Chapter One
JANUARYJANUARY 1
FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL enjoyed New
Year's Day. It was a day of promise, looking
forward in faith to God's blessing in the coming
twelve months. She had such a positive
spirit that when she entered a room, it was
said she brought a "burst of sunshine." New
Year's Day was the source for today's hymn,
"Another Year Is Dawning," which she wrote
on a card she was sending to a friend.
Frances Havergal died when she was
only forty-three. Even at the end of her life
she remained steadfast in reminding Christians
that "fresh glory" is just as important as
fresh air and fresh water. We need to celebrate
God's glorious mercies each new day
as well as each new year.
* * *
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May
the Lord smile on you and be gracious to
you. May the Lord show you his favor and
give you his peace. NUMBERS 6:24-26
Another Year is Dawning
Another year is dawning:
Dear Father, let it be,
In working or in waiting,
Another year with Thee;
Another year of progress,
Another year of praise,
Another year of proving
Thy presence all the days.
Another year of mercies,
Of faithfulness and grace;
Another year of gladness
In the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning
Upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting,
Of quiet, happy rest.
Another year of service,
Of witness for Thy love;
Another year of training
For holier work above.
Another year is dawning:
Dear Father, let it be,
On earth or else in heaven,
Another year for Thee.
FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL (1836-1879)
2 JANUARY
MANY CHRISTIANS have made the New
Year's resolution to be more like Jesus-but
where do you start? The apostle Paul told
the Philippian believers, "You must have
the same attitude that Christ Jesus had"
(Philippians 2:5). But how do we develop
the attitude of Christ? Kate Wilkinson directs
us to Colossians 3:16 for the answer: "Let
the message about Christ, in all its richness,
fill your lives." In the third stanza Wilkinson
returns to Philippians for this promise:
"God's peace . will guard your hearts and
minds as you live in Christ Jesus"
(Philippians 4:7). And so the song builds.
Christian growth is not instantaneous
but gradual. It flows naturally from obeying
God's Word. Thomas à Kempis, who wrote
the Christian classic The Imitation of Christ,
said, "One thing that draws back many from
spiritual progress is the fear of the difficulty
of the labor of the combat." Don't give up
what you have started.
* * *
Let the message about Christ, in all its
richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel
each other with all the wisdom he gives.
Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
to God with thankful hearts. And whatever
you do or say, do it as a representative of
the Lord Jesus. COLOSSIANS 3: 16-17
May the Mind of Christ, My Savior
May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and pow'r controlling
All I do and say.
May the word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His pow'r.
May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in ev'rything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.
May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing-
This is victory.
May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go.
May His beauty rest upon me
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only Him.
KATE B. WILKINSON (1859-1928)
JANUARY 3
IN SCRIPTURE the "hand of God" often refers
to judgment. But for the Christian it is
also an image of providential care. We can
see this throughout the book of Ezra, where
Ezra attributed his success to the fact that
the gracious hand of God was upon him.
Philip Doddridge felt the same way.
The youngest of twenty children,
Doddridge was considered too sickly to live,
but the gracious hand of God was upon
him. His parents died when he was only a
teenager, but he was taken in by a minister
who nurtured him in spiritual matters.
Doddridge became a pastor, an educator, a
hymnwriter, and an author. One theme remained
uppermost in his mind-the providence
of God. He wrote his hymns to
illustrate his sermons and taught them to
his congregation after he finished preaching.
"Great God, We Sing That Mighty
Hand" apparently illustrated a New Year's
sermon.
* * *
The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a
refuge in times of trouble. Those who know
your name trust in you, for you, O Lord,
do not abandon those who search for you.
PSALM 9: 9-10
Great God, We Sing That Mighty Hand
Great God, we sing that mighty hand
By which supported still we stand;
The opening year Thy mercy shows;
That mercy crowns it till it close.
By day, by night, at home, abroad,
Still are we guarded by our God;
By His incessant bounty fed,
By His unerring counsel led.
With grateful hearts the past we own;
The future, all to us unknown,
We to Thy guardian care commit,
And peaceful leave before Thy feet.
In scenes exalted or depressed,
Thou art our Joy, and Thou our Rest;
Thy goodness all our hopes shall raise,
Adored through all our changing days.
PHILIP DODDRIDGE (1702-1751)
4 JANUARY
IN 1833 John Henry Newman, a leader in
the Church of England, went to visit Catholic
leaders in Italy. There he contracted Sicilian
fever and boarded a ship back to
England. But a lack of wind kept the ship
motionless in the Mediterranean, and a
dense fog left them unable to navigate.
Restless and sick, Newman penned the
words of this hymn. Along with his desire
for physical health, he wanted to see spiritual
recovery in the Church of England. And
he wanted the ship to get moving!
Finally, the ship's captain pointed
heavenward and said, "The star is shining
tonight. If a wind rises, we can chart our
course. At night one little star is sufficient."
Newman took that as a divine assurance.
He later wrote that he had been looking for
dazzling sunlight to guide him through his
life, "but He sent me the kindly light of a star
to show me the way one step at a time."
* * *
Your own ears will hear him. Right behind
you a voice will say, "This is the way you
should go," whether to the right or to the
left. ISAIAH 30:21
Lead, Kindly Light!
Lead, kindly Light! amid th'encircling
gloom,
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from
home,
Lead Thou me on;
Keep Thou my feet: I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for
me.
I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but
now
Lead Thou me on;
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past
years.
So long Thy pow'r has blessed me, sure it
still
Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent,
till
The night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost
awhile!
JOHN HENRY NEWMAN (1801-1890)
(Continues.)
