Prayer
“O Sovereign Lord, sanctify and prosper my domestic devotion, instruction, discipline, example, that my house may be a nursery for heaven. Amen” (The Valley of Vision)
Today’s Hymn
Words: Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896
Music: Winfield S. Weeden, 1896
I SURRENDER ALL
Click here for tune.
All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
Refrain
I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
Refrain
All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
Refrain
All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
Refrain
All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His name!
Refrain
Thought Provoker
Susanna Annesley was the 25th child of Dr. Annesley. Susanna would grow up to have a large family of her own. She married Samuel Wesley at the ripe old age of 19. Their 44-year marriage was full of trials and suffering. Through it all God blessed this couple with 19 children including John and Charles Wesley hymn writers and founders of Methodism. After her husband died Susanna lived with her children until her death. Today, children are viewed as more of a curse than a blessing, even among Christian families. Since legalization in 1974, 40 million children have been aborted in America. According to the 1990 US Census, the average American family has of only 1.86 children. Today’s Psalm reminds us of the important truth that children are a precious blessing from our heavenly Father.
Dad’s Study
Children are a family’s blessing and reward (v. 3). Children are a divine favor from God. God is the one who both opens and closes the womb (Deut. 28:4.11). A man may be poor in the riches of this world, but he is rich in his inheritance of a family. Few would trade the blessing of their children for earthly treasures. Many a barren family would give the riches of this world for the gift of a child.
Children are a family’s strength (v. 4). The Psalmist likens children of your youth to arrows in the hand of a mighty man. God is encouraging families to have children at an early age. As the parents age, Godly children are there to be a source of help and strength. They are like arrows that go forth to defeat their parent’s enemies. However, rebellious children are like arrows that boomerang back only to wound the hearts of their parents.
Children are a family’s joy (v. 5). Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them. Spurgeon wrote, “Those who have not children bewail the fact; those who have few children see them soon gone, and the house is silent, and their life has lost a charm; those who have many gracious children are upon the whole the happiest.” It is true that many children bring many trials, however many trial bring many prayers, and many prayers bring glorious answers and delight. Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary
Truth in Practice
Family Worship
Today’s Psalm runs counter to our modern self-centered culture that sees large families as a curse rather than a blessing. May God give you and your children a heart that desires to experience the blessing of a full quiver of Godly arrows. Thank the Lord today for the blessings with which He has graced your family.
Catechism Question : 6
Q. How many persons are there in the Godhead?
A. There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory (1 John 5:7; Mt. 28:19).
