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.
ANONYMOUS.
May 15
_I love the flowers that come about with spring,
And whether they be scarlet, white or blue,
It mattereth to me not anything,
For when I see them full of sun and dew,
My heart doth get so full with its delight,
I know not blue from red, nor red from white._
ALICE CARY.
Father Divine, we remember Thee at the beginning of another day, and the
obedience to Thy laws of life which Thou dost require. About us is Thy
beautiful world, thrilling with new life. We would that our lives today
may be likewise beautiful, restrained from sin against body and spirit.
As there is now in the earth, so there is always in human souls a
springtide ready to burst forth into beautiful living. In our hearts
there is always the stirring energy of a spiritual spring that needs but
the warmth of Thy heavenly sunshine. Let that warmth now stream into our
hearts that our lives today may show forth Thy praise. Amen.
MINOT O. SIMONS.
May 16
Violet: "_Well, but surely at least one ought to be afraid of
displeasing God; and one's desire to please Him should be one's
first motive._"
Lecturer: "_He never would be pleased with us, if it were, my dear.
When a father sends his son out into the world--suppose as an
apprentice--fancy the boy's coming home at night, and saying,
'Father, I could have robbed the till to-day; but I didn't because
I thought you wouldn't like it.' Do you think the father would be
particularly pleased?" (Violet is silent). "He would answer, would
he not, if he were wise and good, 'My boy, though you had no
father, you must not rob tills.' And nothing is ever done so as
really to please our Great Father, unless we would also have done
it, though we had had no Father to know of it._"
JOHN RUSKIN.
Father of Life, Thy children raise their thoughts in prayer to Thee at
the dawning of each day. Their prayer asserts love, trust and conformity
to Thy will. May the spirit of prayer abide with us the day through,
that we may be dutiful and worthy. The moral law is Thy way of life, may
we make it our way by intelligent obedience. To know Thee aright and to
find our joy in Thy life is to have fullness of being through purity and
strength. O Father, may we be as those who broaden and deepen and purify
life by word and deed that none may suffer loss through us, but find aid
to reach the perfect life in Thee. Amen.
WILSON M. BACKUS.
May 17
_Through the harsh noises of our day
A low sweet prelude finds its way:
Through clouds of doubt and creeds of fear
A light is breaking, calm and clear._
_Henceforth my heart shall sigh no more
For olden time and holier shore:
God's love and blessing, then and there
Are now and here and everywhere._
JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER.
Our Father, as we enter upon the duties of this new day, incline our
minds and hearts unto Thee. May we feel, amid its harsh noises, the
assurance of Thy love and care. If doubt or fear assail us may we turn
unto Thee who art the source of life, love and light, and find calm and
peace. We would forget the things behind and make the most of the
present. We rejoice that today is better than yesterday and that
tomorrow will be better than today. Thou art here now, as Thou art
everywhere always, to bless us with Thy love and care. Direct us through
the hours of this day and may its close find us better children of
Thine. Amen.
JOHN B. REARDON.
May 18
_The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the
wide world's joy. The lonely pine of the mountain top waves its
sombre boughs, and cries, "Thou art my sun!" And the little meadow
violet lifts its cup of blue, and whispers with its perfumed
breath, "Thou art my sun!" And the grain in a thousand fields
rustles in the wind, and makes answer, "Thou art my sun!" So God
sits, effulgent, in heaven, not for a favored few, but for the
universe of life; and there is no creature so poor or so low that
he may not look up with child-like confidence, and say, "My Father,
Thou art mine!"_
HENRY WARD BEECHER.
O God, the Eternal Source of all life, we rejoice that there are no
bounds to Thy love. We thank Thee that Thou givest us all things richly
to enjoy. May we learn that Thy bounties are for all human beings. Make
the hearts of men eager that the ignorant, the lowly, the poor, the
wayward, may come into the full estate of knowing that they are children
of God. Let them in no way be denied the joy of unfolding the divinity
within them. Lead us all into those fields of labor where we can be our
best selves and develop our lives by what we do to meet the growing
demands of truth and love and goodness. Wherever the morning breaks and
the sunshine falls upon human faces, may its cheer make homes happy and
true, men and women good, and little children joyous. Amen.
ALVA ROY SCOTT.
May 19
_Hear the Master's risen word!
Delving spades have set it free,
Wake! the world has need of thee,
Rise and let thy voice be heard,
Like a fountain disinterred,
Upward springing, singing, sparkling;
Through the doubtful shadows darkling;
Till the clouds of pain and rage
Brooding o'er the toiling age,
As with rifts of light are stirred
By the music of the Word;
Gospel for the heavy-laden, answer to the labourer's cry;
"Raise the stone, and thou shalt find Me: cleave the wood, and there
am I."_
HENRY VAN DYKE.
God of light and strength and beauty, for this day we thank Thee. The
morning hours come to us freighted with messages of gladness. Thou, our
Father, art refreshing our spirits, and home seems dearer, love more
sacred and the way of duty clearer before our waiting feet. We thank
Thee for life as it is given us, day by day. Help us to fill it with
honest, cheerful, fruitful service. May we realize and rejoice in the
nobility of labor, and may we learn how it is that a child of Thine,
standing in his own place, giving himself to the tasks of the hour,
imparts strength and courage to his fellow-worker, and helps the world
forward in the path of righteousness and peace. So may Thy will be done
in and through us. Amen.
JOHN P. FORBES.
May 20
_O the green things growing, the green things growing
The faint sweet smell of the green things growing!
I should like to live, whether I smile or grieve,
Just to watch the happy life of my green things growing._
DINAH MULOCK CRAIG.
_Not all these sweets, these sounds, this vernal blaze,
Is but one joy, express'd a thousand ways;
And honey from the flowers, and song of birds,
Are from the poet's pen, his overflowing words._
LEIGH HUNT.
O Thou who art the Creator of life in every form in which it is
expressed in the earth, we thank Thee for the grass and the flowers, the
trees and the shrubs, the music of the streams and the melody of the
birds. As nature is ever vocal with Thy praise, so may our hearts be
attuned to deepest joy that we are a part of Thy creation and made
capable of constant exultation in the beauty and the beneficence of Thy
purpose therein displayed. In this spirit may we rejoice and be glad in
this new day which Thou hast made for us. Amen.
I. J. MEAD.
May 21
_As one familiar with the sonatas and the symphonies of Beethoven,
while passing along the street in summer, gets, from out of the
open window, a snatch of a song or a piece that is being played,
catching a strain here and another there--and says to himself, "Ah,
that is Beethoven. I recognize that: it is from such and such a
movement of the Pastoral" or whatever it may be;--so men in life
catch strains of God in the mother's disinterested and self-denying
love, in the lover's glow, in the little child's innocent
affections. Where did this thing come from? No plant ever brought
out such fruit as this?_
HENRY WARD BEECHER.
Father of all and giver of every good thing, to Thee we pray; to Thee we
look for light, for truth, for beauty. In the travail of thought may
there come only the highest and best good. Where there is division we
ask for unity; where there is confusion we ask for serenity; where there
is discord, we ask for harmony. May divergent paths lead to the larger
way of widening vision, distinctive service, unstinted love. Hasten the
day when Thy purpose shall be accomplished in us, and when that which is
now imperfect shall become the perfected whole. Grant to us wisdom to
pursue noble ends with intelligent zeal, and patient effort, and in a
charitable and hopeful spirit. Amen.
C. C. CLARK.
May 22
_It is very interesting to watch a plant grow, it is like taking
part in creation. When all outside is cold and white, when the
little children of the woodland are gone to their nurseries in the
warm earth and the empty nests on the bare trees filled with snow,
my window-garden glows and smiles, making summer within while it is
winter without. It is wonderful to see flowers bloom in the midst
of a snow-storm! I have felt a bud "shyly doff her green hood and
blossom with a silken burst of sound," while the icy fingers of the
snow beat against the window panes. What secret power, I wonder,
caused this blossoming miracle? What mysterious force guided the
seedling from the dark earth up to the light, through leaf and stem
and bud, to glorious fulfilment in the perfect flower? Who could
have dreamed that such beauty lurked in the dark earth, was latent
in the tiny seed we planted? Beautiful flower, you have taught me
to see a little way into the hidden heart of things. Now I
understand that the darkness everywhere may hold possibilities
better than even my hopes._
HELEN KELLER.
Grant us, O God, this day, vitality of brain and heart, to lay hold on
the ordinary events and experiences of life, and transmute them into
beautiful and permanent values for ourselves and others. May we have
courage, love and faithfulness, to conquer adversities and fulfil our
duties. And should the winter of discontent and disappointment beat
without against our souls, even so may Thy Kingdom come. Amen.
JULIUS P. WEST.
May 23
_Brother--there is no payment in the world!
We work and pour our labor at the feet
Of those who are around us and to come.
We live and take our living at the hands
Of those who are around us and have been.
No one is paid. No person can have more
Than he can hold. And none can do beyond
The power that's in him. To each child that's born
Belongs as much of all our human good
As he can take and use to make him strong._
_And from each man, debtor to all the world,
Is due the fullest fruit of all his powers,
His whole life's labor, proudly rendered up,
Not as return--can moments pay an age?
