As as We Enter Into Unkown Waters God Will Bear Us Up
Prayer the New Year:
O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in thy presence,
in thy service,
to thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from thee,
but may rely on thy Spirit to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire to show forth thy praise;
testify thy love,
advance thy kingdom.
I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with thee, O Father, as my harbour,
thee, O son, at my helm,
thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.
Give me thy grace to sanctify me,
thy comforts to cheer,
thy wisdom to teach,
thy right hand to guide,
thy counsel to instruct,
thy law to judge,
thy presence to stabilize.
May thy fear be my awe,
thy triumphs my joy.
~ New Year, Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions
Just as Noah entered the unknown of the ark in Genesis 7, awaiting the promise of a flood that seemed absurd with no mention of the earth being saturated from the heavens until that very moment that God opened the heavens.
“In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”
Genesis 7:11-12 ESV
As the waters increased they bore up the ark. Jesus was at the helm of the ark as is evident by the shutting of the door.
“And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.”
Genesis 7:16 ESV
As God shuts the door of 2017 and pours out His Spirit in a new way this year let’s allow Him to fill the sails of our lives with His breath that powers our every decision and motivates us to move forward into the uncharted territory of 2018, trusting Him more than we have before.
Large ships are equipped with ballasts or compartments within a ship to hold water that provides stability for a vessel. Utilizing these compartments allows for easier adjustment of the load the ship is carrying.
As we are surrounded by the unknown waters that this year will surely usher us into, let us be filled by the water of God’s Spirit so that our lives don’t capsize and become wreckage but instead provide a place of refuge and safety in the storms of life where others can find rest in the One who is our buoyancy.
O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in thy presence,
in thy service,
to thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from thee,
but may rely on thy Spirit to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire to show forth thy praise;
testify thy love,
advance thy kingdom.
I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with thee, O Father, as my harbour,
thee, O son, at my helm,
thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.
Give me thy grace to sanctify me,
thy comforts to cheer,
thy wisdom to teach,
thy right hand to guide,
thy counsel to instruct,
thy law to judge,
thy presence to stabilize.
May thy fear be my awe,
thy triumphs my joy.
~ New Year, Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions
“In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”
Genesis 7:11-12 ESV
As the waters increased they bore up the ark. Jesus was at the helm of the ark as is evident by the shutting of the door.
“And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.”
Genesis 7:16 ESV
As God shuts the door of 2017 and pours out His Spirit in a new way this year let’s allow Him to fill the sails of our lives with His breath that powers our every decision and motivates us to move forward into the uncharted territory of 2018, trusting Him more than we have before.
Large ships are equipped with ballasts or compartments within a ship to hold water that provides stability for a vessel. Utilizing these compartments allows for easier adjustment of the load the ship is carrying.
As we are surrounded by the unknown waters that this year will surely usher us into, let us be filled by the water of God’s Spirit so that our lives don’t capsize and become wreckage but instead provide a place of refuge and safety in the storms of life where others can find rest in the One who is our buoyancy.
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