Prayer & Praise
O Changeless God,
Under the conviction of the Spirit I learn that
The more I do, the worse I am,
The more I know, the less I know,
The more holiness I have, the mores sinful I am,
The more I love, the more there is to love.
O wretched man that I am!
O Lord,
I have a wild heart
And cannot stand before thee;
I am like a bird before a man.
How little I love thy truth and ways!
I neglect prayer,
By thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly,
By knowing thou hast saved my soul.
Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be an evangelical hypocrite,
Who sins more safely because grace abounds,
Who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them,
Who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for his is saved,
Who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives
Unholily.
My mind is a bucket without a bottom,
With no spiritual understanding,
No desire for the Lord’s Day,
Ever learning but never reaching the truth,
Always at the gospel-well but never holding water.
My conscience is without conviction or contrition,
With nothing to repent of.
My will is without power of decision or resolution.
My heart is without affection, and full of leaks.
My memory has no retention,
So I forget so easily the lessons learned,
And thy truths seep away.
Give me a broken heart that yet carries home the water of grace.
From the Valley of Vision
This prayer made me think of this song.
“When we’re overcome by sin we act as if nothing matters. We treat people as if they don’t matter unless they’re of use to us. We act as if we don’t matter to others because of our guilt or fears. We slowly choke ourselves with cords of fears, anger, and self-pity.
From the day we’re born until the day we’re planted in a grave people will tell us in many different ways why we matter to them. But, the only words that come back to us always the same is God’s promise: “You’re baptized into Christ.”
We matter because we’re God’s children. We’re named and known by One who transcends time and place. We’re more than the sum of our memories, personal histories, and other peoples’ opinions about us.
As children of our heavenly Father, we’re freed from worry about our place and purpose. We’re free children, freed to laugh at ourselves. We’re free to treat everyone equally because God’s Word names them too, that they matter.
Whether a moment becomes an eternity for us or a lifetime is measured in left-over birthday candles, we matter because we don’t create ourselves. We don’t baptize and rebirth ourselves. Another chose to create and redeem us. That’s love beyond human understanding. AMEN.” – Donovan Riley
“O Lord, I have a wild heart and cannot stand before Thee”
Agreeing.
“My will is without power of decision or resolution.
My heart is without affection, and full of leaks.
My memory has no retention,
So I forget so easily the lessons learned,”
Amen, but…
thank God, for the Apostle’s encouraging words
Phllippians 3:13-14
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” KJV
Our nephew and his wife spent the night Saturday. His wife is 38 with severe MS. Her grandmother had passed away that morning. By all accounts she was a mean and godless woman. Our nephews wife has lost three or 4 close family members all under terrible circumstances.
This morning my wife received a text from one of her sisters. Her husband’s grandmother has been terribly ill for some time. My wife’s sister and husband felt okay about taking a short trip and left their daughter on grandma duty. Her grandmother called this morning saying her leg hurt so our niece rushed over and called 911. As the call was being responded to our niece went through the gospel with her grandma and her grandmother nodded yes and then passed before help arrived.
Please pray for both families as they prepare for funeral services. Also pray for Tiffany that God might touch her physically and halt the advance of her MS and if it is His will to heal her. Thank you.
one of my daughters needs prayer cover Friday – i can’t post the details, but prayer for her protection would be so appreciated
Em…remind us again on Friday morning.
Praying with you and brother Erunner…
prayer continues for the rough road being traveled by so many now, the confusions and the tests… praying for E and family (& others here) and for Michael, who faced a harder day this Thursday, to have the strength for his days
requesting prayer for my daughter who is facing a real test Friday all day and evening, too we need angels… maybe a couple of those avenging ones? God knows, i don’t – but prayer is needed for protection and grace and wisdom
Prayers for Em and Co.
Praying for Em’s daughter.
thank you, London and Nonnie… God keep you ladies and prayers continue for you and your mom, London and your little Bennet and family, Nonnie
Thank you for your prayers for our family as they continue through this difficult time in their lives. Praying for the needs here as often as I can.
#11-i know we sometimes feel that our prayers have no efficacy, but they are duty calls, as it were … just to encourage us all – we’re not home yet on this one, but already are seeing unexpected good from unexpected sources impacting the situation … thank you to the pray-ers, whoever and wherever you are today