But as the simple duty of a man.
Can he do less--receiving everything?_
CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN.
O, Thou Most Bountiful Giver! We thank Thee this morning for all the
conveniences and comforts, the stored knowledge and acquired wisdom, the
inspirations and encouragements of our daily life. Truly others have
lived as Thy children and labored as Thy servants, by mind and hand and
heart, and we are wondrously permitted to enter into the fruits of their
labours. Grant unto us this day, O Father, so to strive and so to live
that some other life may be cheered and blessed by the spirit and by the
fruit of our day's service. May our thoughts and words and deeds somehow
express our gratitude for the blessings which we are constantly
receiving. Amen.
WILLIAM H. GOULD.
May 24
_What a wonderful thing it is to meet a man or woman whose manners
are instantly open and free--opening up a direct road between him
or her and yourself!_
EDWARD CARPENTER.
_There is a world in us that God keeps to himself, except when He
calls some few souls, with special errand for us, to receive a
glimpse. It is full of life, and growths, and wonders, that are to
be developed and revealed. We ourselves know not what we shall be;
but He knows that we shall be like Him.... It is the world of the
spiritual microscope._
MRS. A. D. T. WHITNEY.
Our Father and Mother God,--we have cried for Thee as little children
cry for parental love to wait upon their wants, and, like babes that
cry, we have looked for Thee in nothing else. We would be now Thy sons
and daughters of a larger growth, who learn to find Thee in a more
complete and blessed fellowship of service and sacrifice with Thee, of
united thought and will with Thine, of such living as shares in Thy
perfect and eternal life. Help us so to be and so to live that even in
ourselves we may get glimpses of Thine infinite good will and
faithfulness, and show in our human lives, that God is in His world and
all is well. Amen.
GEORGE W. KENT.
May 25
_What are we set on earth for? Say to toil:
Nor to seek to leave the tending of thy vines,
For all the heat of the day, till it declines,
And death's mild curfew shall from work assoil.
God did anoint thee with His odorous oil
To wrestle, not to reign; and he assigns
All thy tears over, like pure crystallines,
For younger fellow-workers of the soil
To wear for amulets. So others shall
Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand,
From thy hand, and thy heart, and thy brave cheer,
And God's grace fructify through thee to all.
The least flower with a brimming cup may stand,
And share its dewdrop with another near._
ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING.
Our Father In Heaven, we devoutly thank Thee for that ceaseless and
refreshing tide of blessing that, from the reservoir of Thine
exhaustless goodness, flows into our hearts and lives. And we further
thank Thee that among the choicest of those blessings, is the one of
being, not merely the receptacles of this inflow, but also co-workers
with Thee, and with Thy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, in carrying
forward to successful issue Thy beneficent purposes of grace and
salvation. Grant us, we beseech Thee, day by day, such an infusion of
Thy Holy Spirit as shall fittingly equip us for the gladsome and
effective discharge of the duties of this divine relation, and its
exalted privileges. All of which grant for Thy mercy's sake. Amen.
CHARLES P. NASH.
May 26
_The deepest secret of life is love. Without love there is no
enthusiasm, and without ideals there is no enthusiasm. We freeze
our hearts by selfishness, and stifle them by sordidness. We fix
our eyes upon the little field circumscribed by our day's
activities and ends. With no wide-reaching affection and no
uplifting ideal, we make of our life a treadmill and of our duty an
unwelcome drudgery. We disclaim the highest endowment of the soul
and deny our sonship to God. Narrow faiths and narrow hopes put
fetters on the spirit, and small affections keep small the heart._
PHILIP S. MOXOM.
Our Father, every morning is a fresh witness of Thy loving kindness.
When we sleep the vigils of Thy love are round about us. At the
threshold of this new day, may it please Thee to inspire us with lofty
aims, so that we may rise out of our selfish selves into conscious
kinship with Thee. Help us to know the mystery of love, how limitless
and all-conquering it is. Animated by its sweet law, may we go out into
this great, needy world with hearts to sympathize and words to cheer and
hands to minister. Then we shall know the divine sweetness of our
Christian faith, the joy of Christlike living; we shall know that love
is the fulfilling of the law. Amen.
Q. H. SHINN.
May 27
_Every day is a fresh beginning,
Every morn is the world made new.
You who are weary of sorrow and sinning,
Here is a beautiful hope for you,
A hope for me and a hope for you._
_Every day is a fresh beginning;
Listen, my soul, to the glad refrain,
And, spite of old sorrow and older sinning,
And puzzles forecasted and possible pain,
Take heart with the day, and begin again._
SUSAN COOLIDGE.
