When You Feel
Unfit for Grace
O LORD,
Thou knowest my great unfitness for service, my present deadness, my inability to do anything for thy glory, my distressing coldness of heart.
I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable, and loathe and abhor myself.
I am at a loss to know what thou wouldest have me do, for I feel amazingly deserted by thee, and sense thy presence so little;
Thou makest me possess the sins of my youth.
Return again with showers of converting grace to a poor gospel-abusing sinner.
Help my soul to breathe after holiness, after a constant devotedness to thee, after growth in grace more abundantly every day.
O Lord, I am lost in the pursuit of this blessedness, and I am ready to sink because I fall short of my desire;
Help me to hold out a little longer, until the happy hour of deliverance comes, for I cannot lift my soul to thee if thou of thy goodness bring me not nigh.
Help me to be diffident, watchful, tender, lest I offend my blessed Friend in thought and behavior; I confide in thee and lean upon thee, and need thee at all times to assist and lead me.
O that all my distresses and apprehensions, might prove but Christ’s school to make me fit for a greater cause by teaching me the great lesson of humility.
—Valley of Vision
There are days when we feel completely unworthy—too weak, too sinful, too far from God to even lift a prayer. This cry from The Valley of Vision captures that raw honesty: the aching awareness of our spiritual coldness, the weight of past sins, and the feeling of being deserted by the very One we long for. But even in the depths of this confession, there is a spark of hope—a plea for grace, a reaching for holiness, a trust that God has not let go.
If you’re in a place today where shame feels louder than faith, remember this: God is not repelled by your weakness. He meets you in it. Your unfitness does not disqualify you—it invites His mercy. When you can’t reach up, He still reaches down. Hold on a little longer. Even your struggle can be His school—shaping you in humility, preparing you for greater grace. You are not alone in your distress. You are in the arms of a Friend who understands, who leads gently, and who is not done with you yet. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics