Category Archives: Matthew_Henry

How to Close the Day With God -Part 3-

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Katie Lloyd Photography

 

It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Psalm 127:2

 

“This duty of closing the day with God, and in good frame, I know not how better to open to you, than by going over the particulars in the text, in their order; and recommending to you David’s example.

1. First, let us retire to lay us down: {we}shall lie down in the evening…and rest in the time appointed for rest; and not turn day into night, and night into day, as many do upon some ill account or other.

One rule for the closing of the day well, is to keep good hours: every thing is beautiful in its season. I have heard it said long since, and I beg leave repeat it now, that

Early to bed, and early to rise,
Is the way to be healthy, and wealthy, and wise.

We shall not take it for granted, that unless some necessary business, or some work of mercy, or some more than ordinary act of devotion, keep you beyond your usual time. And let us lay down with thankfulness to God, and with thoughts of dying; with penitent reflections upon the sins of the day; and with humble supplications for the mercies of the night.

2. Secondly, when we lay us down, our care and endeavor must be to lay us down in peace.

Let us lie down in peace with God; for without this there can be no peace at all… Dare not to sleep in that condition, in which thou darest not die.

3. Thirdly, having laid ourselves down in peace, we must compose ourselves to sleep. I will lay me down and sleep.

What good Master do we serve, that allows us time for sleep, and furnisheth us with conveniences for it, and makes it refreshing and reviving to us?

4. Fourthly, we must do all this in a believing dependence upon God and his power, providence and grace. Therefore I lay me down in peace, and compose myself to sleep, because Thou, Lord, makest me dwell in safety.”

*Excerpt from Matthew Henry’s, A Method for Prayer, Third Discourse (emphasis mine).

Becky

Related Articles:

How to Close the Day with God -Part 1-
How to Close the Day with God -Part 2-
A Prayer for Tonight: Lord, Hear My Evening Supplications

Visit Katie Lloyd Photography shop here.

 

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How to Close the Day With God -Part 2-

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Shiloh Photography

 

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8

 

“A holy security is another blessed fruit of God’s favour. Thou, Lord, makest me to dwell in safety, when the light of thy countenance shines upon me I am safe, and I know I am so, and am therefore easy, for with thy favour wilt thou compass me as with a shield (Ps. 5:12)…

Nothing is more dangerous than security in a sinful way, and men’s crying peace, peace, to themselves while they continue under reigning power of a vain and carnal mind: O that the sinners that are at ease were made to tremble: Nothing is more foolish than a security built upon the world, and its promises, for they are all vanity and a lie; but nothing more reasonable in itself, or more advantageous to us, than for good people to build with assurance upon the promises of a good God, for those that keep in the way of duty, to be quiet from the fear of evil; as those that know no evil shall befall them, no real evil, no evil, but what shall be made to work for their good; as those that know, while they continue in allegiance to God as their king, they are under his protection…

God will speak peace to his people, to his saints; he will fill them with joy and peace in believing; his peace shall keep their hearts and minds; keep them safe, keep them calm.

As we must begin the day with God, and wait upon him all day, so we must endeavor to close it with Him.”

An excerpt from Mathew Henry’s; A Method for Prayer, Third Discourse.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:5-8

May His peace reign in us as we lie down and sleep this night.

Becky

Related Articles:

How to Close the Day with God -Part 1-

How to Close the Day With God -Part 1-

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I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep:
for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8

 

“If God lift up the light of his countenance upon us, as it fills us with a holy joy, it puts gladness into the heart more than they have whose corn and wine increaseth, so it fixed us in a holy rest, I will now lay me down and sleep. God is my God, and I am pleased, I am satisfied, I look no further, I desire no more, I dwell in safety: Or in confidence; while I walk in the light of the Lord, as I want no good, nor am I sensible of any deficiency, so I fear no evil, nor am I apprehensive of any danger. The Lord God is to me both a sun and a shield; a sun to enlighten and comfort me, a shield to protect me and defend me.

A holy serenity is one blessed fruit of God’s favour; I will now lay me down in peace and sleep. While we are under God’s displeasure, or in doubt concerning his favour, how can we have any enjoyment of ourselves! while this great concern is unsettled, the souls cannot but be unsatisfied. Hath God a controversy with thee? Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eye-lids, until thou hast got the controversy taken up; Go humble thyself, and make sure thy friend, thy best friend (Prov. 6:3)… Are thy sins pardoned? Hast thou interest in Christ’s meditation? Doth God now in him accept thy works? Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thine wine with a merry heart (Eccl.9:7). Let this still every storm and command, and create a calm in thy soul.

Having God to be our God in covenant, we have enough, we have all; and though the gracious soul still desires more of God, it never desires more than God; in Him it reposeth itself with a perfect complacency; in him it is at home, it is at rest, if we be but satisfied of his loving kindness; abundantly satisfied: There is enough in this to satiate the weary soul, and to replenish every sorrowful soul (Jer. 31:25), to fill even the hungry with good things, with the best things; and being filled, they should be at rest, at rest for ever, and their sleep here should be sweet.”

*Excerpt from Matthew Henry’s, A Method for Prayer, Third Discourse. (emphasis mine)

Good night, my friends.

