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PSALMS OF GRACE
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Intro
1. My Thanksgiving Prayer
2. Most Holy Lamb of God
3. I Long For You
4. God Most High
5. Christ in Me, the Hope of Glory
6. Amazing Grace
7. To Fear You
CLICK ON THE LINK TO GO TO Page TWOMore
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INTRO:
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Some years ago as I was writing out many of my thoughts and prayers, I sometimes felt that I was to put into a collection some specific prayers that I have prayed, and that for some reason God wanted me to compile them and use them somehow for His glory and to hopefully help to encourage His Body.
This is that collection.
It is somewhat difficult for me to expose my most personal prayers in this collection, but I trust that somehow you will be uplifted in your spiritual journey as you read them, and that the Lord will also use them to stir your heart and desires for Him into a blazing flame of fire, "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Eph.4:13) "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. (Col.2:9,10)
Col.2:2 - "My purpose is that (you) may be encouraged in heart and united in love so that (you) may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that (you) may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!"
It was suggested to me that I call this collection the "Psalms" of Grace. At first I thought it was an idea from off the top of the head, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that this is what this collection was to be called.
It is in some ways similar to the Psalms in that the everyday struggles of life and spiritual life that we all go through are often what brought me to these times with Him! Along with that is the wondrous way that God has revealed Himself to me and met me in these times of need as He has promised in Heb. 4:16 and the way that He has exalted Himself in my sight as the only true God! - the Desired of the Ages! - Christ in me - the Hope of Glory! etc. In these times of seeking God, He has revealed to me some secrets of overcoming in the midst of searing pain - and has also filled me to overflowing with praise to Him as He has reminded me again and again of who I am in Christ and who He is in me!
I believe that these are some of the keys which He is bringing to our realization in these days - and so my desire is that as you go through this collection, Jesus Christ will be highly lifted up and exalted in your mind and heart, and that He would use these words to woo you into even deeper fellowship with Him. I do not know how He will do that, but I believe that that is His desire. He is the only true God! - the only Wise God! - and to Him alone belongs the praise!!
The other reason I have chosen to use the name "Psalms of Grace" is that Jesus has truly filled my life with His grace and continues to reveal His spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms to me.
I dedicate this collection to my Saviour who has been wondrous to me, and I honor and exalt His magnificent Name and give to His Majesty all the glory, honor and praise! Amen!!
Glory to God!!
CONTENTS
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1. MY THANKSGIVING PRAYER
O Father,
My heart swells in gratitude to you!
As I survey my life since I have come to know You,
I cannot help but be lifted up,
And in turn I lift my face to You to say
"Thank you!"
You reached down into my life of futility, crushed dreams,
and despair,
and have touched my heart.
You saw the wounds -
You've healed the pain.
You took the fragments of my past
And the days with which to mold my future -
And You have given me new dreams and a new life -
You've given me fulfillment in the purposes You
have for me
(which have been beyond my greatest
expectations!)
But for all the wondrous things You've done for me -
And I thank You -
I cannot escape the most precious fact,
And that is that You have always been there for me,
Though I've hurt,
embarrassed and
disappointed You.
Though at times I've denied You
And mistrusted You,
Your extended arms remained outstretched -
inviting me.
There have been struggles that I've thought would
never end -
There have been pains and heartaches which I didn't want to endure -
(and thought it impossible to be able to do so),
But all the while,
Your overwhelming patience and love was a protection over me,
And You've continued to draw me close and embrace me
And to give me joy and rest in Your blessed Presence.
How I long to know You more intimately -
How I long to continue to serve You
And to commune with You forever!
I cannot begin to think how ecstatic I will be when I hear You say,
"Come to Me, my Beloved - My Precious, Faithful Bride" -
And then to take my place with You -
Finally face to face! - eternally!
Thank You!
Thank you Precious Jesus,
For choosing me!!
By God’s Grace (Wiebe)/88
CONTENTS
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2. MOST HOLY LAMB OF GOD!
Oh Most Holy Lamb of God -
Spotless and Pure,
The Suffering Servant who ever
Intercedes for me
At the throne of our Father;
You whose heart breaks at my
Careless and casual responses
To Your constant and patient wooing;
Who, with a broken heart from my
Many wanderings and misguided affections
Continue to offer me Your undaunted love -
Tho Your heart breaks
From being ignored
And often deeply aches because of my
Misrepresentation of Your character
and our
Sometimes casual meetings when I
"Fit You into my schedule"...
at my convenience -
You continue to offer to me Your mercy,
Your forgiveness, and the continued hope of
"Christ in me, the Hope of Glory"
continually desiring to
Manifest Your glory through me
To draw all men to Yourself.
