Lord, Be My God!

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.