confession

  • Why should You be like a stranger? May our hearts burn with us!

    Jeremiah 14:7  “Though our iniquities testify against us,
    act, O LORD, for your name's sake;
    for our backslidings are many;
    we have sinned against you.

    8  O you hope of Israel,
    its savior in time of trouble,
    why should you be like a stranger in the land,
    like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?

    9  Why should you be like a man confused,
    like a mighty warrior who cannot save?
    Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us,
    and we are called by your name;
    do not leave us.”

    Luke 24:28  So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29  but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30  When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31  And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32  They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33  And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34  saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35  Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

    O, LORD our God,

    Though our iniquities today are many, though our sins testify against us as they did in the day of Jeremiah, will you not act for Jesus' sake?

    Though our iniquities today are many, though our sins testify against us as they did in the day of Jeremiah, will you not have mercy on us for Jesus' sake?

    We are called by Your Name. We are Your people. You are our God. You alone are our hope. You alone are our Savior in time of trouble.

    Lord Jesus, do not be like a stranger in the land! Do not be like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night! Do not be like a man confused! You alone are the mighty warrior who can save us!

    O, Lord our God, do not delay! Are you not already in our midst? O, do not be silent! Do not turn Your face away from us!

    Open our ears so we might hear You. Open our eyes so we might see You. Open our hearts to receive You. Open our souls that we might know You.

    Have mercy upon us for we are Your people. Have mercy on us for we are called by Your Name. Like the disciples on the Emmaus road, we urge You to stay with us. O, it is near evening. The day is far spent. We are in great trouble. Much of Your Church in many places is in a very dark place now. O, Morning Star, will You not arise once again and shine Your light upon us in this gloomy place? Will You not come and abide with us? O, stay with us! Do not leave us. Do not forsake us.

    LORD our God, the only Savior, will You not once again come in glory to Your Church in our time of trouble and cause Your face to shine on us and restore us so we might be saved? We have no other hope but You.

    On this Lord's Day particularly, as Your Word is taught and preached by Your servants, may Your blessed Spirit come into the midst so Your Word might go out with power, boldness and assurance. May the teaching and preaching of Your Word be made effectual by Your Holy Spirit. Let Your Holy Word spoken and heard not be a dead letter but become a living fire in our souls so our hearts might burn within us. May that passion incite a flaming zeal for Your glory and renown throughout the world.

    O, LORD our God, be gracious to us. Be very gracious to us. Draw near to us as You cause us to draw near to You. Make Yourself known to us this day. May our hearts burn within us. Bless Your Word as it is read and spoken and heard. May the soil of our hearts be prepared this day and each and every time we come to Your Word so it might take root and grow and flourish and produce the fruit You desire. May we receive You and Your Word humbly. May Your Word not return void but burn within us like a fire in our hearts that we cannot hold in.

    O, we are hungry for You, Bread of Life. No other bread can satisfy! No worldly bread can nourish our souls. Living God, feed us with Your living Bread until we want no more! O, Lord Jesus, meet with us this day. Do not leave us! Stay with us!

    Holy Father, You have chosen us and called us to be Your people. Jesus Christ, heavenly Bridegroom, we are Your bride. Chief Shepherd, we are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture. O, Good Shepherd of the sheep, why should You be like a stranger to us? Hope of Israel, do not leave us! Holy Savior, come to us! Make Yourself known to us this day! May our hearts burn within us this day! Holy Spirit, may we not grieve, quench or limit You as we read and hear Your Word.

    *Please add your prayers as the Holy Spirit of God leads you.*

  • Open our eyes once again to see Your return (Isaiah 52:7-10)

    Isaiah 52
    7 How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
    who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
    8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
    together they sing for joy;
    for eye to eye they see
    the return of the LORD to Zion.
    9 Break forth together into singing,
    you waste places of Jerusalem,
    for the LORD has comforted his people;
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
    10 The LORD has bared his holy arm
    before the eyes of all the nations,
    and all the ends of the earth shall see
    the salvation of our God.

