Category Archives: Matthew Henry

“We give thanks to You” by Matthew Henry

“We give thanks to You, the God of gods, the Lord of lords, for Your covenant love endures forever. Your goodness is Your glory, and Your glory is Your goodness. In Your kindness You are gracious to undeserving sinners according to the abundance of Your grace. You manifest Your mercy to the rebellious who have lived in debauchery. You show Your mercy to whom You choose to show mercy, even to degenerate idol-worshippers like ourselves. All Your works praise You and Your saints bless Your holy name. Psa. 136:2, 3; Exod. 33:19; Psa. 145:10.

You are gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in covenant love. You have told us that You do not delight in afflicting the children of men. Though You cause them grief, You have compassion according to the greatness of Your unfailing love. You take great pleasure in those that fear You, the ones who hope in the love You manifest through Your covenant. Psa. 145:8; Lam. 3:32, 33; Psa. 147:11.

Thank You for demonstrating Your mercy by causing Your sun to shine on the evil and the good. You graciously send rain on the just and the unjust. We thank You for the arrival of every new day. We see with our own eyes that You have stretched out the heavens like a vast curtain where You have pitched a tent for the sun, which shines forth as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoices as a strong man to run a race. Matt. 5:45; Psa. 104:2; 19:4, 5.

When we consider the heavens, the work of Your fingers, the sun, the moon and the stars which You have ordained, we stand in awe that You have shown such care for us. For what is man that you should give any consideration of him? You bless us with the light of the sun that is a pleasant thing for our eyes. May all glory go to the Father of light, who commands the morning and causes the dawn to know its place. You have never left Yourself without witness among the nations. For you have provided all the peoples of the world with abundance, giving them rain from heaven and fruitful seasons on earth, providing them with food to eat and filling their hearts with joy and gladness. Psa. 8:3, 4; Eccles. 11:7; James 1:17; Job 38:12; Acts 14:17.

We honour You for the way You cover the heavens with clouds, and prepare rain for the earth. You make grass grow on the mountains. You give food to the wild beasts and the young ravens which cry out to You. You cause it to rain in the wilderness where there is no man. You satisfy even the desolate wastelands. Psa. 147:8, 9; Job 38:26, 27.

We bless You when we see how You show Your care for the earth by watering it. You enrich the soil with the river of God which is full of water as it flows down from heaven. You provide grain, and water the earth’s ridges abundantly. You settle its furrows and soften it with showers. You bless its sprouts and crown the year with Your bounty. Our carts are heavy with abundance. You make springs pour forth water in the valleys, creating rivulets that run among the hills, and give drink to every beast of the field, and the birds of the air nest by the waters, singing among the branches. Psa. 65:9-11; Psa. 104:10-12.

We stand in awe as we consider that You laid the foundation of the earth so that it will never be moved. You set boundaries for the seas so they will never again flood the earth. You shut up the sea with bars and doors, saying, ‘Up to this point you shall come, but no farther. Here your proud waves shall stop.’ You have held to Your oath when You swore that the waters of Noah would never again overwhelm the earth. You remain faithful to Your covenant commitment that so long as the earth continues, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. Your covenant of the day and of the night has never been broken. You give the sun for a light by day, and the moon and the stars for lights by night. Psa. 104:5, 9; Job 38:8, 10, 11; Isa. 54:9; Gen. 8:22; Jer. 33:20; 31:35.

We marvel at Your abundant provision for every living thing. Every creature waits on You to give them their food at the right season. Whatever You give them they gather. You open your hand in blessing, and they are filled with good things. You hide Your face and they are terrified. When You take away their breath, they die and return to dust. Then You renew the face of the earth. You send out Your Spirit and they are created. This, your glory, shall endure forever, and You will rejoice in Your own works. Psa. 104:27-31.

You cause grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate. You enable man to bring forth food from the earth – wine that gladdens his heart, oil that makes his face shine, and bread to strengthen his heart. You give life and breath to every living thing. The whole earth is full of Your gracious love. Psa. 115:16; Eccles. 1:4; Deut. 29:20; Psa. 8:6; Gen. 9:2; Prov. 8:31.

