, hope and love do we ask and offer all. Amen.
Wilburn D. Potter.
March 22
Scarce tangible may be the first glad sign, Yet how it shakes us with a vernal thrill! The voice of the south wind behind the hill; Or an elusive bird-note faint and fine; A flush at dawn along the wan sky-line; A lyrical exuberance in the rill; A something working its mysterious will Both in majestic hole and tenuous vine! It is the vernal spirit. In the earth It throbs and pulses; quickens in the air; And permeates all nature thro' and thro'. In the expectant poignancy of birth What raptures, what rare ecstasies we share— Old,—ah, how old!—and yet forever new! Clinton Scollard.
O God, how good Thou art! All Thy works praise Thee. The world is filled with Thy glory. This dawning Springtime brings Thee very near every responsive heart. Thou art the fountain of life. We see Thee in bursting bud and incipient bloom. We hear Thee in the rapture of birds and in the new-found gladness of sun-kissed rivulets. May we, the children of Thy love, be new born into a deeper spirituality,—a richer life! May the beauty of the Spirit breathing through our hearts call forth the latent goodness that slumbers there! Speak through us the music of Thy love. Perfume us with the odors of Thy heavenly grace, and may we walk this day in tune with Thee! Amen.
Joseph Cooper.
March 23
Work is the grand cure of all the maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind—honest work, which you intend getting done.
Thomas Carlyle.
Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do which must be done whether you like it or not. Being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance, self-control, diligence, strength of will, content and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know.
Charles Kingsley.
Kind Father and Friend, Thy presence has watched over us all our days and has been a comfort in all our labors. We thank Thee for Thy unwearied watching over us. May we at the dawn of this new day, come to our tasks with thanks in our hearts and a song on our lips. May all life's stern duties and its perplexities get grace and beauty from our hallowed thoughts and sanctified resolves. We would ask that Thy free spirit be with us this day to give us hope and joy in our several tasks. May the sweet peace of mind of those who learn to labor and to wait crown all our efforts. Dear Father, forgive our failures and keep us ever Thine. Amen.
Charles E. Petty.
March 24
Ah, the mis-takings and the mis-leavings; and all the ignorant beginning, when we can only lay up things for late wisdom to repent of!
Nothing really bad can ever happen.... I've meant right,—and I mean right now. I'll do the best I can, and the Lord will take care of everybody.
Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney.
Lord, Thou comest to us with light and life, forgive us for coming to Thee as aliens and beggars; daily Thou art our refuge and strength, and this should subtract our fear and multiply our confidence, comfort and consecration. Our needs are Thy opportunity; we have more sunshine than we can use, more love than we can repay and more revelation than we can translate. O may this satisfy us early and strengthen us through all our days. Alone we are very weak, but we are never alone; all of life is a company affair, for Thou art with us; help us to be as truly Thy children as Thou art our Father and Mother. Through our thinking, working and waiting may men see Thee and glorify Thee. O teach us to abide ever in Thy love, and help us to work some helpful miracle by the gates of need, and to see the rainbow of prophecy through earth's tears and over its years. Amen.
Alan R. Tillinghast.
March 25
'Tis the fine souls who serve us, and not what is called fine society.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
We find what we look for in the world. I have always been looking for the nobler qualities in human beings, and I have always found them. There are great souls all along the highway of life, and there are great qualities even in the people who seem common and weak to us ordinarily.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
Gracious Father, we thank Thee for the power Thou hast given us to labor for our own and others' advancement and happiness. As we begin this new day we trust in Thy bounty and would draw on Thy strength to sustain us in our toil. We thank Thee for the brave souls in every walk of life who have set us an example worthy to be followed. Many have been or are notable in the world for their fortitude, honor and achievements; many others have been known to us but have been unheralded by men, and from all these we have ourselves been made more capable and faithful. By Thy grace may we be aided in emulating the good we see in others, and be able to make the world a little brighter because of Thy gift to us of this day. Amen.
Frank S. Rice.
March 26
An old, worn Harp that had been played Till all its strings were loose and frayed, Joy, Hate, and Fear, each one, assayed To play. But each in turn had found No sweet responsiveness of sound. Then Love the Master-player came With heaving breast and eyes aflame; The Harp he took all undismayed, Smote on its strings, still strange to song, And brought forth music sweet and strong. Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Heavenly Father, I pray Thee that Thou wilt help me to love to-day. Thou art Love and if Thou shalt fill my life there will be no room for hate and no room for fear, for "Perfect Love casteth out fear." As the Master stilled the waves in Galilee, so speak Thou peace to my soul, and bid all discord cease, that my whole life may be in tune with heaven, and may be one happy song. Love alone can bring harmony out of discord, love out of hate, trust out of fear, and music out of a worn-out, or a long unused or misused life. So let Love control the whole of my life for Jesus' sake. Amen.
B. L. Jennings.
March 27
No stream from its source Flows seaward, how lonely soever its course, But some land is gladdened. No star ever rose Or set without influence somewhere. Who knows What earth needs from earth's lowliest creature? No life Can be pure in its purpose and strong in its strife, And all life not be purer and stronger thereby. Owen Meredith.
If I am this day to touch other lives helpfully so that they may be gladdened and strengthened for truer and nobler living, I shall need, my Father, not only a clear perception of myself in relation to that to which Thou dost call me, but also a clear vision of the Christ who would be felt through me, not only the impulse of a strong purpose but also the endowment of power by Thy spirit of power. That this may be, do Thou test my purpose by that of Thy son and fashion my life by His teaching, keeping my heart open always toward Thee. Amen.
F. H. Wheeler.
March 28
I but open my eyes,—and perfection, no more and no less, In the kind I imagined, full-fronts me, and God is seen God, In the star, in the stone, in the flesh, in the soul and the clod. And thus looking within and around me, I ever renew (With that stoop of the soul which in bending upraises it too) The submission of man's nothing-perfect to God's all-complete, And by each new obeisance in spirit, I climb to His feet. Robert Browning.
Thou Infinite Spirit, we cannot understand Thee, yet we feel Thy presence within us and about us. We cannot unravel the mystery of Thy life, not even of our own lives, yet we feel ourselves linked as by chains of steel to Thyself. We are poor and ignorant and little and finite; Thou art great and strong and infinite, yet we cling to the thought that we are Thy children. Even in Thine infinity Thou stoopest to listen to us. Thou carest for us, lovest us. O Thou Father of our Souls, may we cling to Thee to-day and every day. We do not ask Thee to explain Thyself, but we do ask that in storm and sunshine, in adversity and in prosperity, and in every emergency we may keep our anchorage to Thee unbroken, and feel Thy presence with us. Amen.
George L. Perin.
March 29
I wonder why it is that we are not all kinder to each other than we are. How much the world needs it! How easily it is done!
Henry Drummond.
Let us awaken to the divine privilege of sharing the heartaches of our friends; of the meaning of good fellowship; of that independence of spirit that does not imitate; of courage and pride that can endure adversity with dignity, and without fear.
Anonymous.
Our Heavenly Father, help us through this new day to allow the impulses of our hearts to have fullest play. Help us to help each other, Lord, and of whatever grace or influence we have to bless and uplift our fellowmen to give generously and gladly. Help us scatter sunshine along our pathway, to speak the cheering word to discouraged hearts and to lend the helping hand to feeble or halting ones along the way. May we find our greatest happiness following in the footsteps of our Master, humbly serving our neighbor's needs, and doing good even at every wayside opportunity. Amen.
James F. Albion.
March 30
Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side; Some great cause, God's new Messiah, offering each the bloom or blight, Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right, And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light. James Russell Lowell.
Almighty Father, we are before Thee, asking for strength this day, that for today's duty we may have the help of Thy Infinite wisdom, as we know we have Thy love, Our Father with His Children. Father, help us to look to Thee for strength and wisdom in every moment of doubt. We are not afraid, because we can come to Thee for counsel, and companionship. We can come to Thee for everything, and we find everything if we seek for it with all our heart and soul and strength. So today, Father, be with us to show each one of us here, the youngest or the oldest, the weakest or the strongest, what is the duty next his hand today, that we may enter into that work and go about our Father's business. Go with us and be with us as with Thine own children. Amen.
Edward Everett Hale.
March 31
I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my duty and joy to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble.
Helen Keller.
It is a fine notion of life to liken it to the loom. God puts on the warp in those circumstances in which we find ourselves, and which we cannot change. The woof is wrought by the shuttle of everyday life. It is made of very homely threads sometimes, common duties, unpromising and unwelcome tasks. But whoever tries to do each day's work in the spirit of patient loyalty to God is weaving the texture whose other side is fairer than the one he sees.
Anonymous.
Our Father in heaven, grant that we may be "faithful in that which is least," leaving to Thy will whether we have the opportunity of being "faithful in much." May we understand that the value of our service is not so much in what we do as the spirit in which we do it. Help us to remember that no service is common in Thy sight, if it is done for Thy glory and the betterment of humanity; that in blessing others, we ourselves are blessed; that life is mostly made up of little things, but a character which is perfected by Thy grace and humble service is not a little thing, but a jewel to shine in Thy crown forever. Amen.
E. T. Curnick.
April 1
April is here! There's a song in the maple, thrilling and new; There's a flash of wings of heaven's own hue; There's a veil of green on the nearer hills; There's a burst of rapture in woodland rills; There are stars in the meadow dropped here and there; There's a breath of arbutus in the air; There's a dash of rain, as if flung in jest; There's an arch of color spanning the west; April is here! Eben E. Rexford.
O God, ever-living and ever-acting, all Thy works praise Thee, and Thy saints bless Thee! We rejoice that Thou art bringing in this new springtime, and art preparing to pour out Thy summer glory and bounty in garden and field and wood, that Thy children may be richly blessed. As Thou art working mightily in nature today so wilt Thou work in us, Thy children, that the blessed fruits of the Spirit may appear in all that we think and do and are? And may the spontaneous spring song of the woods find its counterpart in the perpetual gladness of our souls sunk deep in the love of Christ! Amen.
Henry Irving Cushman.
April 2
The sweetest sound our whole year round 'Tis the first robin of the spring! The song of the full orchard choir, Is not so fine a thing. Edmund Clarence Stedman. The grass comes, the flower laughs where lately lay the snow, O'er the breezy hill top hoarsely calls the crow, By the flowing river the alder catkins swing And the sweet song sparrow cries, "Spring, it is Spring!"x Celia Thaxter.
Accept from a heart of gratitude, O God, thanksgiving and praises for the glad anticipation of the coming days of spring. May the awakening of nature, this living garment in which Thou hast robed Thy mysterious loveliness, be to each of Thy children symbol of the new life which comes to those who put their trust in the risen Christ and of the higher life beyond where shadows are no more and light and gladness bless an eternity of joy. O, Thou Father of lights, make every hour of this opening day rich and radiant with Thy effulgent presence through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Kerr Boyce Tupper.
April 3
Within my earthly temple there's a crowd; There's one of us that's humble, one that's proud, There's one that's broken-hearted for his sins, There's one that unrepentant sits and grins; There's one that loves his neighbor as himself, And one that cares for naught but fame and pelf. From much corroding care I should be free If I could once determine which is me. Theodore Martin.
Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for our multiform life. Thou hast made us a little lower than the angels and hast crowned us with glory and honor, yet how little we know ourselves! We go astray; we fall from our high estate; like the moth we flutter around the blaze that burns us. When we would do good, evil is present with us. Yet through all complexity of thought and feeling, of passion and appetite, through all our wanderings and all our sins we thank Thee that there shines clearly the light of our own Divinity. We are Thy children. Help us, we pray Thee, to know ourselves at our best. May we not be betrayed in this day's journey by any siren voice. Let us go forth to the tasks of the day with the consciousness that until the evening shadows fall Thou wilt be with us. Amen.
George L. Perin.
April 4
If we but knew the secret of that power That opes the bud in early days of spring, If we but knew what makes the robin sing His wondrous song just at the matin hour, If we but knew the priceless boon and dower Of human life when man is truly king. If we but understood the little thing That vexes us just at the present hour, If we but knew—ah, well, 'tis vain to sigh And speculate on things beyond our ken! We know that earth is fair and life is sweet, And something tells us that we cannot die. And if we live and love the good, ah! then We face to face with truth some day must meet. Clarence Hawkes.
