Cross View Blog
Prayer of a Struggling Christian
March 08, 2021
Lord, help me to be compassionate
and sensitive towards all whom I meet.
Where there is bitterness,
let me show kindness.
Where there is despair,
let me bring hope.
Where there is doubt,
let me bring faith.
May I always be an instrument of Your peace.
But, Lord, You know it isn't only others who have struggles.
I also have struggles, struggles with myself.
Sometimes I have no feelings toward You at all
and could care less about most everything
even myself.
It is not easy to remember how much You love me
and how important I am to You.
That is why I thank You so much
for the gifts of the Scriptures,
prayer, the Lord's Supper,
and fellowship with other believers
through which Your Spirit renews
and recharges my faith and love.
Give me the ability to fight
the good fight of faith
when I feel swamped by the demands
and busyness of life.
Help me to be free from
the tyranny of the urgent.
May I always live by the Spirit.
Through Him who loved me
and gave Himself for me,
even Jesus Christ, Your Son,
I pray, Amen!
Paul Emmel
III Sunday in Lent
March 7, 2021
Paul Emmel is a retired pastor in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, having served as a parish pastor, a correctional chaplain for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, and a hospital chaplain and a community counselor. As a retired pastor, Paul continues to serve the Lord and His people, including establishing the Minnesota South District’s “Pastors to Prisoners” ministry.