When Life's Circumstances Lift Me to the Crest of the Wave

Lord, forgive me
that when life’s circumstances
lift me to the crest of the wave,
I tend to forget Thee.
Yet, like an errant child,
I have blamed Thee
with my every failure,
even as I credit myself
with every success.

When my fears evaporate like the morning mist,
then vainly I imagine that I am sufficient unto myself,
that material resources and human resources are enough.

I need Thee when the sun shines,
lest I forget the storm and the dark.
I need Thee when I am popular,
when my friends and those who work beside me
approve and compliment me.
I need Thee more then, lest my head begin to swell.

O God, forgive me for my stupidity,
my blindness in success,
my lack of trust in Thee.
Be Thou now my Savior in success.

Save me from conceit.
Save me from pettiness.
Save me from myself!
And take this success, I pray, and use it for Thy glory. In Thy strength, I pray.

Amen.

(a prayer by Peter Marshall)