O my Lord,
Forgive me for serving you in sinful ways -
by celebrating my own strength,
by forcing myself to minister because "somebody has to do it",
by accepting the applause of others,
by assuming that I have your help
but not checking to see if my love for you has grown lukewarm,
by trusting in the strength of my devotion to Christ and not in Christ himself,
by trusting in any other foundation to stand upon besides you;
for when I do this I show that I trust myself more than you.
Help me to see
that trust in you, moved by your help, is what accomplishes anything,
that faith brings us nearer to you,
making us more than mere humans,
that you work most strongly on a person when his gaze is not upon himself, but upon you,
that faith's focus is upon God all-sufficient, Father, Son, Holy Spirit
as the God who works,
indirectly, through the means of your commands and promises,
directly, in all the hidden power that we know and see, by faith, to be in you
abundantly, accomplishing everything you desire, in the revelation of your will.
If I do not have such faith I am nothing.
My calling is to set you above all others
in my inner thoughts and in my outward viewpoint;
But my sin is that I am always placing myself above you.
Lord, it is the unique evil of sin
that every violation of your law comes
from the belittling of who you are
from despising you and your glory
from preferring things before you.
Help me to abhor myself in comparison to you,
And keep me in a faith that works in love
and serves by grace.