    LORD,

    We are watchmen.
    We have seen Your return.
    We have seen Your Spirit's moving.
    We have felt Your holy fire burning.
    We have been blessed.
    But now our vision has been clouded.
    We have become distracted.
    We have become stagnant.
    We have become lukewarm.
    We have not been good stewards of Your blessings.

    Forgive us, Lord, for not being zealous for You as we ought.
    Forgive us, Lord, for not persevering in prayer to You as we ought.
    Forgive us, Lord, for not watching for You as we ought.
    Forgive us, Lord, for not speaking for You as we ought.

    Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
    so our feet might be beautiful and bring good news.

    Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
    so we might publish peace, good news of happiness and salvation.

    Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
    so we might say to Your people: "Your God reigns."

    Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
    so we might lift up our voice together and sing for joy.

    Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
    so we might break forth into singing.

    Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
    so we might make known Your holy arm before all the nations.

    Open our eyes once again to see Your return,
    so we might make visible to all the ends of the earth Your salvation.

    Please add your PRAYERS as His Spirit leads you.

  • "You have hindered God's work by your want of prayer." (from M'Cheyne's 8th Pastoral Letter)

    In my last post I quoted from Robert Murray M'Cheyne, who reminded us that we "ought never do anything without prayer."

    Once again I'd like to bring you something from M'Cheyne. As way of background ~ M'Cheyne wrote a series of ten Pastoral Letters during the time he was away from his flock at St. Peter's, Dundee (initially for a few months due to illness, during which time he sensed God's call to go on mission to the Jews, and then he was gone for a period of eight months after that on mission, before returning to Scotland). (As an aside, this is a reminder how God desires to use us regardless of where we are; I've found what I've read of these letters so encouraging!)

    In his Eighth Pastoral Letter, subtitled "Warnings to the unsaved—Causes why so many among us are unsaved," Robert Murray M'Cheyne first addresses his own sins and shortcomings as a minister after which he addresses his flock. His second point in that section of the letter dealt with his people's want of prayer. I think these words are a much-needed exhortation to the Church of God today.

    ... You have hindered God's work by your want of prayer. When God gives grace to souls, it is in answer to the prayers of His children. You will see this, on the Day of Pentecost, Acts ii. Ezek. xxxvii. 9 shews, that in answer to the prayer of a single child of God, God will give grace to a whole valley full of dry and prayerless bones. Where God puts it into the heart of His children to pray, it is certain that He is going to pour down His Spirit in abundance. Now, where have been your prayers, O children of God ? The salvation of those around you depends on your asking, and yet " hitherto ye have asked nothing in Christ's name." Ye that are the Lord's remembrancers keep not silence, and give Him no rest. Alas ! you have given God much rest— you have allowed His hand to remain unplucked out of his bosom. It is said of John Welsh, minister of Ayr, that he used always to sleep with a plaid upon his bed, that he might wrap it around him when he arose in the night to pray. He used to spend whole nights in wrestling with God for Zion, and for the purity of the Church of Scotland ; and he wondered how Christians could lie all night in bed without rising to pray. Oh! we have few Welshes now, therefore our Church is so dim, and our land a barren wilderness. Dear Christians, I often think it strange that ever we should be in heaven, and so many in hell through our soul-destroying carelessness. The good Lord pardon the past, and stir you up for the future. I learn that you are more stirred up to pray since I left, both in secret and unitedly. God grant it be so. Continue in it, dear children. Do not let it slip again. Plead and wrestle with God, shewing him that the cause is his own, and that it is all for his own glory to arise and have mercy upon Zion.