O Lord, we thank Thee for a day so sweet and fair as this, when the trees lift up their hands in a psalm of gratitude to Thee, and every little flower that opens its cup and every wandering bird seem filled by Thy spirit, and grateful to Thee. We thank Thee for all thine handwritings of revelation on the walls of the world, on the heavens above us and the ground beneath, and all the testimonies recorded there of Thy presence, Thy power, Thy justice, and Thy love. Amen.
Theodore Parker.
April 5
Yet we must give the children leave to use Our garden tools, though they spoil tool and plant In learning. So the Master may not scorn Our awkwardness, as with these bungling hands We try to unroot the ill, and plant with good Life's barren soil: the child is learning use. Perhaps the angels even are forbid To laugh at us, or may not care to laugh, With kind eyes pitying our little hurts. Edward Rowland Sill.
Our Father: Thou knowest how unskilled are these hands and hearts of ours. Thou knowest how much that we do, think, and speak often tends to retard the progress of that which we would promote. Give us, then, this day that wisdom which is from above, that no touch of our hand may mar the beauty of one of Thy creations: no thought nor word wrong one of Thy creatures. Help us to know that we are workers with God, and in this knowledge may we strive for that excellence of service that shall hasten the coming of that kingdom of peace, joy and righteousness which is life eternal. Amen.
Florence Kollock Crooker.
April 6
Plant flowers in the soul's front yard, Set out new shade and blossom trees, An' let the soul once froze an' hard, Sprout crocuses of new idees. Yes, clean yer house, an' clean yer shed, An' clean yer barn in ev'ry part; But brush the cobwebs from yer head, An' sweep the snow banks from yer heart. Sam Walter Foss.
Gracious Father, help us gratefully to begin this day with Thee. We expect the day to bring its accustomed routine of cares and duties, and its round of petty irritations, but we confidently believe that Thou wilt help us in all our experiences. Let this morning's freshness, hope and vigor be ours through the whole day. Help us to put faith in the place of fear that all our efforts may be crowned with the success of helpfulness. May we go blithely about our business with kind words and cheerful faces that our day's work may be our day's worship. Amen.
Augustus B. Church.
April 7
Ye seek for happiness—alas the day! Ye find it not in luxury nor in gold, Not in the fame nor in the envied sway, For which O willing slaves to custom old, Severe taskmistress, ye your hearts have sold. Ye seek for peace, and, when ye die, to dream No evil dreams; all mortal things are cold And senseless then; if aught survive, I deem It must be love and joy, for they immortal seem. Shelley.
O Thou Eternal God who hast given us life, help us to love Thy will and to walk in Thy way this day. If flowers chance to grow beside our path we would pluck them, but most of all would we rejoice in Thee alone, knowing that in Thy will is perfect peace. Fill our souls with Thy joy and strengthen us in the spirit of self-forgetfulness to spill it out into the lives of others. Give us hearts "roomy, radiant, and full of laughter," learned of "Jesus Christ, whom not having seen we love; on whom though now we see Him not, yet believing, we rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls." Amen.
Walter Healy.
April 8
A gush of bird song, a patter of dew, A cloud and a rainbow's warning, Suddenly sunshine and perfect blue— An April day in the morning. Harriet P. Spofford. There is something in the air That's new and sweet and rare— There's something too that's new, In the color of the blue That's in the morning sky, Before the sun is high. Nora Perry.
Infinite and Holy One, be with us in the beauty of this new day. May the dewy sweetness of the dawn Thou hast given to us be regarded as a token of Thy love for Thy children. As an atmosphere of joy and peace may be the thought of Thy consolation and Thy care. The delicate tints of Thy sky arching over us may we compare to the blue of a constancy that is divine, and which is freely shown to even the humblest and more erring of Thy flock. Bless us and guide us on our pilgrim way, and inspire our hearts and our hands to perform well their daily task. In His name do we ask it. Amen.
Edmund Q. S. Osgood.
April 9
As I have walked in Alabama my morning walk, I have seen where the she-bird—the mocking-bird sat on her nest in the briers hatching her brood, I have seen the he-bird also, I have paused to hear him near at hand inflating his throat and joyfully singing, And while I paused it came to me that what he really sang for was not there only, Nor for his mate nor for himself only, nor All sent back by the echoes, But subtle, clandestine, away beyond, A charge transmitted and gift occult for those being born. Walt Whitman.
Thou great Spirit of Life, Our Father, in heaven, and in the earth, with what myriad voices dost Thou speak to us, sometimes with the voice of thunder and sometimes with the voice of bird. Even the rocks and hills have their language. With every manifold voice Thou tellest us that we do not live nor work for a day only. The song and the word and the work of today have larger relations. They pass over into other days. We pray this morning that the thoughts we think, the words we speak, and the work we do may be so true that they may be fit for another day. So may we begin now to realize the meaning of Eternal Life. Amen.
George L. Perin.
April 10
If the stream had no quiet eddying place, could we so admire its cascade over the rocks? Were there no clouds, could we so hail the sky shining through them in its still calm purity?
The night is mother of the Day The Winter of the Spring, And ever upon old Decay The greenest mosses cling. Behind the cloud the starlight lurks, Through showers the sunbeams fall: For God, who loveth all His works, Has left His Hope with all! John Greenleaf Whittier.
Our Father, with childhood's glowing morning face we would turn to Thee and be conscious that the brightness of life comes only to those upon whom the sun of righteousness shines with clear light. Full of trust, full of joy, we turn our faces towards the light and take up the labors of life with entire confidence in the Divine care and guidance that blesses the open vision, the faithful hand and the loving heart. We would follow our Master, feeling that we could choose no better way, and content if we be not called to suffer more than He in His life of service and sacrifice, while our hearts praise the giver of spiritual things with unceasing happy songs. Amen.
Ralph Edwin Horne.
April 11
Oh, the little birds sang east, and the little birds sang west, And I smiled to think God's greatness flowed around our incompleteness,— Round our restlessness, his nest. Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
And I saw that there was an Ocean of Darkness and Death; but an infinite Ocean of Light and Love flowed over the Ocean of Darkness; and in that I saw the infinite Love of God.
George Fox.
Father of Light, in whom is no darkness at all, to Thee we lift our longing eyes again. Shine away the darkness of our minds by the light of Thy presence. Complete our incompleteness. Bring us out of our restlessness into Thy rest. We thank Thee for our daily gifts,—bread to feed the body, strength to sustain the soul, light to guide the feet. Help us to put away the mistakes of the past, remembering them only with the penitence that shall cause Thee to remember them no more. Help us all through this day to know ourselves surrounded by Thine Infinite Love. Amen.
