Morning

"Praying always."-Ephesians 6:18

What multitudes of prayers we have put up from the first moment when we
learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked
that God would have mercy upon us, and blot out our sin. He heard us.
But when He had blotted out our sins like a cloud, then we had more
prayers for ourselves. We have had to pray for sanctifying grace, for
constraining and restraining grace; we have been led to crave for a fresh
assurance of faith, for the comfortable application of the promise, for
deliverance in the hour of temptation, for help in the time of duty, and
for succour in the day of trial. We have been compelled to go to God
for our souls, as constant beggars asking for everything. Bear witness,
children of God, you have never been able to get anything for your souls
elsewhere. All the bread your soul has eaten has come down from heaven,
and all the water of which it has drank has flowed from the living
rock-Christ Jesus the Lord. Your soul has never grown rich in itse!
lf; it has always been a pensioner upon the daily bounty of God; and
hence your prayers have ascended to heaven for a range of spiritual
mercies all but infinite. Your wants were innumerable, and therefore the
supplies have been infinitely great, and your prayers have been as varied
as the mercies have been countless. Then have you not cause to say, "I
love the Lord, because He hath heard the voice of my supplication"? For
as your prayers have been many, so also have been God's answers to
them. He has heard you in the day of trouble, has strengthened you, and
helped you, even when you dishonoured Him by trembling and doubting at the
mercy-seat. Remember this, and let it fill your heart with gratitude to
God, who has thus graciously heard your poor weak prayers. "Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."

Evening

"Pray one for another."-James 5:16

As an encouragement cheerfully to offer intercessory prayer, remember
that such prayer is the sweetest God ever hears, for the prayer of
Christ is of this character. In all the incense which our Great High Priest
now puts into the golden censer, there is not a single grain for
Himself. His intercession must be the most acceptable of all
supplications-and the more like our prayer is to Christ's, the sweeter it will be; thus
while petitions for ourselves will be accepted, our pleadings for
others, having in them more of the fruits of the Spirit, more love, more
faith, more brotherly kindness, will be, through the precious merits of
Jesus, the sweetest oblation that we can offer to God, the very fat of
our sacrifice. Remember, again, that intercessory prayer is exceedingly
prevalent. What wonders it has wrought! The Word of God teems with its
marvellous deeds. Believer, thou hast a mighty engine in thy hand, use
it well, use it constantly, use it with faith, and thou shalt sure!
ly be a benefactor to thy brethren. When thou hast the King's ear,
speak to Him for the suffering members of His body. When thou art favoured
to draw very near to His throne, and the King saith to thee, "Ask, and
I will give thee what thou wilt," let thy petitions be, not for thyself
alone, but for the many who need His aid. If thou hast grace at all,
and art not an intercessor, that grace must be small as a grain of
mustard seed. Thou hast just enough grace to float thy soul clear from the
quicksand, but thou hast no deep floods of grace, or else thou wouldst
carry in thy joyous bark a weighty cargo of the wants of others, and thou
wouldst bring back from thy Lord, for them, rich blessings which but
for thee they might not have obtained:-

"Oh, let my hands forget their skill,
My tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat,
If I forget the mercy-seat!"

SHALOM!!!