A Prayer for Sunday Worship: Thirsty for More

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. 

I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.

I am ashamed of my lack of desire.

O God, the Triune God,

I want to want Thee;

I long to be filled with longing;

I thirst to be made more thirsty still.

Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed.

Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.

Say to my soul, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Note: A Prayer from A. W. Tozer.

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

Tags: Church, Prayer, Tozer, Worship

A Puritan Prayer for Sunday Worship: Grace Active

O God, may Thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to Thee. Lord Jesus, great high priest, Thou hast opened a new and living way by which a fallen creature can approach Thee with acceptance.

Help me to contemplate the dignity of Thy Person, the perfectness of Thy sacrifice, the effectiveness of Thy intercession.

O what blessedness accompanies devotion, when under all the trials that weary me, the cares that corrode me, the fears that disturb me, the infirmities that oppress me, I can come to Thee in my need and feel peace beyond understanding!

The grace that restores is necessary to preserve, lead, guard, supply, help me.

And here Thy saints encourage my hope; they were once poor and are now rich, bound and are now free, tried and now are victorious.

Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is found in Thee, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells. To Thee I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all Thy fullness.

May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened, that I may honour Thee by my entire dependency and the greatness of my expectation.

Do Thou be with me, and prepare me for all the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity, the losses of substance, the death of friends, the days of darkness, the changes of life, and the last great change of all. May I find thy grace sufficient for all my needs.

Note: Taken from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

Tags: Prayer, Puritan Prayers, Valley of Vision, Worship

Worship the LORD with Gladness

Psalm 100

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;                            

come before him with joyful songs. 

3 Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his; 

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Tags: Joy, Psalm 100, Thanksgiving, Worship

Quotes of Note about God’s Healing, Part 10

Note: The following Quotes of Note are excerpted with permission from Chapter 9 of God’s Healing for Life’s Losses.

“Worship is wanting God more than wanting relief.”

“Worship is finding God even when you don’t find answers.”

“Worship is walking with God in the dark and having Him as the light of your soul.”

“Every problem is an opportunity to know God better, and our primary battle is to know God well.”

“If we want our suffering to lead to worship, we have to ask ourselves a primary soul care question, ‘How are these problems influencing my relationship to God?’”

“Problems can either shove us far from God or drag us kicking and screaming closer to Him.”

“In crying, you cry out for God’s help. In worship, you cry out for God.”

“In comfort, you receive God’s strength. In worship, you receive God.”

“In wailing, you long for heaven because you’re tired of earth. In worship, you long for God because you miss Him.”

“In weaving, you glimpse God’s perspective. In worship, you glimpse the face of God.”

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25).

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2).

“Suffering’s ultimate goal is worship: exalting and enjoying God as our Spring of Living Water—our only satisfaction and our greatest joy.”

“Satan schemes to use suffering to suck the life out of your soul. God intends to employ creative suffering to enliven your soul.”

“The mini and major caskets of your life losses do not have to lead to the death of faith, hope, and love. Through God’s grace, you can choose life—abundant life—life lived with engagement for God and others.”

Join the Conversation

Which quote most impacts you? What other quote brings you comfort during times of suffering?

Tags: God's Healing, Knowing God, Quotes, Worship

God’s Healing for Life’s Losses: How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting

Finding God Even When You Can’t Find Relief

Countdown to God’s Healing: BMH Books will release my fifth book in May. To read a sample section of God’s Healing for Life’s Losses: How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting click here. To pre-order your autographed copy at 30% off, visit here. As we countdown to the release, I’ll be sharing periodic excerpts, such as today’s post: Finding God Even When You Can’t Find Relief.

Glimpses of God

We’re ready to map God’s grieving and growth process one final time. Your path toward God during suffering also begins with the casket of loss. Finding your self in that casket, you’ve been waiting on God, wailing out to God, and weaving together His good plans from His good heart.

Rather than turning to false lovers who tame your soul, you now turn to your untamed God who captures your soul. You worship God. In the midst of life’s losses, yes you can choose worship—engaging God with love, which leads to ministry—engaging others with God’s love.

“Worship” is such a common word. But what is worship really? Specifically, in the midst of grief, what does worship look like? Let’s start with some subtle contrasts.

In crying, you cry out for God’s help. In worship, you cry out for God.

In comfort, you receive God’s strength. In worship, you receive God.

In wailing, you long for heaven because you’re tired of earth. In worship, you long for God because you miss Him.

In weaving, you glimpse God’s perspective. In worship, you glimpse the face of God.

So what is worship in the context of suffering? Worship is wanting God more than wanting relief. Worship is finding God even when you don’t find answers. Worship is walking with God in the dark and having Him as the light of your soul.

Whom Have I in Heaven but You?

The Bible consistently invites us to worship God in the midst of suffering. Worship as the end result of suffering has always been the testimony of God’s people. Asaph, reflecting on his suffering, concludes, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25).

David concurs, as his suffering creates a God-thirst. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2).

Peter acknowledges the ever-present reality of suffering. “. . . you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (1 Peter 1:6). He continues by explaining the purpose of problems, teaching that they come so that our faith in God may be refined. Peter then shares suffering’s significance: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filed with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8).

Peter’s message reminds us of Paul as he looks back upon a lifetime of suffering and says:

“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:8, 10).

What these biblical writers present, the hymn writer, Katharina von Schlegel poetical states:

Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: the best thy heavenly Friend,

Thro’ thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Suffering’s ultimate goal is worship: exalting and enjoying God as our Spring of Living Water—our only satisfaction and our greatest joy. Finding God and experiencing His love, we’re nourished and empowered so that we can love others. This was Peter’s exact point near the end of his sermon on suffering. The refining fires of suffering purify us “so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22).

On the Road to Hope

Think about the difference between the “last best hope” the world offers us in suffering and the “sure hope” God’s Word and way promises us. The world can hope for changed circumstances and changed feelings. Maybe they come, maybe they don’t. Either way, our lot in life is to “accept” our lot in life. We move on as best we can, making the most we can out of what’s left of our life after our loss.

For those who place their sure hope in Christ and His resurrection power, the casket of loss is never final. That’s why Peter concludes his sermon on suffering with the words, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). Our “lot in life” is not “acceptance.” It is newness! It is new life and new power—the power to love God and others—worship and ministry.

Satan schemes to use suffering to suck the life out of your soul. God intends to employ creative suffering to enliven your soul. The mini and major caskets of your life losses do not have to lead to the death of faith, hope, and love. Through God’s grace, you can choose life—abundant life—life lived with engagement for God and others.

Join the Conversation

Facing his suffering, Asaph said, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25). In what ways are you responding to suffering like Asaph?

Tags: God's Healing, Grief, Suffering, Worship