A. Gertrude Earle.
April 12
Just as you now play a piece without the music and do not think what notes you strike, though once you picked them out by slow and patient toil, so, if you begin of set purpose, you will learn the law of kindness in utterance so perfectly that it will be second nature to you and make more music in your heart than all the songs the sweetest voice has ever sung.
Francis E. Willard.
Father, we rejoice and will be glad all the day that Thou hast made it possible for us and all Thy children to learn the sweet song of true life and that Thou dost give us so many opportunities for its practice. O Lord, give us patience and kindness toward our fellowmen and trust in Thee, so that whether the lessons be easy or hard we may take them cheerfully, believing that Thou dost give us only that which is best. Grant that we may be earnest and faithful until our souls can sing the highest, purest and sweetest notes, until we are in harmony with All Good. Amen.
Abbie E. Danforth.
April 13
So many little faults we find: We see them, for not blind Is love—we see them; but if you and I Remember them, perhaps, some by and by They will not be Faults then, grave faults to you and me, But just odd ways, mistakes, or even less— Remembrances to bless. George Klingle.
Our dear Father in Heaven: for this day help us to be good. All through the long night Thou hast watched over us. Under Thy wing have we been sheltered as the chickens under the wing of the mother. Now that light has come we will help Thee to keep this world sweet and bright and clean. Help us to be true to this our promise; we resolve to be patient, steadfast, cheerful, kindly, sturdy, and good. Our Father, we need Thee. We want to walk in Thy way. Help us, for we are Thy children. Amen.
William Channing Brown.
April 14
The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder; a waif, a nothing, no man. Have a purpose in life, if it is only to kill and divide and sell oxen well, but have a purpose; and having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you.
Thomas Carlyle.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all: to thine own self be true And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. Shakespeare.
Almighty God, at the commencement of this day's work may we look on high, and measure everything we are about to do by the scale of eternity. Keep us from all littleness; may we not be turned aside by things that are insignificant and unworthy. Help us, we beseech Thee, to make the glory of our life commensurate with the splendors of our privileges. May we live life in a great spirit, realizing that there is no duty so simple, no position so humble, but that we may show forth the grandeur of trust, and obedience toward Thee. May the great and holy purpose we cherish find its expression as we cooperate with the divine purpose. Amen.
J. H. Barker.
April 15
'Twas one of those charmed days When the genius of God doth flow, The wind may alter twenty ways, A tempest cannot blow; It may blow north, it still is warm; Or south, it still is clear; Or east, it smells like a clover farm; Or west, no thunder fear. Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Father of Lights, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, we thank Thee for the morning and for the sunshine. We rejoice in the light, but when it is hidden from us, we are thankful that in the upper air above our clouded morning it still fills Thy heavens. Thou gavest us good things while we slept, and now, refreshed by Thy Spirit, may we go forth to our appointed tasks with cheerful obedience and joyful expectation. If trial and trouble await us, or if, in the heat of the day the burden seems too great, may we still be comforted, because we put our trust in Thee. Amen.
George Batchelor.
April 16
But spring-wind, like a dancing psaltress, passes Over its breast, to waken it, rare verdure Buds tenderly upon rough banks between The withered tree-roots and the cracks of frost, Like a smile striving with a wrinkled face; The grass grows bright, the boughs are swol'n with blooms Like chrysalids impatient for the air, The shining dors are busy, beetles run Along the furrows; ants make their ado; Above, birds fly in merry flocks, the lark Soars up and up, shivering for very joy; Afar the ocean sleeps; white fishing gulls Flit where the sand is purple with its tribe Of nested limpits; savage creatures seek Their loves in wood and plain—and God renews His ancient rapture. Robert Browning.
O Lord, who givest to mankind liberally, and upbraidest not, we thank Thee for the blessings Thou bestowest from day to day. We thank Thee for this material world, now clad in its garment of Northern beauty, for the great sun which all day pours down his light upon the waiting and the grateful world, and for the earth underneath our feet. We bless Thee for the grass, bread for the cattle, its harvest of use spread everywhere, and for the various beauty which here and there spangles all useful things which Thine eye looks down upon. May we use this world of matter to build up the being that we are to a nobler stature of strength and of beauty. Amen.
Theodore Parker.
April 17
O brothers all! come near And hear A bird's Melodious dreaming set to words, and flung The spring's new leaves and tender buds among, For very joy of life, and hope, and love In a world made broad enough For all God's creatures to be merry in, With joyous clash and din, And yet too small For any greed at all! Lo! deep and sure Is cut this truth in heaven's book of gold: Out of one mother in the garden old Were born the rich and poor. Maurice Thompson.
Our Father, may we begin this day with a song in our hearts,—a song as rich and full and free as the bird sings at the earliest dawning of the sun's light,—a song so attuned with infinite life and hope and love that it must be sung. Thou giver of abundance unto the rich and poor alike, help our souls to mount unto the highest reaches of living thoughts and generous deeds, that we may give unto others as Thou givest. Unfettered by unholy passions and freed from the spirit of greed, may we feel the unity of the bonds of a universal brotherhood, and be just and true, honest, and helpful in all our dealings with all men this day. Amen.
Henrietta G. Moore.
April 18
O spring, of hope and love and youth and gladness Wing-winged emblem! Brightest, best and fairest! Whence comest thou when with dark Winter's sadness The tears that fade in sunny smiles thou sharest? Sister of Joy! thou art the child who wearest Thy mother's dying smile, tender and sweet: Thy mother Autumn, for whose grave thou bearest Fresh flowers, and beams like flowers, Disturbing not the leaves which are her winding-sheet. Shelley.
God unchanging, and still the creator of the seasons, we look up to Thee, as the springtide works out the miracle of the resurrection from the sleeping forms of the past season, in confidence and in trust that ever Thou wilt bless us with a nobler, holier, sweeter, more wholesome life, as the seasons come and go. The resources of trusting hearts are always reinforced and reinvigorated by contact with Thy life, Thy power, Thy goodness and Thy love. Out of the winter of our discontent, we enter the springtime of love, that leads us forward in confidence through the glad summer of growth to the soul's fruition and the place of rest and peace in our Father's Home beneath Thine everlasting Love. Amen.