    * * *

    Isaiah 62:
    1  For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
    and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
    until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
    and her salvation as a burning torch.
    2  The nations shall see your righteousness,
    and all the kings your glory,
    and you shall be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the LORD will give.
    3  You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
    and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
    4  You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,
    but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
    and your land Married;
    for the LORD delights in you,
    and your land shall be married.
    5  For as a young man marries a young woman,
    so shall your sons marry you,
    and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
    so shall your God rejoice over you.
    6  On your walls, O Jerusalem,
    I have set watchmen;
    all the day and all the night
    they shall never be silent.
    You who put the LORD in remembrance,
    take no rest,
    7  and give him no rest
    until he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes it a praise in the earth.

    Holy Father, We confess how often we have left off in prayer. We confess we do not give You peace nor rest. Prayer is a privilege and a responsibility and a calling of all Your children. Your Son gave His body and blood so we might be given entrance to Your throne room. The Lord Jesus Christ made the way into the Holy of Holies so we might go there with Him also. He continues to intercede for us today without ceasing. Your Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Lord God, Forgive us for not availing ourselves of this blessed birthright of prayer.

    Holy Father, Forgive us for being lukewarm and complacent. Forgive us for being cold and uncaring. We confess that we are so hot and engaged in worldly pursuits. Yet, where is that same fire and engagement in heavenly pursuits? Cleanse and purify our hearts, our minds and our desires so we might have a greater passion for Your cause and Your glory. We confess how we are so often self-centered, concerned about our own causes and our own glory, ready to do just about anything for self-interest. We confess how little we are concerned about Your cause and Your glory: the saving of many souls from all nations through Jesus Christ to Your glory. We confess that our own self-interests consume us more than passion for Your cause and Your glory. Forgive us and cleanse us from us selfishness. You saved us so we might not walk according to our own lusts but to Your good, acceptable and perfect will. Send Your Holy Fire to consume us afresh and anew with a passion for Your cause and Your glory.

    Holy Father, Send Your Spirit to cleanse and purify our hearts, our minds and our desires so we might have a greater passion for intercessory prayer. Forgive us that we have hindered Your work by our want of prayer. Help us to be zealous for Your cause and Your glory. Help us to plead and wrestle with You for Zion without ceasing – for lost souls, for lukewarm souls, for our own souls. How often do we plead and wrestle for our own earthly, fleshly interests! Forgive us for having such impure thoughts and desires. May we be a bright and shining torch again, a city upon a hill, to which many nations will see Your light, righteousness and glory and stream there so they might seek and know You and the joy of Your salvation.

    Holy Father, Stir us up so we might pray without ceasing for Your cause and Your glory. Stir us up out of our beds. Stir us up in our homes. Stir us up in our church buildings. Stir us up as we walk. Stir us up as we sit. Stir us up wherever we are. Stir us up all the day. Stir us up all the night. Stir us up so we cannot keep silent but continue importunate in prayer. Stir us up to Your cause and Your glory. How can we be content unless we are united with Your mind and heart in this desire? Have mercy upon us. Have mercy upon Zion. Have mercy upon Your Church. Have mercy upon our dry and prayerless bones! Breathe life into us, Holy Spirit, so prayers might rise as incense to Your throne once again for Your good pleasure. Amen.

    Please add your own PRAYERS as God's Spirit leads you.

tent_of_meeting

"he called it the tent of meeting..."

I am burdened to pray to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the reformation and reviving of Christ's church.

The phrase tent of meeting comes from Exodus 33:7: Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.

This site is devoted to God first and foremost. In all that is done here, my prayer is that God is glorified and His Name magnified and Christ and Him crucified is lifted up so He might be preeminent and God might receive all the praise, honor and glory due His Holy Name. All who have come to a saving knowledge of our Father by grace through faith in the all-sufficient sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are welcome to enter this tent of meeting to seek the Lord.

This blog is a place for all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to come and seek God's face for revival. My intention is for this tent of meeting to be a holy place where we can enter into PRAYER together to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, as the Holy Spirit leads you, please enter into prayer either here (think of "comments" as prayers) or on your own.

Habakkuk 3:2 O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.

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