I’ve seen this in a few different places. It’s called “Morning Prayer.”
Why might we say a prayer like this?
Dear Lord,
So far I’ve done all right.
I haven’t gossiped,
haven’t lost my temper,
haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent.
I’m really glad about that.
But in a few minutes, God,
I’m going to get out of bed.
And from then on,
I’m going to need a lot more help.
We may have times when we are good, but, like a child, we might be best behaved when we’re asleep!
There is One who never sins. He also never sleeps. Of Him it can be said, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works“ (Ps 145:17, NKJV, Unless otherwise stated: Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Used by permission. All rights reserved).
God is righteous and holy in everything.
Everything.
For Him to “be bad” for a split second would mean He was unholy. God is wholly holy or He is not holy at all. However, since He is unchangeable, we can hope and trust in Him.
We are to strive to be holy. In his first epistle, Peter calls us to this. Having discussed that many had wanted to know more about the salvation available to us, he explained how our sinful deeds have been paid for and how we should continue.
"Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’
And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because
‘All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.’
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” (1 Pet 1:13-25)
When we obey the truth of the gospel, Jesus’ blood purifies us. It makes us holy. As we continue to live faithfully, we are continually cleansed from sin (1 Jn 1:7).
We aren’t perfect ourselves but purified in Him.
We aren’t holy ourselves but holy in Him.
We aren’t whole ourselves but whole in Him.
Have you been made wholly holy?
– Van