Francis A. Gray.
April 19
One sound always comes to the ear that is open; it is the steady drum-beat of Duty. No music in it, perhaps,—only a dry rub-a-dub. Ah, but that steady beat marks the time for the whole orchestra of earth and heaven! It says to you: "Do your work,—do the duty nearest you!" Keep step to that drum-beat, and the dullest march is taking you home.
George S. Merriam.
O Thou great impelling Spirit, whom we see manifest in all the world, as we open our eyes to the light of another morning, may we be as responsive to Thy influence as the sun and the flowers which brighten our way. May we be very sensitive to Thy promptings as we go about our day's work. May we be very quick to do the things Thou wouldst have us do. May we give ourselves to Thy service without reserve. When again the night shades draw about us, may our hearts be filled with deepest gratitude for all the experiences of the day, and, deep within, may our spirits be conscious of Thy approving benediction, "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter Thou into the joy of Thy Lord." Amen.
Frank Lincoln Masseck.
April 20
Thyself and thy belongings Are not thine own so proper as to waste Thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee. Heaven doth with us as we with torches do Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touched But to fine issues, nor Nature never lends The smallest scruple of her excellence But like a thrifty goddess, she determines Herself the glory of a creditor, Both thanks and use. Shakespeare.
Father, with faith and confidence in Thee we begin the day's duties, with a blithe song upon our lips, expressing the melody of our souls, thanking Thee for opportunities for work, and thought and love. We ask not for more blessings but to be more worthy of those we have, using and not abusing them. May our minds be open to Thy truth, and hearts to Thy love, and when received may we be almoners of both to the waiting world. May we keep by giving Thy love abundantly, and grow through the glory of self-sacrifice. Give us the heart, O God, to sanctify our work and to lift it above drudgery into the divinest service, and give us strength to perform it. Amen.
U. S. Milburn.
April 21
A man is simple where his chief care is the wish to be what he ought to be; that is honestly and naturally human. We may compare existence to raw material. What it is matters less than what it is made of; as the value of a work of art lies in the flowering of a workman's skill. True life is possible in social conditions the most diverse and with natural gifts the most unequal. It is not fortune or personal advantage, but our training them to account, that constitutes the value of life. Fame adds no more than does length of days; quality is the thing.
Charles Wagner.
Heavenly Father, our eyes are ever toward Thee. We do not pray for the things of the world. Teach us to walk in Thy truth. Though our days be few, may our lives be hopeful and cheerful. Though our bodies be frail, may we be invincible in spirit. All Thy children are immortal, but it is for us to attain the eternal life. May we know Thee through Jesus. Then days and hours and minutes will disappear in the liberty and glory and peace of the life eternal. Then poverty of worldly goods will be forgotten in the riches of the Spirit. Then the cares of the world that now is will be lost in the joy of the life that is to be. Amen.
Reignold K. Marvin.
April 22
A little sun, a little rain, A soft wind blowing from the west— And woods and fields are sweet again And warmth within the mountain's breast. So simple is the earth we tread, So quick with love and life her frame, Ten thousand years have dawned and fled. And still her magic is the same. Stopford A. Brooke.
Gracious God, we thank Thee for the gift of sight whereby we behold the marvels of the outer world. But greater is our gratitude for the inner sight, the power to see things as they ought to be. If we but look deep enough, we find Thy central laws ever at the heart of all life. With such insight, apparent confusion shall not bewilder us, life's cares shall not harden us, the world's show cannot dazzle us. Give us, we pray Thee, unceasing ability to wonder and admire, which brings perpetual youth; to hope, to believe, to trust; to rest content in working with Thee, the Eternal One, Lord of the seasons, this is our heart's desire. Amen.
Edward A. Horton.
April 23
"What is the secret of your life?" asked Mrs. Browning of Charles Kingsley; "tell me, that I may make mine beautiful too." He replied, "I had a friend." Somewhere in her "Middlemarch," George Eliot puts it well: "There are natures in which, if they love us, we are conscious of having a sort of baptism and consecration; they bind us over to rectitude and purity by their pure belief about us; and our sins become the worst kind of sacrilege, which tears down the invisible altar of trust."
William C. Gannett.
Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for all the sweet and sacred influences of life. Music comes with its invisible fingers to weave a magic charm around our souls;—the home with its love is ours,—but we thank Thee to-day for the sweet and saving influence of friendship,—for the counsel and fellowship of those who are wise and good and faithful to us. We would not walk alone—we would find strength in the strength of others, and faith in other's faith. Let us cherish such fellowships and give back to those, who love us, love again. Amen.
George L. Perin.
April 24
Live in the sunshine, don't live in the gloom, Carry some gladness the world to illume. Live in the brightness, and take this to heart; The world will seem gayer if you'll do your part. Live on the housetop, not down in the cell; Open air Christians live nobly and well. Live where the joys are, and, scorning defeat, Have a good-morrow for all whom you meet. Live as a victor, and triumphing go Through this queer world, beating down every foe. Live in the sunshine, God meant it for you! Live as the robins, and sing the day through. Margaret Sangster.
O God, our heavenly Father, Thou who givest us the sunshine of this new day, Thou who art the God of life and light, we ask Thy help and Thy strength as we again go out to our separate duties and cares. Help us to fill this day with good deeds, to give cheer and comfort to all we meet. May our lips be clean. May our hearts be pure. And when the even time comes, may it find us conscious that we have put no cloud upon the day, that we have walked through its hours true disciples of the Master who went about doing good. Amen.
William H. Morrison.
April 25
To weigh the material in the scales of the personal, and measure life by the standard of love; to prize health as contagious happiness, wealth as potential service, reputation as latent influence, learning for the light it can shed, power for the help it can give, station for the good it can do—to choose in each case what is best on the whole, and accept cheerfully incidental evils involved; to put my whole self into all that I do, and indulge no single desire at the expense of myself as a whole; to crowd out fear by devotion to duty, and see present and future as one; to treat others as I would be treated, and myself as I would my best friend; and to recognize God's coming kingdom in every institution and person that helps men to love one another.
William DeWitt Hyde.
