A Prayer

 

Almighty God and our heavenly Father

Today we call on your matchless, glorious name

That name that means Saviour and Redeemer

We call to you in the midst of all of life’s pain

You said, in this life we will have tribulation

You said, there will be trials and temptations

That prediction certainly has been true

For there have been many trials not a few

But you also said you will never leave us

And you made this promise to us through Jesus

In whose name we pray to you today

Asking you to help our unbelief come what may

For there is many a tempest and a storm

That besets your children on every hand

They come from the east and from the west

And from the north and south as though on demand

They are like billows on the raging sea

Coming fast and furious to steal our joy

Climbing higher and higher in spite of our prayers

Tossing our life’s ship as though it were a toy

Satan, our nemesis, he gloats and he glare

And though you are with us he still dares

He dares to tell us that we are on our own

And far from being with us you have left us alone

Alone in this world with its demons of prey

Alone in this world through both night and day

He dares to tell us that we have believed a lie

That Jesus never came and Jesus never died

That Jesus never rose and he is not coming back

That there is no judgment and death ends life’s track

That right here is heaven and right here is hell

And there are some things the Bible just doesn’t tell

That life is what we make it right here and now

And that it is better for us if to him we bow

That he can satisfy us to our heart’s content

No need to confess sins, no need to repent

That what we see is truly what we get

And we can get anything on which our heart is set

That survival of the fittest is where life is at

And to the rat race we call life he can help us adapt

Heavenly Father in the midst of all these lies

We dare to doubt him and on you rely

We dare to trust you at your every word

And believe that what we see didn’t just occur

We dare to believe that you created all that we see

The oceans and rivers every mountain and valley

Every fish of the sea, the beasts great and small

Every plant, tree or shrub, you created them all

The lilies in the valleys you adorn and dress

And even to the tiny sparrow your care is expressed

For not one falls to the ground catching you unaware

And for your master creation the much more you care

We thank you for your goodness and your loving care

And for your renewed mercies with grace to spare

Thank you for the measure of faith you have given to us

So that when Satan taunts us in Jesus we can trust

Thank you for each day sometimes tough and hard

And nothing seems to line up with the plans on our card

Thank you for not being in the business of damage control

But that you have a divine plan for every sheep in your fold

Thank you that we can access that plan if to you we come

For such is the privilege of every child in the kingdom

Thank you for your righteousness not only to us imputed

But the impartation of the same also cannot be disputed

We thank you for pointing us the way of the cross

We thank you for the paying of sin’s infinite cost

We thank you that daily you are removing all of the dross

From sheep now found but once were lost

We thank you for the cleansing there is in Jesus’ blood

We thank you for transitioning us from being evil to good

We thank you for a walk in righteousness in Jesus’ name

Empowered by your Holy Spirit with heaven as our aim

We thank you for being bigger than our biggest problem

No matter how big or how many you can solve them

We thank you that we can cast all of life’s cares on you

Your word so instructs us and your word is true

Heavenly Father note in this prayer there was one request

Help our unbelief was how it was expressed

You see Father we are oft overwhelmed with much fuss

When all you ask of us is that in you we trust

So Father this prayer simply expresses a change in our attitude

As we lift our hearts to you in a prayer of gratitude

Thanking you for your abundant and magnanimous blessing

For you always abundantly exceed our thinking and asking

Today we offer up to you this prayer of thanksgiving

Cognizant that we who were once dead are now in you living

Fully aware that those things for which we often pray

Are prepackaged by you each and every single day

So Heavenly Father accept in Jesus’ name this our prayer

And help our unbelief when the tempter draws near

Remind us that he draws near but in us you reside

And as branches we will flourish once in the Vine we abide

Stewart Russell © 2016