—Psalm 39. 4.
Lord, forbid that I should overcast my life with intentions, and neglect to put in the deeds. May I not be satisfied to spend my days in being merely occupied, but live to learn and work. May I not be dismayed over what I might have been, but with all my might do what I can now. Amen.
JULY TWENTY-FIFTH
Thomas a Kempis died 1471.
Simon Bolivar born 1783.
Arthur James Balfour born 1848.
Blessed indeed are those ears
which listen not after the voice which
is sounding without, but after
the truth teaching within.
—Thomas a Kempis.
How joyed my heart in the
rich melodies
That overhead and round me
did arise!
The moving leaves—the
water’s gentle flow—
Delicious music hung on every
bough.
Then said I in my heart, “If
that the Lord
Such lively music on the earth
accord;
If to weak, sinful man such
sounds are given,
O! what must be the melody
of heaven!”
—Izaak Walton.
But thou, O Jehovah, knowest
me; thou seest me, and triest my heart
toward thee.
—Jeremiah 12. 3.
Loving Father, thou hast made it needful for me to know that the songs which are sung by divine love are rarely heard by cruel hearts. Grant that my soul may chord with the sweetest music that vibrates in the beauty and harmony of life. Amen.
JULY TWENTY-SIXTH
Charles Emmanuel died 1630.
John Wilmot died 1680.
George Clinton born 1739.
Quiet minds cannot be perplexed
or frightened, but go on in fortune
or misfortune at their own
private pace, like a clock during a
thunderstorm.
—Robert L. Stevenson.
I have learned, as days have
passed me,
Fretting never
lifts the load;
And worry, much or little,
Never smooths
an irksome road;
For do you know that somehow,
always,
Doors are opened,
ways are made;
When we work and live in patience
Under all the
cross that’s laid.
—Unknown.
But whoso hearkeneth unto
me shall dwell securely, And shall be
quiet without fear of evil.
—Proverbs 1. 33.
Merciful and just God, I pray that I may regulate my life by thy standards and conform my life to thy laws, that thy goodness and mercy may not be wasted on me. Help me to bear in mind, that willingness is the power that starts the hands to work. May I have thy presence while I wait in quietness, that I may be helped through the anxious moments. Amen.
JULY TWENTY-SEVENTH
Thomas Campbell born 1777.
Alexandre Dumas-fils born 1824.