Contentment

Heavenly Father,

If I should suffer need, and go unclothed, and be in poverty,
   make my heart prize your love,
   know it, be constrained by it,
   though I be denied all blessings.
It is your mercy to afflict and try me with wants,
   for by these trials I see my sins,
   and desire to be rid of them.
Please help me willingly accept misery, sorrows, temptations,
   if those things will help me feel sin as the greatest evil,
   and be delivered from it with gratitude to you,
   acknowledging this as the highest testimony of your love.
When your son, Jesus, came into my soul
   he became more dear to me
      than sin used to be;
   his kindly rule replaced sin's tyranny.
Teach me to believe that if I ever want to conquer any sin
   I must not only labor to overcome it,
   but must invite Christ to take its place,
   and he must become more valued to me
      than the vile lust had been;
   that his sweetness, power, life may be there.
So I need to seek a grace from God that will oppose sin,
  but I should not seek it as a thing on it's own, apart from himself.
When I am afraid of evils to come,
   please comfort me by showing me
      that in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch,
         but in Christ I am reconciled and live;
      that in myself I find insufficiency and restlessness,
         but in Christ there is satisfaction and peace;
      that in myself I am feeble and unable to do good,
         but in Christ I can do all things.
Though now I have his graces in part,
   I shall shortly have them perfectly
   in that state where you will show yourself fully reconciled,
   and alone sufficient, efficient,
      loving me completely,
   with sin abolished.
O Lord, may that day come quickly!

Joy

O Christ,

All your ways of mercy lead toward and end in my delight.
You wept, grieved, suffered that I might rejoice.
For my joy you have sent the Comforter,
   have multiplied your promises,
   have shown me my future happiness,
   have given me a fountain of life.
You are preparing joy for me, and me for joy;
I pray for joy, wait for joy, long for joy;
   O give me more than I can hold, desire, or think of.
Measure out to me times and amounts of joy,
   at my work, business, duties.
If I weep at night, give me joy in the morning.
Let me rest in the thought of your love
   your pardon for sin, my title to heaven,
   my future unspotted state.
I am an unworthy recipient of your grace.
I often undervalue your blood and dishonor your love,
   but in repentance I can draw water from the wells of your joyous forgiveness.
Let my heart leap towards the eternal sabbath,
   where the work of redemption, sanctification,
      preservation, glorification is finished and perfected forever,
   where you will rejoice over me with joy.
There is no joy like the joy of heaven,
   for in that state are no sad divisions,
   unchristian fights,
   contentions, evil plans
   weariness, hunger, cold,
   sadness, sin, suffering,
   persecutions, wearisome work.
O healthful place where none are sick!
O holy assembly where all are priests!
How free a state where none are servants
   except to you!
Bring me speedily to the land of joy.