Saints of Ekron Baptist, may we all fear and tremble before the Lord, but may we worship Him in His awesome being.
The Prayer of a Minor Prophet
This is the prayer of a man called to be a
witness to the nations. This is what he said to his Lord on the day of his
ordination. After the elders and ministers had prayed and laid their hands on
him he withdrew to meet his Saviour in the secret place and in the silence,
farther in than his well-meaning brethren could take him.
And
he said: O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou has called me to
an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou art about to shake all
nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken
may remain. O Lord, my Lord, Thou has stooped to honor me to be Thy servant. No
man taketh this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron.
Thou has ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard
of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not to be expected
that they will receive me, the servant.
My
God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the
work. The responsibility is not mine, but Thine. Thou has said, "I knew
thee-I ordained thee,I sanctified thee," and Thou hast also said,
"Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command
thee thoushalt speak." Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into
question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine but Thine. So be it,
Lord, Thy will, not mine, be done.
Well
do I know, Thou God of the prophets and the apostles, that as long as I honor
Thee Thou wilt honor me. Help me therefore to take this solemn vow to honor
Thee in all my future life and labors, whether by gain or by loss, by life or
be death, and then to keep that vow unbroken while I live.
It
is time, O God, for Thee to work, for the enemy has entered into Thy pastures
and the sheep are torn and scattered. And false shepherds abound who deny the
danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived
by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf closes
in to kill and destroy. I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the
presence of the enemy; give me understanding to see and courage to report what
I see faithfully. Make my voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheep will
recognize it and follow Thee.
Lord
Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint
me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should become a
religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse
that lies dark across the face of the modern clergy, the curse of compromise,
of imitation, or professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by
its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to
remember that I am a prophet-not a promoter, not a religious manager, but a
prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal
ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from bondage to
things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror
upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with
principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver
me from overeating and late sleeping.
Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
I
accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I
shall try to be blind to the little ways that could make life easier. If others
seek the smoother path I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too
harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or
if, as sometimes it falleth out to Thy servants, I should have grateful gifts
pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the
blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner
that will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if in Thy
permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not
forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if
men knew me as intimately as I know myself they would withhold their honors or
bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them.
And
now, O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let
them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great or minister to
the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I
could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than
position or riches or fame and I choose it above all things on earth or in
heaven.
Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy calling, let
me never forget that I am but a man of dust and ashes, a man with all the
natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. I pray Thee,
therefore, my Lord and Redeemer, save me from myself and from all the injuries
I may do myself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill me with Thy power
by the Holy Spirit, and I will go in Thy strength and tell of Thy righteousness,
even Thine only. I will spread abroad the message of redeeming love while my
normal powers endure.
Then, dear Lord, when I am old and weary and too tired to go on, have a
place ready for me above, and make me to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. Amen. AMEN.
A.W. Tozer
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