O Thou, who makest all things new, we are glad each day is not only a
new day but one unlike any before it. Everything breathes freshness and
newness of life; a new heaven is over our heads, a new earth beneath our
feet. We know this day will be full of new opportunities for work, new
scenes for pleasure, new chances to make better our lives. If yesterday
was not all we could wish, if there were failures in duty, or loss of
faith in ourselves, and Thy great love, may this be filled with larger
faith, greater hope, complete love. May we so take heart in this quiet
morning hour, that we may be brave and faithful all the day, so that in
spite of old sorrows and older sins, the memory of which may now and
then shadow our way, we may find ourselves when the evening shall come,
nearer heaven in heart and life, and more worthy to be called Thy
children. Amen.
WILLIAM F. POTTER.
May 28
_O friend, never strike sail to a fear! Come into port greatly, or
sail with God the seas.... He has not learned the lesson of life
who does not every day surmount a fear._
RALPH WALDO EMERSON.
_There is no storm but this
Of your own cowardice
That braves you out;
You are the storm that mocks
Yourself; you are the rocks
Of your own doubt;
Besides this fear of danger there's no danger here
And he that here fears danger does deserve his fear._
RICHARD CRASHAW.
Thou knowest, O Lord, the weakness of our human nature, and how prone we
are not only to shrink from the difficulties and to tremble at the
dangers which lie in our way, but to allow imaginary difficulties and
dangers to hinder us from living as Thy children should. Help us, we
pray Thee, to be free from all such fear today. Be Thou our refuge from
whatsoever may threaten us, either without or within. Deliver us from
faint-heartedness and enable us to stand fast in the glorious liberty of
those who fear nothing but to offend against Thee and to wrong their own
immortal souls. We ask it as disciples of Christ. Amen.
EDWIN C. SWEETSER.
May 29
_Whichever way the wind doth blow,
Some heart is glad to have it so;
Then blow it east or blow it west,
The wind that blows, that wind is best._
_My little craft sails not alone:
A thousand fleets from every zone
Are out upon a thousand seas;
And what for me were favoring breeze
Might dash another, with the shock
Of doom, upon some hidden rock.
And so I do not dare to pray
For winds to waft me on my way,
But leave it to a Higher Will
To stay or speed me; trusting still
That all is well, and sure that He
Who launched my bark will sail with me
Through storm and calm, and will not fail,
Whatever breezes may prevail,
To land me, every peril past,
Within His sheltering heaven at last._
CAROLINE ATWATER MASON.
O Lord let us know that we do not sail life's seas alone. Thou art the
God of the storms. Thou goest with us whithersoever we go. Grant us, our
Heavenly Father, that we may not suffer shipwreck of our faith. Grant us
that the voyage of our lives may be prosperous, and that at last,
whether soon or late we shall find some harbor of rest and peace. Amen.
GEORGE L. PERIN.
May 30
_Our Memorial Day celebrations will be but a hypocritical
play-acting unless they shall remind us of the cause and the country
for which our brave soldiers gave their lives. It is not enough for
us to recall their names and sing their praises. We must love the
country they loved and in our turn be ready to do the hero's part._
GEORGE L. PERIN.
_But what is it to love one's country? Is it to carry a banner in a
procession? Is it to shout as we see the flag? Is it to fling
bunting from the tops of the buildings, and send off sky-rockets in
the evenings? Vastly deeper than that is love of country, deeper
than any soldier's uniform, deeper than any pictures of battleships
with which we adorn our walls._
W. H. P. FAUNCE.
God of the Nations, we thank Thee today for every heroic deed of every
heroic soul. We rejoice that in every hour of real emergency there have
ever been men who were ready to die for their country. O Lord, may the
memory of their sacrifice ever remain to us and to the children of
coming generations a sacred heritage. Yet, O Lord, let us not be
satisfied to glorify their deeds with a memory. Let us do them the
higher honor of consecrating our lives to the service of the country
they loved. So shall we, in the honor we render them find the title to
our honor. Thus in _our_ land and in _our_ time may Thy Kingdom come and
Thy will be done. Amen.
GEORGE L. PERIN.
May 31
_To be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to
work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with
your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have
made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except
falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be
governed by your admirations rather than your dislikes; to covet
nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and
gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of
your friends, and every day of Christ; and to spend as much time as
you can, with body and with spirit in God's out-of-doors--these are
little guide-posts on the footpath to peace._
HENRY VAN DYKE.