Clinging to the Cross, Living in Holiness
O LORD GOD,
Thou art my protecting arm, fortress, refuge, shield, buckler.
Fight for me and my foes must flee;
Uphold me and I cannot fall;
Strengthen me and I stand unmoved, unmoveable:
Equip me and I shall receive no wound;
Stand by me and Satan will depart;
Anoint my lips with a song of salvation
and I shall shout thy victory;
Give me abhorrence of all evil, as a vile monster that
defies thy law, casts off thy yoke, defiles my nature, spreads misery.
Teach me to look to Jesus on his cross and so to know sin’s loathsomeness in thy sight.
There is no pardon but through thy Son’s death, no cleansing but in his precious blood,
No atonement but his to expiate evil.
Show me the shame, the agony, the bruises of incarnate God,
that I may read boundless guilt in the boundless price;
May I discern the deadly viper in its real malignity,
tear it with holy indignation from my breast,
resolutely turn from its every snare, ery event,
refuse to hold polluting dalliance with it.
Blessed Lord Jesus, at thy cross may I be taught the awful miseries from which I am saved, ponder what the word ‘lost’ implies, see the fires of eternal destruction;
Then may I cling more closely to thy broken self, adhere to thee with firmer faith, be devoted to thee with total being, detest sin strongly as thy love is strong,
And may holiness be the atmosphere in which I live.
If I am not right, set me right, keep me right;
And may I at last come to thy house in peace.
—Valley of Vision
This prayer from The Valley of Vision is raw and honest—a cry for protection, strength, and purity in a world full of temptation and pain. It reminds us that we don’t fight our battles alone. God is our shield, our fortress, the one who equips us and stands by our side when the enemy comes close. When we feel weak or overwhelmed in recovery, we don’t have to rely on our own willpower—we can lean into the strength of a Savior who fights for us and with us.
But this prayer also leads us to the foot of the cross—where we truly see the cost of sin and the depth of God’s love. When we look at Jesus, bruised and broken, we begin to grasp both the horror of what we’ve been saved from and the beauty of what we’ve been saved for. This is where transformation happens—not through fear, but through love. A love that repels evil, that clings to Christ, that breathes holiness into every corner of our lives. If you’re not where you want to be today, let this be your prayer: “If I am not right, set me right, keep me right.” And trust that He will. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics