Prayer: Father, Help Me!

Draw Me Nearer / I Need Thee

Father, please help me!

Help me to not denigrate Your holiness as I elevate my humanity to be like Christ, under the agency of Your Holy Spirit, for You are God.

Father, help me to express godly sorrow and show true repentance when the Holy Spirit convinces and convicts me of sin and error.

Help me to be constant in my acceptance that You are true in Your Word when You say that You have cast my confessed sins into the sea of Your forgetfulness, and help not to allow Satan to make me trot out confessed sin, wearing it as a hair-shirt and indulging in self-flagellation and thereby displaying my total lack of faith in Your faithfulness.

Father, you have forgiven my sins time and again, and I am asking You to help me to forgive those who seemingly relish their sin against me as they gleefully pay me the lip service that is their repentance, and help me to measure their repentance by Your yardstick, and not my own, for my hands are not clean nor is my heart pure, and I am truly fearful of what I would do without Your help and leading.

Father, it is really very hard to be kind to the unkind, to love the unlovely in spirit, to not denigrate the disparaging, and to be a blessing to the hateful so I am asking you, Lord, to help me look beyond their faults to find their need, and to be willing to provide that needed and necessary assistance as Your Holy Spirit leads.

Help me to stop being judgmental.

Help me to stop procrastinating with the tasks You have laid before me.

Help to stop speaking with a forked tongue.

Help to not be arrogant in my conviction of my rightness but at all times to display a Christ-like spirit in my interactions.

Help me to display humble boldness in my defense of  truth, for truth does not require color, nor spin, nor explanation by a sharp and arrogant tongue.

 Help me, Father, to find it in my heart to feel pity for those who do not care to pity themselves nor their circumstance nor situation, and to remember that, were it not for my acceptance of Your free grace I, too, would be in their condition.

Help me to show Your love by my willingness to do for my fellow pilgrims on the journey that is this life.

Help me also, Father, to stop acting as though I can save the world, or anyone, and help me to give all my burdens to You, for You are able to save, to help, and to heal.

Father, help me to be like the Apostle Paul to, in all things, and at all times, hungry or full, in want or in abundance, give thanks.

And, Father, help me to so live my life, that Your name may always be glorified.

I ask these mercies in the name of Prince Immanuel, and thank You for hearing and answering my prayers.

I love You, Lord.

AMEN

Recall of the Fall + Repentance; and some Musical Refreshment

Recall of The Fall

+

Repentance

I recently sat and did recall

All the things that I've done as a result of the fall

I've lied and cheated, stolen and compromised

Walked in my own way, and often reviled!

I've ignored wise counsel and

Crucified Christ time and again!

I've raised up myself higher than my Creator

And oft' ended up less than I was created!

There's been fornication, adultery, gambling,

Warmongering, hating and despising

Grasping and backbiting!

I've realized that one wrong to do was as good as any other!

No skin off my back

For they were all as light as the proverbial feather!

But then one dry day, reality set in

And nary a dry spot was found under my wet chin!

The conscience that I had long successfully ignored

Soon cast me, without preamble, upon the hard floor

Where revulsion and remonstrance vied

For prominence e'en pre-eminence

Oh, how I blubbered!

How sorrowfully I cried!

Alas, this poor soul

A lot like Cain and Esau

Cried out – not in repentance – but because

I – guilty – was brought to great shame!

Now, I must eat crow!

A dish most unpleasant, or so I've been told

But eat it without seasoning I must

Not even a drop to be left in the bowl!

It was then that I heard Old Ishbel's choice words –

"If you are truly sorry, repent!

If not, don't relent, for

To do otherwise

Is to minimize

Who you've offended, and yourself!"

It was then that I chose to get rid of all the hems and haws,

And get down to the real business of asking the Lord

For the character of gold in the fire of life tried

Righteous clothing made of linen clean and white, and

the anointing of the Salve

To heal my world-scarred eyes.

He said to me:

“Come as you are!

Repent, and be renewed!”

And

“Walk thou in the straight and narrow for

The Spirit will help you!”

So, hear me, I tell you:

“Don't believe your own publicity!”

“Acknowledge your Savior

And He will direct you!”

I endeavored from that day

That for me there would be

No more broad nor illicit high way!

I am trusting The Promising

I am basking in The Comforting

I am treasuring The Holy Word, and

From here on in, you see

Straight will be The Pathway to

Blessing for Me!

Create In Me a Clean Heart

Psalm 51

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness:
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions:
and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done this evil in thy sight:
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest,
and be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness;
that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins,
and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways;
and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation:
and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips;
and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it:
thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Day By Day

Holy Sabbath Day Prayer and Blessing

Another six days' work is done

Another Sabbath is begun

Around our table take our seat

And to our Lord we sing a treat

Accept our sorrowing for sin

Accept our offering of  prayer

Accept our offering of praise

Accept our souls to You we raise

Again, Dear Lord, we meekly seek

Another blessing, another week

Always in worship, we with love

Before Your Throne, we here bow down

Heavenly Father, we, Your believing children, thank You for Your watch-care through the week that is now passed from time into eternity.

We thank You for our food, our shelter, our clothing, eyes that can still see The Book, ears that can still hear The Word through which our faith comes, hands, Lord, that can still do a good work for The Kingdom, and feet that are still able to go on missions of mercy.

Father, we ask You to shore up our reserves of strength for the battle still ahead. We beseech You to cement Your Holy Word deep into our hearts where only that two-edged sword wielded by Our Master can divide, and grant us Your continued Grace, and Sweet Peace.

We ask, Father, for the surrounding and protection of the Holy Angels, and the blessing of the sleep of the Just.

Hear and answer our prayer, in the matchless name of Jesus, and for His sake. Lord, we love You. AMEN.