Winds and Waves

Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. 

Save me from the winds and waves that impede my efforts to get closer to you. 

Steer me away from temptation, even as you remind me that temptation isn't sin —and may even be more intense as I draw closer to you. 

I know that Satan would sift me like wheat and draw me into sin, and therefore farther from you, so please make humility, repentance, and obedience my daily diet. 

Deliver me from fear, whether reasonable and unreasonable, that prevent me from drawing near to you with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings.

Protect me from legalistic pride, arrogance, and judgmentalism; make me quick to recognize and confess my own sin, and gracious and kind toward others whose temptations and struggles look different from mine. 

Draw me, step by step, and—storm or no storm, boat or no boat—take my hand and keep me from sinking.

 

(from Closer to God by Bob Hostetler, p. 87-88; photo by Free-Photos via pixabay.com)