“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.
