O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: because His mercy and truth endure forever. Let Israel now say, that His mercy endureth forever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that His mercy endureth forever. Let them now that fear the Lord say, that His mercy endureth forever. O, how we feared the destruction of the precious grain in the fields! O, how we took thought and troubled ourselves, lest the bread which God has yet given us in these hard times might be snatched away before our eyes and out of our hands! But it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not; they are new every morning. Now all, to God give thanks, who has everywhere done marvelous things, who has preserved us alive from our birth, and has done countless favors. May He grant us a joyful heart, and in these times continual peace in Israel, and that His grace remain always with us, and uphold us, as long as we live. O God, give peace to Thy land, prosperity and salvation to every estate. Lord God, heavenly Father, who dost create holy courage, good counsel and good works, give to Thy servants peace, which the world cannot give, so that our hearts may cling to Thy commandment, and that we may, by Thy protection, live through our days quietly and securely against our enemies, through Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, our Lord. Amen.
And now, O God, we know and confess with grateful hearts, that Thou hast given us the early and the latter rain in due season, and hast faithfully and annually protected our harvests. Thou hast watered our ridges abundantly: Thou hast settled our furrows: Thou makest it soft with showers: Thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou hast prospered our grain, and tilled our land. Thanks, praise, glory and honor be unto God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
We also pray Thee, O our God and Father, from the depth of our hearts, that Thou wouldst give unto us all Thy Holy Spirit, so that we may receive with thanksgiving what Thou bestowest upon us, and may sanctify it with Thy Word and prayer, that it may be employed and used to Thy glory and for our temporal support, for the benefit of churches and schools, and of our needy neighbor, and that thereby the shameful and hurtful worship of mammon may be most diligently avoided. Protect this place and also the entire country against war and danger, against dangerous and hostile invasion and destruction. Give to our government the spirit of wisdom, of counsel, of power and strength. Confirm and preserve peace among us. Let us pass the days of our earthly life in true knowledge of Thy holy name and in Thy fear, also in health, peace and union, and finally grant to us all everlasting salvation, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
20. Prayer on Mission Festival.
Almighty God, Thou who created the world and all that is therein, and hast made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth: Thou who art not far from every one of us; for in Thee we live and move and have our being: Thou, who in times past didst suffer the gentiles to walk in their own ways, but now commandest all men everywhere to repent and with Thy grace doest visit their hearts.
Lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us, that Thy salvation may everywhere abound, and the glory of Thy name extend itself unto the ends of the earth. Look down from Thy height upon the misery of so many nations, who yet sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, who are ignorant of their divine origin, and lie under the cruel tyranny of satan. The Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, hath not yet risen upon them. They walk in the vanity of their minds. Their reason is clouded because of great darkness. They are estranged from the life that is of God, through the ignorance that is in them and through the blindness of their heart. The god of this world hath blinded their understanding, and the common enemy of souls has taken them captive according to his will.
Grant, merciful God, that by the misfortune of others we may realize our own blessedness, and bewail the lamentable state of blindness, with which Thou hast smitten the gentiles, and worthily apply the greater light so graciously presented unto us to so much the greater holiness. O do Thou finally suffer the light of the Gospel to rise unto those, who are yet far from Christ, the true Sun, and who have hitherto altogether groped in thick darkness of idolatry. Through the loving voice of the Gospel, bring back these scattered sheep into Thy spiritual fold. Grant such shepherds, who will not rule vigorously and harshly over the sheep, nor devour their substance and clothe themselves with their wool; but who, in the spirit of love and gentleness will wait upon the weak, heal the sick, bind up the wounded, bring back the erring, seek the lost, and in walk and life present themselves a living example to the gentiles. And inasmuch as the word of the Gospel, concerning the love of God as revealed in Christ, is the only means to reconcile man with God, and to gather the erring sheep into the fold of Christ, do Thou grant, that all who go forth to proclaim the Gospel unto the heathen, may, with divine wisdom, make known the word of reconciliation, with boldness overcome all hindrances, and disregarding all selfish motives in the discharge of so holy an office, may seek nought but the glory of Thy name, and the extension of the kingdom of heaven. Grant, that they themselves may plainly know and acknowledge the mystery of the cross, as the central point of Evangelical doctrine, may not pretend to know anything among the gentiles, save Christ Jesus and Him crucified, and worthily extol Him to others as the only hope of glory and fountain of salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. Amen.
21. From Caspar Neuman’s Substance of all Prayers.
(Thanksgiving.)
Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Thou art the almighty God of heaven and earth, and in Thee we live, move, and have our being. Thou, however, doest desire that man should live by bread, and therefore didst, in the beginning of the world, make the earth fruitful through Thy almighty Word, and after the days of the flood, didst declare that while the earth remaineth seed-time and harvest shall not cease. Behold, Lord, this Thy order, once established, continueth yet, and Thou still doest ever crown the year with Thy goodness. Thou doest cause grass to grow for the cattle and herb for the service of man. Thus Thou bringest bread out of the earth and doest fill our hearts with joy and gladness. Most loving God, how wisely indeed hast Thou ordered all things! How great is Thy goodness toward us, who are not worthy of Thy bread. And how wonderfully infinite Thy omnipotence, when Thou doest increase the little grain which moulders in the earth, into a hundredfold! It is Thy unsearchable wisdom, this Thine unutterable goodness, mercy and omnipotence, which hath again this year visited our land. Men had sowed their seed in hope, but Thou hast hitherto blessed the seed in the fields, and hast moreover permitted us to live to the time, when men everywhere reap and gather into barns what Thou hast given. O Lord, Thou God of riches, all that men harvest is indeed Thine; for we of ourselves can bring forth nothing out of the earth, and be it little or much, it is still more than we have merited. Thanks be also unto Thy holy name for each and every gift, which Thou hast bestowed on our fields during this year. Thou alone art the God, who doest sustain us from the day of our birth, and shower Thy blessings upon us. Wherefore unto Thee alone be all the praise, honor and thanksgiving now and in eternity.