For the dear love that kept us through the night, And gave our senses to sleep's gentle sway, For the new miracle of dawning light, Flushing the east with prophecies of day, We thank Thee, O, our God! For the fresh life that through our being flows, With its full tide to strengthen and to bless, For calm, sweet thoughts, upspringing from repose, To bear to Thee their song of thankfulness, We praise Thee, O, our God! Thou knowest our needs, Thy fulness will supply Our blindness—let Thy hand still lead us on, Till, visited by the dayspring from on high, Our prayer, one only, "Let Thy will be done," We breathe to Thee, O, God! Amen. W. H. Burleigh.
April 26
Is it not possible, then, that the hindrances which arrest our progress, and the obstacles that lie broadly in our path, are the divinest agents of help which our Creator could give us? The painful struggles to overcome and remove them develop in us strength, courage, self-reliance, and heroism. They are the hammer and chisel that release the statue from the imprisoning marble,—the plow and the harrow that break up the soil, and mellow it for the reception of the seed that shall yield an abundant harvest. Perfection lies that way.
Mary A. Livermore.
We seek Thy face anew this day, O our Father, and ask Thee that Thou wilt help us to live our lives in constant communion with Thee. Let us see Thee at every turn in the way. Let us find Thy hand in all our duties, all our meditations, all our intercourse with men, all our doings and all our deeds. Help us to make Thee our counsellor every hour. Help us to undertake nought without Thy blessings, to finish nought without Thy benediction. Morning and evening may we turn in prayer to Thy throne. At every meal may we seek Thy grace and give Thee thanks. So may we find the blessing of them that abide in Thy house. Amen.
J. Coleman Adams.
April 27
I think the sweetest thought, the very central idea, of the revelation of the character of God to me, is this: that He does everything out of His supreme will. There is no one thing that I can say with more heartiness, or that has in it more echoes of joy, than "Thy will be done." If anything works righteousness in me or in you, it is God. The nature of God is fruitful in generosity. He is so good that He loves to do good, and loves to make men good, and loves to make them happy by making them good. He loves to be patient with them, and to wait for them, and to pour benevolence upon them, because that is His nature.
Henry Ward Beecher.
Father, we thank Thee for the blessing. We know what are our privileges, we know what are our duties, and we are before Thee again to consecrate this day in all its glory and beauty to Thee, the Father of perfect Love. Thou wilt be with us as we strive to be with Thee. Thou wilt make us strong when we are weak. Thou wilt make us see where we are in darkness. Thou wilt send us forth on Thine infinite mission to the world. Boys or girls, men or women, here we are, the living children of the living God, sent forward by Thee to proclaim it that all may be one as Christ Jesus with Thee and Thou with Him, that this world may be perfected into one, that men may know that Thou art Father and what the Father has given us to do, that each one of us may lift up what has fallen down, that each one may open the eyes that are blind and the ears that are deaf, that each one of us may proclaim the gospel of Thy perfect love. This is our prayer and our hope, in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Edward Everett Hale.
April 28
With every rising of the sun, Think of your life as just begun. The past has shrived and buried deep, All yesterdays; there let them sleep. Nor seek to summon back one ghost Of that innumerable host. Concern yourself with but today. Woo it, and teach it to obey Your will and wish. Since time began Today has been the friend of man; But in his blindness and his sorrow, He looks to yesterday and tomorrow. You, and today! a soul sublime, And the great pregnant hour of time, With God himself to bind the twain! Go forth, I say, attain, attain! Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
Infinitely wise and loving Father, our minds and hearts reach out to Thee in this morning hour thankful that the rest of the night has prepared us for the work of the new day, and that the light brings the call to service. The past cannot be recalled, but today is ours. I and today, with God and in the Spirit of Jesus! Priceless privilege! Grant us, O Father, to use it for Thee, for humanity and "In His name." Amen.
Samuel Gilbert Ayers.
April 29
Life is full of new beginnings. Some change may come, something is sure to come, to close one chapter and begin another. Life is planned just so, ... that there should be a break from former link and habit, often from imperfection and mistake, and a clear, clean start for the fulfilment of the best one has grown to, even in desire, unhampered by the poorest one has ever happened to be, or to get credit for.
Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney.
O, Thou who dwellest in the light, help Thy children this morning to see the light of Thy truth and feel the warmth of Thy love. We thank Thee for the open doors of opportunity for helpful service; for the exhibition of kindness and for growth in the kingdom of Heaven. May we clearly see the way to the Eternal life and have strength to walk therein. May we so welcome Thy truth that we shall be free from error and sin. May Thy wisdom so guide our energies that we shall reach after greater perfection. May the evening of this day find us more in harmony with God than we now are. And may the evening of life find us rich in the treasures of heaven. Amen.
Andrew Willson.
April 30
True worth is in being, not seeming; In doing each day that goes by, Some little good—not in the dreaming Of great things to do by and by, For whatever men say in blindness, And spite of the fancies of youth, There's nothing so kingly as kindness, And nothing so royal as truth. We get back our mete as we measure: We cannot do wrong and feel right; Nor can we give pain and gain pleasure, For justice avenges each slight. The air for the wing of the sparrow, The bush for the robin and wren, But always the path that is narrow And straight for the children of men. Alice Cary.
Almighty Father, who with every morning dost give us a new day and with each day some fresh duty, mercifully equip us for every task that awaits us! Give us eyes to see, and hearts to love the truth and right, and the disposition that makes every duty a delight, and the doing of good to others a sacred privilege. Save us this day from angry passions and low desires. Forgive us when we are selfish; recall us when we go astray; save us from wronging ourselves by thinking ill of others, and in all places and to all people give us the mind which was in Christ Jesus. Amen.
John Cuckson.
May 1
To the Woods:—Whoso goeth in your paths readeth the same cheerful lesson, whether he be a young child or a hundred years old, comes he in good fortune or in bad, ye say the same things, and from age to age. Ever the needles of the pine grow and fall, the acorns on the oak, the maples redden in autumn and at all times of the year the ground pine and the pyrola bud and root under foot. What is called fortune and what is called time by men, ye know them not. Men have not language to describe one moment of your life.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Thou God of Nature and of the human heart, we thank Thee for our human relations, but we thank Thee also for our kinship with the birds. We thank Thee for that instinct which makes us to sympathize with the mating of the bird lovers and for that music of the heart which makes us to love the song of the birds. We pray this morning for a life so simple and natural that we shall be able to enter into sympathetic relations with everything that lives—the flowers of the garden, and the field—the bees that sip the flowers' honey, and the bird that makes her nest among the trees. If Thou speakest to men in the glory of the heavens, Thou speakest also in the manifold voices of all Thy loving creatures. May our ears be trained to hear Thee when Thou speakest thus. Amen.
