Like you, heavenly Father, we want to care for those for whom society has no use: the elderly, the orphans, the unborn, the emotionally disturbed, the disabled. Help us to help the forgotten, the neglected, the discarded. For you, every soul is of equal value. Every person is made in your image. Let each individual be precious to us as well. Continue reading “Help us to help the helpless”
To Breathe Is Pain
The soul is barren, Lord, and all around is desert sand,
Relief is far away, no one to help or lend a hand,
To breathe is pain, to move or think requires tremendous force,
I have no power within, no means to seek another source.
Come save me, O Almighty! Reach me by your mighty arm!
Come quickly, many are they of Satan’s horde to do me harm!
Come rescue me — dying in the dark and bottomless pit!
Until redeemed, for love and life and work I’m most unfit.
You Look upon Us, with Mercy’s Eye
O ageless God, before the times began,
Your Spirit hovered above the world of man.
How small are we! How great your upraised hand!
The highest mountains flee at your command,
The valleys hide, with tremors in the land. Continue reading “You Look upon Us, with Mercy’s Eye”
That desire is decision
Heavenly Father, my prayer today is simple.
I desire to be with you, now and forever.
That desire is decision.
I will do whatever is necessary to enjoy your presence. Continue reading “That desire is decision”
Fade all desire
Fade all desire for pleasure of sin —
Oh! Wash me clean, the heart within,
Dear God, come near, for I repent
Of shameful deeds, with deep lament. Continue reading “Fade all desire”
I confess the Lord Jesus Christ
Most holy and righteous God, the story of Jesus motivates us to abandon our sins and accept the offer of forgiveness. No story is so touching, so moving, so disturbing, as his. No message reaches us on so many levels as the Good News. Here is the change and hope we’ve been searching for! Continue reading “I confess the Lord Jesus Christ”
For self-control I ask
For self-control, O Lord, I ask,
To do the hardest, meanest task,
To reign the vilest passions in,
To be victorious over sin;
A disciplined soul I’d sooner be,
That I of baser loves be free,
For fuller service performed for you,
To be at every moment true;
Make me a man who first gives thought,
That I might do just what I ought,
Before a word is rashly said,
Or steps in darkened ways are tread;
Let self from action disappear,
Your glory be my sole career;
Let Holy Spirit in me lead —
To be a mastered saint I plead.
Physical vs. spiritual
Lord God, what a blessing that, even though as we get older our physical hearing tends to worsen, our spiritual hearing can get ever so sharper! Thank you for appealing to our mind so that we can hear and understand the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We know that you have chosen the means of speaking by saints and hearing by sinners to bring salvation to all, and that there is no other means by which you save. We are humbled, O Lord, to have heard the message. Let us listen more carefully than ever to the Word we received. And let us be the ones through whom others hear about this marvelous plan of salvation in Jesus Christ!
You yourself have said this
Blessed be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and now the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has fulfilled all the promises made to Israel to bring the Messiah to this earth! We acknowledge your great wisdom, O Almighty, for your timing is perfect, your solution is complete, your power brings your forgiveness to our need, your word speaks to convince and convert. Continue reading “You yourself have said this”
The wonder of this world
Not just another day, O Lord, is today, but a day full of life and opportunity! Not a day to feel tired or bored or aggravated, but a day of joy and energy and gratitude!
You make the difference, O God! Be present with me. Live within me. Let your merciful reign watch over me. Make every step of mine a sign of your guidance. Continue reading “The wonder of this world”