Make me willing to be misunderstood
And willing to suffer with You -
Being hidden in You
So all men may see only the glory of
Your Holiness and Love in
Your face.
I long to have Your life flow through me!
...unstopped!...
Live through me Your
Broken heart of
Compassion
And give me please a vision of Your glory
Which will shake me and break me till
My only desire is to do the will of our Father
And to be one with You no matter what the cost. (John 17)
Give me the courage to be ridiculed
So that I might identify with You
In completeness!
Fill me with Your power to
Overcome the flesh
So that I will be willing to
Watch and fast and pray
And intercede and lay down my life
So that the Kingdom of heaven may be
Enlarged by Your faithfulness through me
In Your power.
Fill me with Your spirit of repentance
And Your spirit of praise
And with such a hunger for You
That even natural desires will be
Greatly dulled in comparison.
You are the Mighty God
Who is able to take revenge at any moment
And to justly give us what we deserve
At any moment -
But Your longsuffering and perserverance
Which waits patiently
So the will of the Father will be
Perfectly accomplished
Continues to stretch far beyond
What we could ever comprehend!
Let me see how
Insignificant the "cost" really is to me
In comparison to the wonder
And indescribable blessedness
Of knowing and obeying You!
Let me learn to fix my eyes on You
In such a way that
No distractions will hold
Any enticement for me!
You have called me and chosen me!
You have set me apart!
Forgive me for ever thinking
I'm doing You a favor by obeying You -
Forgive me for the times when I return
To the ashes of trusting again in my own "good works"
Which are as filthy rags,
And of living for self
And regarding myself as
Better than my brothers and sisters
And for lacking Your perfect love
And compassion
For those who do not yet
Know You as the one who has come to set them free
And exalt them to the highest places in You!
Most Holy God!
Fill me with such a sense of Your awesome Holiness
And Your demand for my reverence
That my response before You is
Silence in the fear of God!
You are in Your Holy Temple...
Let all the earth keep silent...!
Bring me to my face before You, Lord;
Let me care only for the pleasure and delight
Of our Father
And You, the Groom in me,
And to give no thought as to
The world's expectations and applause.
May I long for Your kisses and embraces
And not be unfaithful to You!
In Jesus' Name
I renounce forever any allegiances
In my heart toward any idols
In my life
And I ask for Your forgiveness
Where I have robbed You of Your glory.
May You forever by my one and only desire,
For You are the desire of all nations
And the desire of all ages!
For Your sake,
Turn me and Your people towards You again
So that the world may know that
You are God of the whole earth!
Holy! Holy! Holy! is Your Name!
You alone are worthy!
I adore You and rejoice in You,
My Righteous God!
You are the Lord who reigns!!
All glory belongs to You!
Your Name is above every Name!!
By God’s Grace (Wiebe)/89
CONTENTS
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3. I LONG FOR YOU!
O Lord,
My longings are after You alone -
Satisfy my desires!
Burn off all dross!
Jesus, Jesus - reign and rule in me!
All I have and all I am is Yours.
How incomprehensible that in exchange,
You have given me all that YOU have
And all that YOU are!!
Your unfathomable mercy and grace wash over me like the sea!
I cannot understand such love!
I am overwhelmed by You!
How can I but want to love and serve You with
All my heart, with all my soul,
All my strength and all my mind!!
How powerful You are!
And how Mighty! -
That You have called such a one as I for Your service...
No greater honor could ever be afforded me!
By the Power of Your Spirit I wil live out each breath for You.
Though it cost me my life,
My only desire is to share the burden of Your heart
And allow You to use me to fulfill Your desires.
Jesus...at Your feet I fall!...
I pray that on Your altar I will stay,
And by Your grace,
You I will obey.
You are forevermore my One True Love -
You alone are my life and breath!!
In unending awe and adoration - with thanksgiving,
By God’s Grace (Wiebe)/88
CONTENTS
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4. GOD MOST HIGH
Oh God Most High!
I exalt You and I rejoice in You
As I humbly and gratefully
Recount some of the amazing ways
You've delighted me recently
With Your gracious goodness and kindness!
The things You've accomplished
Are indeed exceedingly
And abundantly...
MUCH more than I could ask for or think,
And Your indescribable faithfulness
And Sovereignty
Draws out of me the
Deepest and most reverent feelings
Of adoration, worship and awe!
