A Present Salvation
CREATOR AND REDEEMER GOD,
Author of all existence,
source of all blessedness,
I adore thee for making me capable of knowing thee,
for giving me reason and conscience,
for leading me to desire thee;
I praise thee for the revelation of thyself in the gospel,
for thy heart as a dwelling place of pity,
for thy thoughts of peace towards me,
for thy patience and thy graciousness,
for the vastness of thy mercy.
Thou hast moved my conscience
to know how the guilty can be pardoned,
the unholy sanctified,
the poor enriched.
May I be always amongst those
who not only hear but know thee,
who walk with and rejoice in thee,
who take thee at thy word and find life there.
Keep me always longing for a present salvation
in Holy Spirit comfort and rejoicings,
for spiritual graces and blessings,
for help to value my duties as well as my privileges.
May I cherish simplicity and
godly sincerity of character.
Help me to be in reality before thee
as in appearance I am before men.
To be religious before I profess religion,
to leave the world before I enter the church,
to set my affection on things above,
to shun forbidden follies and vanities,
to be a dispenser as well as a partaker of grace,
to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good.
O God, make me worthy of this calling, br
that the name of Jesus
may be glorified in me and I in him.
—Valley of Vision
The power of ‘a present salvation’ is God’s presence. Perhaps some other tragedy has rocked you—the death of a loved one, a debilitating accident, a dreaded diagnosis, the loss of a home, property or your job—those things can become your own superstorm. You may feel as if your whole world has been turned upside down and that you’re very much alone. It can leave you asking, “Where are you God?” But you are not alone. In the midst of life’s storms, God is with you. Even if you do not feel him near, he is there. You can be sure it’s true, “because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). Wherever you are, God is. He is with you before, during, and after life’s storms, never losing sight of you or your suffering. Consider some of the ways this truth is expressed in the Psalms: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). The key to weathering life’s stormy seasons is to cling to this truth: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Your God is your present (and enduring) salvation. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics