From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kevin Deegan
Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2005 4:03 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] prayer of a prophet
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The
Prayer of a Minor Prophet A
The
covenant and prayer of a preacher 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
Savior 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 thou shalt 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 will 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 by 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
be come a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me
from the curse that lies dark across the modern clergy, the curse of
compromise, of imitation, of 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.
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