A Prayer For You Today
Pastor Joe | July 27, 2026 | A Prayer For You Today
July 27, 2026
The very first tear He made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart.
C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The tears of repentance do not wash away any sins. It is bad theology to say that they do. That is the work of the blood of Christ alone. Repentance does not make any atonement for sin. It is terrible theology to say that it does. It can do nothing of the kind. Our best repentance is a poor, imperfect thing, and needs repenting over again. Our best repentance has enough defects about it… “We are counted righteous before God only for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works or deserving’s,” not for our repentance, holiness, charity, receiving of sacraments, or anything of the kind. All this is perfectly true. However, it is no less true that justified people are always repentant people, and that a forgiven sinner will always be someone who mourns over and hates his sins.”
― J.C. Ryle, Repentance:
When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Dear Friends,
Our flesh will always fail us. The only sure thing in these matters is the strength and grace of our God. Jesus’s victory over sin and death on the cross was not a minor event; it shook the cosmos, it changed lives—still does.
A prayer for today.
God our Father, sometimes our hearts know what it is to race and turn bitter. There have been times when we have been so dull, foolish, and blind to our sin. We have not always seen ourselves clearly, and we have not come to You quickly with humility, neediness, and expectancy.
Still, You will never abandon us, never condemn us, and never accuse us. You always hold us fast; You lead us by Your wisdom and take us to the cross and empty tomb, even when we do not know how to follow and are confused about the way.
There is no one in heaven we desire besides You, and nothing on earth can satisfy us apart from You, even as we admit that we sometimes do not know what that means or what it should feel like. When we are weak, when our hearts fail, and when we come to the end of ourselves, it is a safe place, for You remain our strength and our portion forever.
Thank You that You are with us now to keep us honest and keep us from drifting into despair, pride, or unbelief. Give us hearts that repent quickly, trust deeply, hate evil, love holiness, love others, and long for Your ways above all else; hearts that delight in You above all else.
Thank You for the victory of Christ — His life, His death, and His resurrection — that paid our debt of sin. Whom have we in heaven but Him? Our great High Priest, our High King, our Savior, our righteousness, wisdom, and never-ending intercessor. Amen.
You are perfectly loved. May God help us to live in that grace.
Pastor Joe