Lord,
Protect me
from what’s distracting just now,
Give me
enough focus of strength to endow,
Lift me
higher than my berating lament,
Take me beyond the spirit of
contempt.
Open my
heart to feel anew,
Expand my
mind so my vision holds true,
With eyes
to see and ears to hear,
Help me follow so you alone I
endear.
Direct me
on your solemn path,
Immersed
in your Presence; let me bath,
So I may
be directed to devotedly see,
What can only come as a result of
glee.
Hold me
safe and hold me right,
Make me to
see your holy delight,
Help me to
know the value of praise,
So life in my spirit your Spirit
would raise.
Prayers of Utter Devotion
Is there ever a better moment for
any of us than the moment of worship where we are saturated in the Presence of the
living God? It’s surprising how low-of-heart we can be in accessing such a
worshipful mood. God meets us to heal our lament. God meets us beyond our
spirit of contempt.
Suddenly we come to the thought of
that spiritual phenomenon.
The best source of lack in life is
that which draws us unto God. How is it that something so despicable as lack,
something that draws us into forlornness, also compels us to seek God? When we
come to know God in our prayers, because we are desperate for spiritual relief,
we are gifted that Presence that overcomes all our maladies as we experience
the glee of sheltering in that Presence.
Desperation is a classic irony
within our faith.
It takes a desperate soul to truly
seek God and to want more of this holy portion that sanctifies and renews.
Desperation impels us to pray for help, and in that process we end up praying prayers
of utter devotion.
Prayers of utter devotion set us
apart in our worship to a place God provides; the Shelter of the Almighty.
When we come to that place in our
spirits—bereft of pride and strength and resolve—when we may be exhausted—or
simply dry—we are closest to accessing the Spirit of God.
We enter the Holy of Holies when
we have nothing to offer but our solemn selves.
Yes, times when we have nothing to
offer and we simply come close to the Spirit of God in our need, by prayers of
utter devotion, even unspoken, fill us to the brim with spiritual stock again.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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