Becky

Next Article in the Series:

How to Close the Day with God -Part 2-

>Praying for Preserving Grace

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I have shared in the past with you about my favorite prayer companion, The Method of Prayer by Matthew Henry; and today I want to share a prayer I prayed this morning as part of my devotionals with you:

We must pray for grace to preserve us to the end 
and to fit us for whatever lies before us between this and the grave.
Lord, rescue us from every evil deed and bring us safely into your heavenly kingdom; 2 Timothy 4:18(ESV) being kept from stumbling, may we be presented blameless at the coming of your glory with great joy. Jude 1:24(ESV)
Lord, make us increase and abound in love for one another and for all, so that our hearts may be established blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13(ESV)
If Satan demands to have us that he may sift us like wheat, yet let Christ’s intercession prevail for us that our faith may not fail. Luke 22:31-32(ESV)
Until we are taken out of the world, let us be kept from the evil one, John 17:15(ESV) and sanctified through your truth: your word is truth. John 17:17(ESV)
Build us up, we pray, in our most holy faith, and keep us in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 1:20-21(ESV)
Grant that we may continue to call on you as long as we live, Psalm 116:2(ESV) and until we die, may we never put away our integrity from us; let us hold fast our righteousness and never let it go, and may our hearts not reproach us for any of our days. 
Amen
Becky

>A Prayer in the Evening Before the Lord’s Day

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“Now give us to remember that tomorrow is the sabbath of the LORD, and that it is a high day, holy of the Lord and honourable, and give us grace to sanctify us ourselves, that tomorrow the Lord may do wonders among us; and to mind the work of our preparation, now the sabbath draws on.
When thous sawest every thing that thou hadst made in six days, behold all was very good, but in many things we have all offended. O that by repentance and faith in Christ’s blood, we may wash not only our feet, but also our hands, and our head, and our heart, ans so may compass thine altar, O Lord.
Now give us to rest from all our own works, and to leave all our worldly cares at the bottom of the hill, while we go up to the mount to worship God, and to return again to them”

Matthew Henry, A Method for Prayer

May the Lord bless you tonight as you prepare your heart for the Lord’s day!

A Prayer On The Morning of the Lord’s Day (you can read it here)

>How Do You Spend Time with God?

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 Angelus, Jean.François Millet 1859

Part of the BIG changes that came to my life when God opened my eyes to the Doctrines of Grace, is a disciplined spiritual life. Before that  I was always in a roller coaster of prayer and Bible reading, never constant, always feeling guilty about it; The truth is that I tried to maintain a life of prayer based on my emotions and not on the Word which is impossible to do. The Lord had dealt graciously with me; He has opened my eyes to see and my ears to hear and my prayer life as well as my Bible reading time have grown, little by little but steady… “not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Phil. 3:12)
I would like to share here what has been helpful to me  (please, note that I am  not saying this the way YOU should do it, but this is the way it has worked for ME) to battle against my flesh which sometimes seems so weary and tired, and distracted.
First I started to wake up earlier every morning. Every. Day. Every. Day. Yes, it is not always easy but the Lord has helped me with that. I found that if I didn’t set a time at the beginning of my day to start right with God, I would not be able to do it later during the day.
Second, I learned that in order to be awake and not be distracted by all the thoughts  and to-do lists that seem to attack my mind whenever I start my devotions, I needed to be FULLY engaged in my time with God; so I started to bring a pen and journal, along with my Bible and some prayer books, to my devotional time.
My devotions look a little bit like this; I read the bible, take notes, pray over that Scripture, I jot down my thoughts again. I take time to review my memory Bible verses, (I have a system with post-it tags to know which ones I should review and which one I am learning right now); again I pray over those verses. Many times I use prayers guides such as Valerie’s prayer guide, or prayer books like The Valley of Vision or A Diary of Private Prayer. How do I use these books? Well, I read a paragraph, or even a line, and then I stop to make it mine, adding my own words to that prayer, which I also like to write down, on the margins or on my journal.
My favorite prayer book is A Method for Prayer. Freedom in the Face of God, by Matthew Henry. O how I love this prayer guide! It has different sections to it, and again I have little post-its to help me find each section and I move them as I walk through the guide. Again, I stop, ponder about it, add my own words, and then I write down a prayer.
All these have been a great help to me, I am not distracted, I pray longer, and I really meditate on God’s Word. I find it refreshing to come daily to the Lord’s table and eat His Words which are sweeter than honey and keep them in my heart.
For this, I am grateful today. 
Lord, I thank you, for helping me build a disciplined prayer life; thank you for bringing me to your Word, for opening my eyes to see and my ears to hear you. Thank you, because you have called me to sit at your feet and drink from the Living Water that satisfies my soul.

How do you spend time with God? 
Would you share with us, so that we may be encouraged to persevere? 

Related Posts:

Daniel’s Prayer
God’s Sovereignty in the Gospel of Luke
On Prayer and C. H Spurgeon
The Secret of the Believer’s Boldness  (A guest post by Christina Langela)
Lord, Teach us to Pray (A guest post by Diane @ Theology for Girls)
A House of Prayer

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