George L. Perin.
May 2
Hail bounteous May, that doth inspire Mirth and youth, and warm desire; Woods and groves are of thy dressing, Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing, Thus we salute thee with our early song, And welcome thee and wish thee long. John Milton.
Almighty and All-loving Father, who dost make all the earth to rejoice in the brightness of returning springtime, fill our hearts with like joy and renewal. Graciously awaken in us the life that the cold or care or trouble or sorrow of the world often has caused to fade and go out. As our eyes behold all this outward beauty and glory, give unto us that spiritual vision by which we behold the beauty and glory of divine things. Then when the springtime of our life passes with the summer and the summer ripens into the autumn, and our work is done, may we bring unto Thee the harvest of spiritual riches. Amen.
James DeNormandie.
May 3
Success! It is won by a patient endeavor, Energy's fire, and the flame-glow of Will; By grasping the chance with a "Now, now or never!" Urging on, on! while the laggard stands still. Success! It is facing life's trials, undaunted; Fighting the present—forgetting the past: By trusting to Fate, though for years she has taunted, And bearing Time's scars; facing front, to the last! Success! Would you win it and wear its bright token? Smile and step out to the drummer's light lilt; Fight on till the last inch of sword-blade is broken. Then do not say die. Fight on with the hilt! Mary Markwell.
We thank Thee, Our Father, that Thou hast enriched our being with those faculties which prompt to noble endeavor. We rejoice in our power, guided by Thy free Spirit, both to overcome evil and to do good. Help us, dear Father, to recognize the great incentives of conscience and of duty, assured that in cheerful conformity thereto we shall find the sweetest zest of life. Increase our faith in Thee, O Lord. Enable us more clearly to realize that in the end truth and right will gain the victory. Thus may we be inspired to live brave, true and wholesome lives. May we fight the good fight of faith and win the crown of life promised to all those who follow the conquering Christ. In His name. Amen.
Henry W. Rugg.
May 4
The green grass is bowing; The morning wind is in it; 'Tis a tune worth the knowing, Though it change every minute. 'Tis a tune of the Spring; Every year plays it over. Ralph Waldo Emerson. God does not send strange flowers every year. When the spring winds blow o'er the pleasant places The same dear things lift up the same fair faces. The violet is here. Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney.
O God, Father Almighty, who bringest light out of darkness and at whose word night yields to day, we offer Thee glad worship and praise. We thank Thee for Thy gifts which are beautiful and good; for flowers which renew old friendships and awaken new affections; for songs in which voices of all yesterdays sound through today's melodies; for rich memories of the past; for the joy of living now; for the hope of better days; for new expressions of abiding truth and fresh breathings of eternal love; for courage to do right and for confidence in righteousness. May we this day, mindful of earthly duty and of heavenly promise, humbly follow Him "who went about doing good" and "gave Himself a ransom for many." Amen.
W. I. Ward.
May 5
Bishop Brooks taught me no special creed or dogma; but he impressed upon my mind two great ideas—the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and made me feel that these truths underlie all creeds and forms of worship. God is love, God is our Father, we are His children; therefore the darkest clouds will break, and though right be worsted, wrong shall not triumph. He said: "There is one universal religion, Helen—the religion of love. Love your Heavenly Father with your whole heart and soul, love every child of God as much as ever you can, and remember that the possibilities of good are greater than the possibilities of evil; and you have the key to Heaven."
Helen Keller.
Infinite Spirit! We shall not look upon Thee as a friend looketh upon the face of his friend, but may we learn to see Thee in every form of life and beauty and service here in this great world of Nature and of Man. May we discover Thee in the midst of common things and then they shall no more be common, but all things shall be sacred and divine. May we see Thy face in all human faces, clasp Thy hand in all human hands, and when we have walked with a friend, or talked with those we love, may it be as a walk with Thee and a communion with Thee. May we not think of Thee as afar off but always near, making all things holy. May we realize that it is a diviner thing to serve the lowly who need our help than to praise the Infinite who needeth not. May the sense of Thy presence in all things be the inspiration and interpretation of all days for us. Amen.
E. L. Rexford.
May 6
The brown, brown woods of March Are the green, green woods of May, And they lift their arms with a freer swing And shake out their pennons gay. And the brown, dead world of March, Is the living world of today; Life throbs and flushes and flashes out In the color and fragrance of May. Anonymous.
Infinite Spirit of the winter and the summer and of the night and the morning, Thou hast watched over and guarded, during its winter sleep and rest, this earth which Thou hast made, and which Thou hast made for a purpose—to be beautiful and fruitful in its season, to be a humble and obedient servant of Thy will of goodness. And now, as the woods of May are radiant in the beauty of springtime, and ready to do Thy will; so as we wake to the opportunity of this new day, may we rejoice in the privilege of living to Thee and doing Thy will in the glad service of lives lived as the Master lived. Amen.
George Wallace Penniman.
May 7
One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds would break, Never dreamed, though right were worsted,—wrong would triumph, Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake. Robert Browning.
Our Father, in the heaven, we thank Thee for the birth of a new day. May we be full of gladness during its golden hours, may our hearts be tranquil with God's peace. A day is a part of Thy eternity. Thou hast set us in the battle, Thou art watching us in the fight; Thou art training us by well-accepted controversy. May nothing of Thy purpose be lost because of the blinding details of the conflict. Strengthen our hearts to do the work of this day. Help us to be as grateful as we are dependent upon God. Inspire our whole life; help us quickly to learn why we are here, what we are to do while here, and the path that leads home when the work-day is over. In the name of the Christ! Amen.
W. A. Wood.
May 8
Then sing, ye birds, sing, sing a joyous song! And let the young lambs bound As to the tabor's sound! We in thought will join your throng, Ye that pipe and ye that play, Ye that through your hearts today Feel the gladness of the May! William Wordsworth.