At the same time,
I am so delighted with Your
Never-ceasing surprises
Which come as such
Incredible blessings at such
Unexpected times,
That tears and laughter bubble out of me
At the same time as I
Attempt to express to You with my
Restricted expressions and movements
The most limitless joy and praise
That longs to pour out of me unhindered.
At times like this,
I long to be set free from this body
To experience the joy of being able to express
Exactly and completely
What my spirit desires to express to You!
Every time You so freely pour
Your grace into my life
In ways like these,
I am repeatedly staggered by the
Immensity of Your incomprehensible love
Which continues to bless us who are so
Very undeserving of the richness of Your glory!
You are indeed a Mighty God
And a Mighty King,
Radiant in splendor and majesty!
You truly deserve ALL honor and glory!
You alone are the Desire of the Ages,
The One our spirits long for,
The Name above every Name,
And the God above all gods!
Because of Your Name, Jesus,
We have been lifted up to heights to which
We could never attain;
To positions of honor and glory
Which are fitting only for ONE
Exalted high above
The earth and heavens...
As You are!
Slowly I am beginning to understand
The depths of Your love -
The more You reveal to me,
The more I cannot find the words
To speak to You my gratitude
And amazement,
And the more I must keep silent at Your
Immeasurable greatness!
Great is Your Name!
My spirit magnifies You! -
My desire to revere and hallow Your Name
is overwhelming! -
There are no words to say! -
I can only be silent before You!
By God’s Grace (Wiebe)/Apr/90
CONTENTS
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5. CHRIST IN ME – THE HOPE OF GLORY!
Oh Father!
Why is it that self-righteousness,
judging others,
fearing man,
robbing you of your glory, and
taking pride in our own reputations and accomplishments
are seemingly the most difficult snares of the enemy to break free of?
When you reveal these things of my flesh to me, I feel
the slimy coils of the serpent trying to choke all your
life out of me -
but you are Christ in me!
In you I am dead to sin and alive to you!
You have filled me with your Spirit to overcome my flesh. You are the Overcomer in me and I put my faith and trust in you again to overcome through me in these areas of sin.
In you, I can do all things!
I choose to humble myself before you again as I rejoice in you and your grace and mercy to me!
I see so clearly that
no actions or striving of my own
can overcome in these sins,
but your grace in me is sufficient;
and your power in me to overcome is mighty!
I will be purified because you will not allow your children to hinder the manifestation of your Spirit forever -
By God’s Grace (Wiebe)/90
CONTENTS
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6. AMAZING GRACE!
Oh Lord,
As I sit here listening to Phil Driscoll sing
"I Exalt You",
My heart longs to come into even deeper
Fellowship with You.
I have sensed You saying over and over lately,
"Come to Me,
All you who are weary and burdened,
And I will give you rest...
...Take My yoke upon you...
...for My burden is light..."
Oh Father,
There've been so many hurts
piled up on top of so many other hurts...
Although I've tried to deal with each as they've come up,
I somehow have not kept up
And barriers have been coming up between You and I
As I've slowly been withholding
More and more of myself from You,
Afraid that if I would keep forgiving,
I would keep getting hurt more and more.
It's become so very difficult to forgive,
Because I think I've somehow begun to
"Charge You with wrong-doing" (Job 1),
And therefore have not only felt betrayed by You
When I haven't seen Your justice,
But have also quit trusting You as much in that area
(Which has affected every other area of our relationship).
In so-doing, I have basically accused You of being a liar!
No wonder I've struggled with so much confusion lately,
And so much condemnation!
How could I feel secure and forgiven in Your love and Presence
While I've been harbouring resentment in my heart
Towards You?
I've never thought I've resented You.
I remember asking You a couple months ago
Whether I was doing that.
Now I see that You've answered my prayer
By showing me this.
No wonder You exhorted me awhile back to humble myself before You...
No wonder I've avoided You for awhile --
In the natural I keep very aloof
When with people who I think (or know) are lying to me --
And I've been treating You the same way.
I've deceived myself.
Because I've been so hurt,
I have started to keep hanging onto situations
Which I should have given to You,
And because of my disobedience and fear in this,
I have charged You with sin!
How wicked my heart is!
How treacherous against You!
No wonder I haven't been very thankful or worshipful
In my heart towards You lately --
Because my heart has been harbouring such bitterness and lies against You!
Oh, forgive me, Lord!
I can't imagine how this must make You feel towards me --
Or how it grieves You!
Through this bitter revelation
I see Your long-suffering,
Your patient love, and forgiveness
In a deeper way.
If anyone has the right to feel hurt,
It's You, not me!
You have only loving thoughts toward me
And all Your ways are just and right,
And still I have accused You falsely.
