Lamplighting Prayer Two

We continue our review of the lamplighting prayers of Vespers with understanding, and maybe more importantly, admitting our sin in front of God. Today our Daily Lenten Journey of Prayer will focus on our urgent appeal to God’s reason, and not His wrath.

O Lord, do not rebuke us in Your indignation nor chasten us in Your wrath, but rather deal with us according to Your reason, O Physician and Healer of our souls. Guide us to the haven of Your will. Enlighten the eyes of our hearts to the knowledge of Your truth; and grant that the remainder of this day, and all the rest of our lives, may be peaceful and without sin through the intercessions of the Theotokos and of all the saints. For Yours is the dominion, and Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Our Daily Lenten Journey has already covered our need for forgiveness. What makes this prayer different isn’t the theme, but the urgency. We appeal to God’s sense of goodness and not His sense of judgement. If He were merely the judge, our sin would lead to death.

God’s reason understands are weakness. His reason knows our past successes and failure. He knows, better than we know, that we are addicted to sin. We want to stop. By the end of the day, we admit we were unable to keep the day sinless, but we want tomorrow to be different.

A good doctor doesn’t ignore what causes illness. A good doctor doesn’t waste time repeating the obvious. A good doctor moves on the cure. In the case of sin, the cure is God’s Light. God’s Light is the only thing that can or will lead us out of the darkness of sin.

Our urgent appeal to God’s goodness is highlighted in today’s prayer. Imagine going to your doctor’s office and saying, “Yes, I know I’m supposed to stop smoking, or my heart will get worse.” Imagine how you long for the day when you can say, “Hey doc! I finally quit!”

That is the image of today’s prayer. Our shame in admitting our sin is reflected in our need for God’s reason as THE physician and healer of our souls. We ask Him to be patient and give us another chance so we can be healed. “We promise God! We will quit!”

Happy praying….now let’s do our best to quit sinning.