God of the morning, Father of the Soul, we bless Thee for the light, for it is pleasant to behold the world made beautiful by the King of day, and sweet with the melody of the song of bird, and cheerful with the promise of hope in the swelling buds of spring. We join with Thy faithful ones in ascriptions of praise to Thee for the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. Help us to look upon our every faculty of soul, and power of body, as gifts from Thee, to be used for the advancement of love, truth and beauty, in our own hearts, and in the world. Give us Thine own help to bear every burden cheerfully, to stand erect before every responsibility, and if in our efforts to do much good for this day we seem to fail, may we look to Jesus and learn of Him that in a conscience void of offence there is no such thing as failure. Help us to strive with the evil of the world and sin not, that at the close of the day we may look back and say, we have kept ourselves unspotted from the world. Amen.
L. L. Greene.
May 9
Fairer grows the earth each morning To the eyes that watch aright; Every dew-drop sparkles warning Of a miracle in sight; Of some unexpected glory Waiting in the old and plain; Poet's dream nor traveller's story Words such wonders as remain. William C. Gannett.
O Thou, who makest things seen and temporal quiver and flash with Thine own informing spirit, so illumine our pathways that the Luz where we meet our duties may become the Bethel where we meet our God. As Thou dost clothe the lily with beauty and inspire the bird with song help us to grow into the beauty of holiness, and to know the joy of Thy salvation. Whatever our past, open our eyes this day to some better thing which Thou hast always in reserve. Teach us what hinders our attainment and help us burst through the barrier. Make us so conscious of Thy indwelling spirit that we may yield to its gracious impellings toward righteousness and peace and joy. Amen.
Thomas D. Anderson.
May 10
Listen to the exhortation of the dawn! Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life. In its brief course lie all the Varieties and realities of your existence; The bliss of growth, The glory of action, The splendor of beauty: For yesterday is but a dream, And tomorrow is only a vision, But to-day well-lived makes Every yesterday a dream of happiness, And every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore to this day! Such is the salutation of the dawn. From the Sanskrit.
Dear God, in Thy loving kindness, Thou hast brought us to the opening of another day; from darkness to light, from sleep to wakefulness, from rest to labor. We thank Thee for its opening glory and its coming opportunities; but above all, for the new strength we feel within ourselves to do its work and live its life. As radiant dawn climbs to full-orbed day and glides to setting sun, may we come to this day's close with the consciousness that we have lived a little closer to the great heart of the Eternal in every thought, word and deed, that we have woven into the texture of our lives, and gently as twilight enfolds the fruitful earth, shall "peace that passeth understanding" enfold our souls. Amen.
Thomas B. Payne.
May 11
As the insect from the rock Takes the color of its wing; As the boulder from the shock Of the ocean's rhythmic swing Makes itself a perfect form, Learns a calmer front to raise; As the shell, enameled warm With the prism's mystic rays, Praises wind and wave that make All its chambers fair and strong; As the mighty poets take Grief and pain to build their song; Even so for every soul, Whatsoe'er its lot may be— Building, as the heavens roll, Something large and strong and free— Things that hurt and things that mar Shape the man for perfect praise; Shock and strain and ruin are Friendlier than the smiling days. John White Chadwick.
Dear Father, as the light of this morning follows the darkness of the night, may we devoutly believe that the light of Thy love shall dispel all darkness and bring us into the morning of eternal peace. May we learn each day that our trials and sorrows are but stepping-stones in Thy divine economy, to bring us up into the clearer atmosphere of heavenly thought and life. Help us to live closer to Jesus, to understand how even He was made glorious through suffering, and ever learn to conquer in His name. Amen.
Elmer F. Pember.
May 12
I live for those that love me For those that know me true, For the heaven that smiles above me, And waits my coming, too; For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrongs that need resistance, For the future in the distance, For the good that I can do. G. L. Banks.
Father, we bless Thee for such as love us and those whom we love in the varying forms of affection, thanking Thee for the sacramental cup of joy in which Thou givest the wine of life to all of Thy children, humble or high. We thank thee for that love which setteth the solitary in families at the beginning, and then reaches wide arms all around, and will not stay its hold till it joins all nations and kindreds and tongues and people into one great family of love. We bless Thee for the noble men and women whose generous heart has lit the altar fire of philanthropy in many a dark and else benighted place. We thank Thee for the unbidden faith which springs up in our hearts, impelling us to trust Thee and love Thee and keep every commandment of Thine, and that while we know not what a day shall bring forth, we are sure of everlasting life. Amen.
Theodore Parker.
May 13
Gladness of morning— To hear the lark begin his flight, And singing, startle the dull Night From his watch-tower in the skies, Till the dappled Dawn doth rise; Then to come in spite of sorrow, And at my window bid good-morrow Through the sweetbrier, or the vine, Or the twisted eglantine. John Milton.
O Thou, in whose light we see light, who hast lifted the shadows of night from our dwellings, complete now in our behalf Thy ministry of light, we beseech Thee, and let the day star arise in our hearts. Make clear Thy face unto us. Rise with Thy morning upon our souls. May the light which envelops us throughout the day be the radiance of Thy presence. May our eyes behold only what Thou revealest and our lives be warmed with the glow of Thy love. O, that we may be new-born like the day and live a new life in Thy mercies which are new every morning; that our love may rise fresh as the dawn and our obedience be as sure as the path of the law. Let no shadow from the past dim the joy of Thy presence. Scatter the darkness of sense and self within us. As the morning reveals, interprets and fulfils the beauties of a world which was wrapped in night, may the mystery of our lives unfold, our latent forces be summoned to service, and our hearts find fulness of joy because we live in Thee. Amen.
Everett D. Burr.
May 14
It may be truly said that no man does any work perfectly who does not enjoy his work. Joy in one's work is the consummate tool without which the work may be done indeed, but without its finest perfectness. Men who do their work without enjoying it are like men carving statues with hatchets. A man who does his work with thorough enjoyment of it is like an artist who holds an exquisite tool which is almost as obedient to him as his own hand, and almost works intelligently with him.
Phillips Brooks.
O Heavenly Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast placed us where we are and hast given us the work we have to do. We would not seek far and wide for some better place or more honourable task. We pray today for the spirit that shall make us glad in our common toil. We need not to fly away to find enjoyment; we have only to feel that in the duties of this day we are in partnership with Thee,—then shall we be happy that Thou hast called us to so divine a fellowship. Make us strong and earnest and brave—that when the evening shadows fall we shall not look regretfully back because we have been unfaithful,—but that we may be satisfied and happy in the memory that we have been serving with Thee. Amen.