Approaching God By Faith At Year’s End

As we approach the omega
of yet another waning year,
we feel ashamed
reluctant
disappointed
to cross the finish line.

For we ought to have run
a better race.

Both Thy record-book of memory
and ours of conscience
find us sorely wanting
in scriptures’s balances.

We wish
we had worried about ourselves less
and waited on Thee more,
reasoned to ourselves less
and prayed to Thee more.

We wish
we had feared others less
and feared Thee more,
distrusted others less
and trusted Thee more.

We wish
we had justified ourselves less
and repented more,
assumed less
and experienced more.

We wish
we had wasted less
and worshipped more,
backslidden less
and communed more.

We wish
we had acted less
and meditated more,
condemned less
and loved more.

We wish
we had coasted less
and contributed more,
hurried less
and observed more.

We wish
we had demanded less
and assisted more,
intruded less
and guided more.

We wish
we had admonished less
and served more,
talked less
and said more.

We wish
we had begrudged less
and forgiven more,
offended less
and inspired more.

We wish
we had competed less
and completed more,
repeated less
and listened more.

We wish
we had pretended less
and embodied more,
imaged ourselves less
and imaged Thee more.

We wish
we had been faithless less
and believing more,
sinful less
and holy more.

We wish
we had followed self-rule less
and Thy golden rule more,
our words less
and Thy word more.

But as we find ourselves halting
with the weight of our shortcomings
through the last lap
of another annual marathon,
we find Thy providence humbling
for the weight of Thy goodness.

We can’t understand why
Thou hast condemned us so little
and blessed us so much,
despised us so little
and graced us so much.

Why, dear Lord, why
hast Thou
borne griefs
carried sorrows,
interceded continually,
loved fully,
tendered with chastening hand,
tailored afflictions
and coping strength,
Why so much better to us than we to Thee?

Dear God,
forgive our rewarding of evil
for all Thy good.

Grant us in 1987’s ebbing hours
to make more of the time
we had so little of,
and less of the trivia
we had so much of.

Grant us the positive power of godly grief
and save for us
the best wine of repentance
for the last.

Grant us repentance in Christ,
in whom alone Thy goodness
is housed,
and through Him
tabernacles in us.

Divine Savior and Lord,
Thou art the Way, Truth, and Life,
the exclusive Answer,
embedded in eternal grace,
for unexplainable goodness.

Divine Forerunner,
in the coming time
Thou dost yet allow us,
we pray for grace
to exercise uprightness through
Thy righteousness,
to persevere through Thy perseverance,
to pray through Thy intercession,
to thank through Thy thanksgiving,
to live through Thy death,
to die through Thy aliveness.

We pray for grace
to run the race set before us
better,
but only in Thy strength
making mention of Thy righteousness
even Thine only,
expecting nothing of ourselves
but everything of Thee.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,
and today,
and for ever:
To whom else shall we go?

Enfold us in Thy shepherding arms,
let us hear Thy high priestly beating heart,
pencil upon us the image of Thyself,
and ripen us for eternal communion.

—JRB

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