Category: Lord

Lord, Get Me Home Before Dark Part 2

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Lord, Get Me Home Before Dark! – Part 2
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
Yesterday I shared with you the prayer written many years ago by my hero, Dr. Robertson McQuilken.  In my file, I had another version of this prayer that I thought was worth sharing with you. I appeared in a June 1996 letter written by radio Bible teacher, Steve Brown:
Lord, Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older, and will some day be old.

Keep me from getting talkative, and particularly from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.

Release me from craving to try to straighten out everybody’s affairs.

Keep my mind free from the recital endless details. Give me wings to get to the point.

I ask for grace enough to listen to the tales of other’s pains. They are increasing and my love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by!

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally it is possible that I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet. I do not want to be a saint – some of them are so hard to live with – but a sour old man is one of the crowning works of the Devil.

Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not bossy.

With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all – but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end. Amen

I can say a BIG AMEN to that prayer as well. Wow. Add that one to your list. It is a good one to pray to help us in the journey of finishing well. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 8; Psalm 119:129-136; Proverbs 26
Compass Pointers: In the most lopsided deal of all time, Jesus took our filthy rags of sin and gave us His robe of righteousness. Our righteousness is not our own, it is from Him. Dare we brag of our goodness now?  Paul C. Brownlow

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 21:2-3; Level 2: Proverbs 21:1-5
Anchored to the Rock: Prayer is the contemplation of life from the highest point of view. William James

Lord, Get Me Home Before Dark

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Lord, Get Me Home Before Dark

“ … that you keep His commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus’ appearing …” 1 Timothy 6:14

I was looking for something the other day in a file folder and came across a copy of a poem that was written by one of my heroes, Dr. Robertson McQuilken. Robertson is one of the giants of the faith, and has been a faithful servant of the Lord for many years.

In the midst of some very intense trials in his life and ministry, he penned the words of this now famous prayer, “Lord, Get Me Home Before Dark.”

It’s sundown, Lord. The shadows of my life stretch back into the dimness of the years long spent. I fear not death, for that grim foe betrays himself at last, thrusting me forever into life; life with You, unsoiled and free. But I do fear the dark scepter may come to soon – or too late? I fear that before I finish I might stain Your honor, shame Your name, grieve Your loving heart. Few, they tell me, finish well. Lord, let me get home before dark.

Will my life show the darkness of a spirit grown mean and small, fruit shriveled on the vine, bitter to the taste of my companions, a burden to be borne by those brave few who love me still? No, Lord, let the fruit grow lush and sweet, a joy to all who taste, a Spirit-sign of God at work, stronger, fuller. Brighter at the end. Lord, let me get home before dark.

Will be the darkness of tattered gifts, rust-locked, half-spent, or ill-spent, a life that once was used of God now set aside? Grief for glories gone or fretting for a task God never gave? Mourning in the hollow chambers of memory, gazing on the faded banners of victories long gone? Cannot I run well unto the end? Lord, let me get home before dark.

The outer me decays – I do not fret or ask reprieve. The ebbing strength but weans me from mother earth and grows me up for heaven. I do not cling to shadows cast by mortality. I do not patch the scaffold lent to build the real eternal me. I do not clutch about me my cocoon, vainly struggling to hold hostage a free spirit pressing to be born.

But will I reach the gate in lingering pain – body distorted, gro-tesque? Or will it be a mind wandering untethered among the light phantasies or grim terrors? Of Your grace, Father, I humbly ask … let me get home before dark.

Wow! As I re-read this powerful prayer, I found myself praying the same for my life. How about you? Let’s purpose together to finish well. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 1 Kings 9; Psalm 119:121-128; Proverbs 25

Compass Pointers: “The conviction of the Holy Spirit is always precise: He identifies root causes of sin, and He moves the heart to specific acts of repentance and obedience. All those who trust God sufficiently to desire to obey Him, and who are patient in waiting upon Him, will find unfailingly that HE gives clear guidance. ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths’, promises Proverbs 3:6. For those who love God everything is aboveboard. To know Him is to know what He requires and more than that, it is to have the power to carry it out. In fact these two—enlightenment and empowering—go hand in hand, and where they do not, then the Lord is not in it.” Mike Mason
Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 21:2-3; Level 2: Proverbs 21:1-5