Yet You say to me,
"Come to Me...
And I will give You rest..."
Now I understand why I've been so apathetic
Regarding worshipping and thanking You;
No wonder I've been striving in the flesh again
And sensing such a major
Lack of Your Presence.
Thank You for showing me my sin!
Thank You for disciplining me!
If You hadn't,
How could our relationship ever be restored?
You say that You discipline those You love
And that it hurts.
You say that those who are trained by it
Will be righteous and at peace --
Oh Lord,
I see that You do not treat me as my deeds deserve!
Help me to be willing to be stripped of all that hinders me from knowing You.
When I think of what that could mean,
I'm still a chicken
And somewhat fearful --
And yet You say that if we are not willing
To lay down our lives to follow You,
We are not worthy of You.
Jesus,
I am weak --
But You are strong,
And I count on Your strength and Your Spirit in me
To be able to sincerely, totally and completely
Once again enable me to commit to You
All that I have and am, and all that I am part of
(as I see it at present an beyond)
No matter what that means.
You've brought me to this point several times before
And have given me some idea of what it could/would cost
And have said,
"Now that you see what it could cost,
Are you still willing to follow Me?"
I have always answered yes.
But this time it has become harder,
Because it seems like the stakes are either getting higher
Or else I'm realizing more clearly exactly what You are requiring
And how unwilling my flesh really is
To lay itself down.
Lord Jesus,
The Keeper and Preserver of my spirit and soul,
I ask You for the grace to
Confidently, firmly and without any wavering
Make that choice again,
And ask for Your grace and mercy
To be able to continue to walk in that.
I see how weak I am,
But help me to see and believe how strong You are in me!
You are the Overcomer in me --
I depend on You to overcome in me in this!
My decision is to go ahead with You --
To keep pressing in to know You,
No matter what.
Please make that decision become firmly established in my body, soul and spirit.
I know it is Your will that I do this,
And therefore, by Your grace,
I choose to obey,
Realizing fully that it is not I
Who will be able to get me there,
But You alone.
I weep and tremble thinking how helpless I am to do this,
But also tremble at Your power and ability to
Preserve and keep me by Your grace and mercy.
Your path truly is a very rough and narrow one,
And we are truly very stupid sheep,
Always getting ourselves into trouble
And having to depend on You entirely
To do everything to sustain, keep, and maintain us.
Thank You that You truly are the Good Shepherd
Who loves His sheep!
Again I hear You calling
"Come to Me,
You who are weary and heavy laden,
And I will give you rest."
Jesus,
You definitely "have my number"!
I am weary and heavy laden
And I NEED YOU!
I need the rest that You give me in Your Presence,
And I come to You with my burdens and my weariness
And I give it all to You.
You are so faithful --
Speaking to me these words of
Exhortation and comfort
In the midst of my confusion.
Thank You for picking me up again
From being lost in the thicket
Beside the path,
And thank You for forgiving me
And for binding up my wounds.
Thank You that You "restore my soul"...
Surely goodness and mercy will
Follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in Your house
FOREVER!
Amazing Grace,
How sweet the sound,
That saves someone like me!
I'm sometimes blind,
But now I see,
God's grace is there for me!
By God’s Grace (Wiebe) March 1991
CONTENTS
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7. TO FEAR YOU
To fear You, O Lord
Is the beginning of wisdom!
To fear You
Is life to my bones!
To fear You
Is my highest aim -
How Lord, am I to fear You aright?
I exult in You, O Lord!
I extol You in Your majestic splendor!
Your deeds, O Lord,
Are Awesome
You are Almighty in Power!
Your character is Pure and Holy!
You are unlimited in Your ways!
To obey You is like honey dripping from the comb -
It is a sweet savor and gives me new life.
You are the One True God -
The One Merciful and Forgiving!
You, O Lord, are worthy of ALL praise!!
You stretch out Your Righteous arm
to accomplish Your perfect ways.
What You say - IS!
Again I say - how am I to fear You aright?
I will behold You in all Your ways
And proclaim Your greatness to all the earth!
I acknowledge my need to humble myself before You.
I will honor You with my deeds;
I will honor You with my lips and my thoughts.
I commit my life to You
And submit to Your reign.
I will deny myself for Your sake;
I will deny myself for the sake of Your Kingdom.
I trust in You,
I believe in You;
I revere You,
And I live for You!
Take all that I have,
And all that I am,
And be pleased to mold me into an
Object of Your pleasure and delight!
You, O God, are to be feared above ALL!
By God’s Grace (Wiebe)/88
CONTENTS
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PSALMS of GRACE - Page Two
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