Shepherd's Prayer

Save me, O God, from a learned Christianity
Save me, O God from an argumentative faith
That relies upon anything other than your Holy Fire
That looks upon anything other than your Face
That seeks life anywhere other than in you,
You who are the living Word

Grant that I find you this morning,
Not in argument, debate, or rational thinking
All truth, all love, all light…every way in which we should walk
is contained in you, Lord Jesus
and flows out of you
Out of the impartation of your love and life in me
Will flow a river of life.

Nothing in my flesh and blood can create or release that river to run.
That truth that love, that light
Is not of this world
It is of another world
Come down from on high.

For too many years of my life I have relied upon reason
To argue for you, to prove you, to show you
My preaching has been in vain
My arguments have not reached the hearts of men
My persuasions have not persuaded
Help me to give way to the heavenly working
of the Spirit of God in my soul
To sit at your feet to receive life from you
Help me to turn away from everything within me and without me
That would hinder the further awakening
Of all that is heavenly and holy in you

I pray this morning that nothing human, earthly, private or selfish
Will mix with this heavenly fire
That seeks to burst into flame when I am with you

O holy God
You are holy, holy, holy
You are the lamb of God
Who takes away the sin of the world.
There is only One who is good
And your are that One
There is only One who is Holy
And you are Holy
Remind me, O’God
That I am not called to a human goodness, this morning
I am not called to a partial goodness, this morning
I am not called to a reasonable goodness, this morning
“Be ye perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect.”
I know this morning that I cannot come out of my imperfection
Except by the unmixed, perfect goodness of God coming into me
As a source of life,
a fountain of all living thoughts, feelings, desires, and appetites.
If I have a thought of harsh anger or bitter judgment, it is not of you.
If I have a pain of unforgiveness, it is not of you.
If I have a fear for anything, it is not of you
If I have a feeling of selfishness, it is not of you
If I have a desire for more of this earth, it is not of you

Come, O Holy Spirit
Breathe on me, breath of the living God
I cannot come out of any of my imperfections
Except by your holy burning within me

Help me, this morning, to enter into new life with you
Only by your terms of dying.
Dying to my self
Dying to my old sinful nature
Dying to me
I die, that Christ may live in me.

Remind me again this morning
That your life, your faith, your gift of Christianity
Is not to me a religion to defend
But a life to live
Not righteousness for me to argue
But a holiness for me to bear
Not an argument for me to win
But a love for me to live

Remind me, O Lord God
That I am a fallen man
And I have no proper goodness in me
Until I stand alone in your goodness
I have not saved myself by finding my way
But I have been saved by Your coming into my life
You who are the way.
I have not been saved by any truth that has come from within me
But I am saved by you, who are the truth.

I come to you, my Lord
To pray to you this morning as a man
Desiring to be rid of this flesh and blood
And any impediment that wars against you
I must have your goodness, and all of your goodness
Or none at all.
Flesh and blood, in all of its working can only work for itself
Darkness can only be dark
It has no other nature
Coldness can only be cold
It cannot be made to be warm
The earthly can only be of earth
It cannot be heaven.
The works of light can only proceed from light

O lamb of God
Who takes away the sins of the world
Do break and burst your light upon me this morning
Bathe me in your light

I have a work to do that I cannot do in the flesh
The rock this morning has no spirit
The tree, the bird, the flower
Can seek nothing except that which is of their own life
They can give nothing except that which is of their nature
But, you, O blessed Jesus
Can impart your life to me
That it is not I, but Christ who lives in me
It is not I
But Christ who loves in me
It is not I
But Christ who ministers in me
It is not I
But Christ who leads in me
I lay at the altar of the earth this morning
All arguments, all reasons, all thinking
It is the weary and the heavy laden that are fit to be converts
It is the sick who have need of a physician
It is only those who know they are bound in chains
That you can set free.
Come fire, holy fire of God
Burn your revelation into all our hearts.
Impart your life to us.
The saints meet,
Not at the altar of their own righteousness
But at the altar of mutual confession.
"Woe is me. I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips
for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts."