I reioyced, when they sayd to me, We wil go into the house of the Lord. (Psalme 122:1 Geneva Bible)

THE DIVINE WILL

O Lord,

hang on thee;
I see, believe, live,
      when thy will, not mine, is done;
I can plead nothing in myself
   in regard of any worthiness and grace,
   in regard of thy providence and promises,
   but only thy good pleasure.
If thy mercy make me poor and vile, blessed be thou!
Prayers arising from my needs are preparations for
   future mercies;
Help me to honour thee by believing before I feel,
   for great is the sin if I make feeling a
      cause of faith.

Show me what sins hide thee from me
   and eclipse thy love;
Help me to humble myself for past evils,
   to be resolved to walk with more care,
For if I do not walk holily before thee,
   how can I be assured of my salvation?

It is the meek and humble who are shown
      thy covenant,
   know thy will, are pardoned and healed,
   who by faith depend and rest upon grace,
   who are sanctified and quickened,
   who evidence thy love.
Help me to pray in faith and so find thy will,
   by leaning hard on thy rich free mercy,
   by believing thou wilt give what thou hast
      promised;
Strengthen me to pray with the conviction
   that whatever I receive is thy gift,
   so that I may pray until prayer be granted;
Teach me to believe that all degrees of mercy arise
   from several degrees of prayer,
   that when faith is begun it is imperfect and
      must grow,
   as chapped ground opens wider and wider
      until rain comes.

So shall I wait thy will, pray for it to be done,
   and by thy grace become fully obedient.

—from The Valley of Vision, Arthur Bennett, editor (Banner of Truth Trust, 2002).

Ecclesiastes 7 (Geneva Bible)

1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.
12 For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.
15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.
16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.
19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.
20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?
25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:
26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
27 Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:
28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

Heidelberg Catechism for Lord’s Day 50 from CoffeeSwirls.

Grace be with you, and Peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.