Anchored to the Rock: Mastering the art of prayer, like any other art, will take time, and the amount of time we allocate to it will be the true measure of our conception of its importance.  J. Oswald Sanders

Disturb Us, Lord

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Disturb Us, Lord

“The fundamental fact of existence is that of trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.” Hebrews 11:1-2 (The Message)

Let’s be honest, brothers — we all have our comfort zones. We like our neat little boxes and have our ideas of what life should be like. We don’t really like change — and the older we get, the harder it is to adapt to changes in life. We like the comfortable, the familiar, and our “don’t-rock-the-boat” world.

But I have discovered something interesting in Scripture and in my experience. God doesn’t allow us to remain in our comfort zones. Well let me rephrase that — if a man wants to fully experience God, He will take us out of our comfort zone so that we will experience Him in ways we could never have imagined.

Think about it. Every man (or woman) in Scripture that God used, was pulled from their comfort zone in order for them to experience God’s power and glory: Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Joshua, David, Nehemiah, Paul, Peter.

We get into the “play it safe” mode in life. I believe that God wants to step out of our comfort zone and take a risk — do we really believe He wants to do great things in and through us? He has done it before: George Mueller. Amy Carmichael. Jim Elliot. Billy Graham. D.L. Moody. William Raws.

But just maybe He wants to add our names to that list. Sir Francis Drake wrote these words:

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our visions of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show you mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

That’s a bold prayer. Am I willing to pray that prayer? How about you? Are we willing to let God disturb us and take us out of our comfort zone so that He can demonstrate to us His power? Well, be careful what you pray for — He will take you and me at our word! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 23; 2 Samuel 14-15; Luke 17:20-37

Dig This Quote: Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee, can rid me of this dark unrest, and set my spirit free. Horatius Bonar

Determined Digging: Determined Digging: Level 1 — Psalm 139:23-24; Level 2 — Psalm 51:14-19

Lord, What Do You Want Me to Do?

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Lord, What Do You Want Me to Do?

Acts 9:6a; so he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

With threats of murder and imprisonment still in his heart for the men and women found of the Way, Saul could only find these words to ask our Savior after He revealed Himself to him on that road to Damascus, “Lord what do you want me to do?”

Before I can ask Jesus this question for myself, I first must ask; am I willing to be separated from my foolish ideas and my selfish desires to live exclusively for Jesus? Matt.16:24 says; “let him deny himself, take up the cross and follow me.” On my own strength I am incapable of doing this. (Phil.4:13) But do I want to be a doormat for people to walk all over anyway? Why can’t I have the recognition in Christ I seek without His suffering?

To be honest, all I really want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes. But Jesus has been transforming me from this mind set, showing me how my ideas and desires do little to further His Kingdom here on earth. How my way of doing things are inconsistent with His words in Matt.11:29b. Though I still struggle, I am certain of this, my responsibility in Christ. And that has never changed; to make Him known as the only Savior of sinners! Never mind whether people appreciate me now, never mind whether I get my reward down here.

I’m willing to do without it until I come face to face with the One who judges justly. My Master has superseded my wants and has put this necessity upon me, to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior 1Cor.9:16. I won’t deny Him Matt.10:33.

When God is glorified, His Spirit can work to bring Christ to those who need to know Him. Warren Wiersbe spoke well when he said, “True servants of God help others whether they themselves get anything out of it or not. Their concern is only that God be glorified and people trust Christ.” Brothers, as servants of God we will experience His suffering in our service. We may suffer emotionally, physically and yes, spiritually. But serving is never punishment! It’s nourishment!!! Have YOU asked Jesus lately; “what do you want me to do?” I have, and never once was it the answer I was expecting. Glory be to God for that! — Chris Connors is Director of Housekeeping at America’s KESWICK and a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 18; Leviticus 23-24; Mark 1:1-22

Great Quote: In adversity God gazes into and searches out each one; He weighs the disposition of every individual in dangers, even to death at last; He investigates the will of man, certain that to Him nothing can perish.Therefore, as gold is refined by the fires, so are we declared by critical moments. Minucius Felix