Lord, Forgive Me
MY FATHER,
When thou art angry towards me for my wrongs
I try to pacify thee by abstaining from future sin:
But teach me that I cannot satisfy thy law,
that this effort is a resting in my righteousness,
that only Christ’s righteousness, ready made,
already finished, is fit for that purpose;
that thy chastising me for my sin is not
that I should try to reform, but only
that I may be more humbled, afflicted,
and separated from sin, by being reconciled,
and made righteous in Christ by faith;
that a sense of my sufficiency and ability
in him is one means of my being immovable;
that I can never be so by resting on my own faith,
but by trusting in thee as my only support, by faith;
that if I cast away my faith I cast away thee,
for by faith I apprehend thee.
And as thou art very precious,
so is my faith very precious to me;
that I fall short of the purity thou requirest,
because in thinking I am holy I do not
seek holiness,
or believing I am impotent, I do no more.
Humble me for not being as holy as I should be,
or as holy as I might be through Christ,
for thou art all, and to possess thee
is to possess all.
But to make the creature something
is to make it stand between thee and me,
so that I do not walk humbly and holily.
Lord, forgive me for this.
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 heartfelt prayer confesses a struggle we all face: trying to make ourselves right with God through effort, rather than resting in Christ’s finished work. We often respond to guilt by vowing to “do better,” but as this prayer reminds us, our striving can become self-righteousness if it replaces trust in the righteousness of Jesus. God doesn’t call us to earn our way back—He calls us to fall into grace, to be humbled, and to trust fully in Christ alone. Real holiness begins not with self-confidence, but with surrender. Faith is not just our response to God; it is the means by which we cling to Him. When we try to stand on our own, we stumble—but when we lean wholly on Him, we find strength, peace, and the power to live a holy life. Let this be your prayer today: “Lord, if I am not right, set me right. Keep me right. And bring me home to You in peace.” —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics