Hebrews 11:18  “of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’”

What can the righteous do, Lord

Your people are turning to lies and false gods for surety

They bow down at foreign temples

They offer up their little ones to the destroyer idol

They do not call on Your Name any longer

They go up on the high places, and under every spreading tree

They prostitute their souls to the gods of the nations around 

And if anyone speaks against it, they are pushed out, with words or with silence

And as for those of us who would not betray You, are we really any better?

Our hearts fail us when we would speak truth

Our flesh desires the very same wickedness they do

Our spirit is willing, but we are so weak, Lord

We need You to remind us who we are:

We are the children of promise

Ours are the firstfruits of the covenant bonds, the answer to the faith of Abraham, the first taste of the river whose streams make glad the City of God, the holy habitation of the Most High

And more importantly, we need You to remind us who You are:

You are the Fear of Isaac

The Giver of all good things, the One whose day the fathers rejoiced to see, the One who dwells in unapproachable light, yet has drawn us close to Yourself as part of Your family forever

And we have not received the spirit of slavery to fear, but rather the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”

Deliver us, Lord, for Your own Name’s sake. Amen