43. New Year’s Eve.
Psalm 90. A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow: for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
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It is a sad thought, that the days of our life fly so fast. How soon, alas, do the flowers of our youth wither and die! The serious feature, however, the heaviest and weariest part of the consideration, is this, that sin is the cause. It would profit us little, at the close of the year, to indulge in melancholy speculations on the flight of time and the rapid revolution of the years; but it shall profit us much to meditate upon our life and to know our sins. Knowledge of sin is the keynote in this touching prayer of Moses. “For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. The strength of the days of our years is labor and sorrow.” Bow, as did Moses, in deepest humility before the Lord, and pray earnestly for mercy. Make up your account at the close of the year, or year will be added to year with unknown and unforgiven sins, and the amount will be appalling at the last; for sometime the day of reckoning will come. — During this year you have again received a thousand benefits from the Lord; all that he did was done with the kindest purpose. But you, how have you been minded toward him? How have you received his manifold mercies, and what manner of life have you led during these many days of grace? Make a clean breast of it! You have, mayhap, walked without God and served sin? Though you be old, you may, possibly, not as yet have experienced true conversion and given your heart to God? Or do you, perhaps, spend your days in the enjoyment of worldly pleasures or the pursuit of fleeting honors and wealth? However, let me assume, that you are a converted and believing soul; — how much more faithfully and diligently than you have done it, might you not have employed your time! Consider, how much better you might have thanked the Lord, and how much more you might have benefited your fellowmen; how much sin you have committed, and how much good you have left undone! Do, then, weigh this with care, and confess it with sorrow; prostrate yourself before the Lord and cry to him for mercy. And, behold, he spreads his hands above you, and forgives you, and blesses you. He takes away your shortcomings in all things, but crowns your work. You carry, then, no debt of sin over from the old into the new year, but only the grace and good will of God in Christ. Blessed be the Lord, who satisfies us early with his mercy; so that we, who have merited everlasting and voiceless sorrow, can sing and be glad all our days. The beauty of our God is upon us, and he shall establish the work of our hands. We close the year as we began it: In the name of Jesus.
Accept our poor offering of praise, most high and blessed God. Thanks for everything which we have received or suffered during the year. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord! Amen.*
For thy mercy and thy grace,
Faithful through another year,
Hear our song of thankfulness,
Father and Redeemer, hear.
In our weakness and distress,
Rock of strength, be thou our stay;
In the pathless wilderness,
Be our true and living way.
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.