Amen.”

–Matthew Henry, A Way to Pray: A Biblical Method for Enriching Your Prayer Life and Language by Shaping Your Words with Scripture, Ed. O. Palmer Robertson (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1710/2015), 133-137.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a comment

Filed under Christian Theology, Communion with God, Jesus Christ, Matthew Henry, Prayer, Puritanical, Quotable Quotes, Thanksgiving, The Gospel

“A Prayer to God Before A Meal” by Matthew Henry

“O Lord our God,

In You we live and move and have our being.

From You we receive all the support and sustenance we need for life.

You spread our table, fill our cup, and comfort us with the gifts of Your generosity from day to day.

We are totally dependent on You.

Forgive our sins.

Sanctify the whole of Your creation that You declared to be good, and let it be useful to us.

Give us grace to receive all Your gifts with gratitude and thankfulness.

Let us never eat and drink to ourselves but always to Your glory,

For the sake of Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Saviour.

Amen.”

–Matthew Henry, A Way to Pray: A Biblical Method for Enriching Your Prayer Life and Language by Shaping Your Words with Scripture, Ed. O. Palmer Robertson (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1710/2015), 372.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a comment

Filed under Christian Theology, Communion with God, Jesus Christ, Matthew Henry, Prayer, Puritanical, Quotable Quotes, Thanksgiving, The Gospel

“A Prayer to God Before A Meal” by Matthew Henry

“Gracious God,

You are the Protector and Preserver of the whole creation.

You have nourished us throughout our lives up to the present day with sufficient food, though we are evil and unthankful.

Forgive all our sins, for by them we have forfeited Your mercies.

Restore our right standing with you in Christ Jesus.

Enable us to taste covenant love in commonplace mercies.

Give us the grace to use these mercies and all the comforts of Your creation to the glory of Christ, our great Benefactor and Redeemer.

Amen.”

–Matthew Henry, A Way to Pray: A Biblical Method for Enriching Your Prayer Life and Language by Shaping Your Words with Scripture, Ed. O. Palmer Robertson (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1710/2015), 373.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a comment

Filed under Christian Theology, Communion with God, Jesus Christ, Matthew Henry, Prayer, Puritanical, Quotable Quotes, Thanksgiving, The Gospel

“Your life is a vapor” by Matthew Henry

“‘What is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’ (James 4:14) God has wisely left us in the dark concerning future events, and even concerning the duration of life itself.

We know not what shall be on the morrow. We may know what we intend to do and to be, but a thousand things may happen to prevent us. We are not sure of life itself, since it is but as a vapour, something in appearance, but nothing solid nor certain, easily scattered and gone.

We can fix the hour and minute of the sun’s rising and setting tomorrow, but we cannot fix the certain time of a vapour’s being scattered. Such is our life: it appears but for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

It vanisheth as to this world, but there is a life that will continue in the other world. And, since this life is so uncertain, it concerns us all to prepare and lay up in store for that which is to come.”

–Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, as cited on: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6.Jam.v.html (accessed March 23, 2012). Henry is commenting on James 4:14.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

2 Comments

Filed under Bible, Christian Theology, James, Matthew Henry, Puritanical, Quotable Quotes

“To live without God in the world” by Matthew Henry

“It is certain those that live without prayer live without God in the world.”

–Matthew Henry, A Method For Prayer: Freedom in the Face of God. Ed. J. Ligon Duncan (Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland, Great Britain: Christian Focus, 1994), 11.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a comment

Filed under Christian Theology, Matthew Henry, Prayer, Puritanical, Quotable Quotes

“A sincere representation of holy affections” by Matthew Henry

“Prayer is the solemn and religious offering up of devout acknowledgments and desires to God, or a sincere representation of holy affections, with a design to give unto God the glory due unto His Name thereby, and to obtain from Him promised favours, and both through the Mediator.”

–Matthew Henry, A Method For Prayer: Freedom in the Face of God. Ed. J. Ligon Duncan (Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland, Great Britain: Christian Focus, 1994), 11.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a comment

Filed under Christian Theology, Matthew Henry, Prayer, Puritanical, Quotable Quotes