Resting on God

Posted by Christianna

It was a Wednesday evening and I was sprawled idly on a chair.

Glancing about me, I happened to catch sight of my mother's copy of "The Valley of Vision" sitting on the shelf behind me. Nonchalantly I picked it up and opened it. These were the words that first met my eyes:

“Resting on God”

[from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan prayers]

O GOD MOST HIGH, MOST GLORIOUS,,

The thought of thine infinite serenity cheers me,

For I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed,

but thou art for ever at perfect peace.

Thy designs cause thee no fear or care of unfulfilment,

they stand fast as the eternal hills.

Thy power knows no bond,

thy goodness no stint.

Thou bringest order out of confusion,

and my defeats are thy victories:

The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

I come to thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows,

to leave every concern entirely to thee,

every sin calling for Christ’s precious blood;

Revive deep spirituality in my heart;

Let me live near to the great shepherd,

hear his voice, know its tones, follow its calls.

Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth,

from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit.

Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,

burning into me by experience the things I know;

Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel,

that I may bear its reproach,

vindicate it,

see Jesus as its essence,

know in it the power of the Spirit.

Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;

unbelief mars my confidence,

sin makes me forget thee.

Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;

Grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to thee,

that all else is trifling.

Thy presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy.

Abide in me, gracious God.

It made me sit bolt upright in my chair because the writer was having the same struggles that I was going through. It was encouraging to think that someone else had been through

the same things I was going through.