October 14, 2026 -- Day Fourteen of Joy -- Matthew 15:11-12

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Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:11-12 ESV
 
Today this passage is paired up with a beautiful prayer. It was written centuries ago and it is part of a collection of prayers (which I regularly quote) called the Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devotions. The reason it pairs so well with today’s reflection on joy is the prayer warrior is seeking to rejoice and be glad in the Lord, though he is facing trials and hardships.
 
O God of my delight,
 Thy throne of grace
is the pleasure ground of my soul.
Here I obtain mercy in time of need,
here see the smile of thy reconciled face,
here joy pleads the name of Jesus,
here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit,
anoint the shield of faith,
put on the helmet of salvation,
gather manna from thy Word,
am strengthened for each conflict,
nerved for the upward race,
empowered to conquer every foe;
Help me to come to Christ
as the fountain head of descending blessings,
as a wide open flood-gate of mercy.
I marvel at my insensate folly, that
with such enriching favours within my reach
I am slow to extend the hand to take them.
Have mercy upon my deadness for thy Name’s sake.
Quicken me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal.
Strengthen me that I may cling to thee and not let thee go.
May thy Spirit within me draw all blessings from thy hand.
When I advance not, I backslide.
Let me walk humbly because of good omitted and evil done.
Impress on my mind the shortness of time,
the work to be engaged in,
the account to be rendered,
the nearness of eternity,
the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit.
May I never forget that
thy eye always sees,
thy ear always hears,
thy recording hand always writes.
May I never give thee rest until Christ is
the pulse of my heart;
the spokesman of my lips,
the lamp of my feet.
The Valley of Vision, “The Throne”, page 272
 
https://youtu.be/igV63aKSqb8?si=ziBL_DlCQ5IdMWbz
 

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