Directions for Daily Communion with God by Matthew Henry
"Directions for Daily Communion with God" by Matthew Henry——whose commentary on the Bible is still widely used——is a series of three lectures preached in 1712 on beginning the day with God, spending the day with God, and ending the day with God. That true believers desire to, and in fact, do commune with the Living God on a daily basis, very few would deny. Many with whom we interact on a daily basis know nothing of this reality. They do not speak to or commune with God at all——"Many are not sensible of this, and it is their sin and misery; they live without God in the world . . . are not sensible of their dependence upon Him and their obligations to Him." They see no benefit of communing with God in prayer, reading, and meditating upon His Word and they see no peril in living apart from Him. A question one might ask of those who live in such a manner is——"Do we not know that our happiness is bound up in His favor? "
In the second lecture, "How To Spend The Day With God," in Henry's exposition of Psalm 25:5 "On Thee do I wait all the day," He defines "Waiting On God" as——"To live a life of desire towards Him, delight in Him, dependence on Him and devotedness to Him." It is a good indication of a healthy spiritual state when one is habitually "Waiting On God." The language of desire, to be close to God, the language of the heart (at times expressed with words, at times not——but expressed in thought), may be along these lines——"O that I may know Him more, and love Him better, and be brought nearer to Him, and made fitter for Him."
If we are to live to God's glory (even in our common daily activities——eating and drinking . . .) I think to live in such a manner, the renowned Bible commentator, gives a good description of such a soul's disposition——"The bent and bias of the soul in all its motions must be towards God, the serving of Him in all we do, and the enjoying of Him in all we have."
For those familiar with Matthew Henry's commentary on the Word Of God, they should not be surprised at the spiritual gold to be found in these lectures. For those unfamiliar with the 18th century, Independent Minister's writings, "Daily Communion with God" would be a great introduction to this godly Pastor's written ministry.