Your prayer has come before the Lord and before His people, and it is a prayer He delights to hear, for you ask for two things which He loves to give, forgiveness and shelter.
You say, I know I am not perfect, O Lord, forgive my sins. Hear the word of the Lord concerning this very cry, I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake. It is a divine forgiveness. Were all men to hiss at you and turn from you, yet if God forgives you, you may enter heaven. And it is a surprising forgiveness, so surprising that the Lord repeats it, I, even I, lest any of us should doubt it. And it is a complete forgiveness. Suppose you call upon your creditor and say, I have nothing to pay with, He does not forgive a part and leave a part, He blots out the whole debt.
There is forgiveness. Let this whisper drive away despair. However sinful your life may have been up until now, there is forgiveness with God even for you. You know something about the hardness of your heart and the sinfulness of your past life, yet God sends this message to you, There is forgiveness. Where God draws no limit, do not you draw any. It does not say there is forgiveness for this sin or for that, but there is forgiveness. There is forgiveness now, at this moment, and that forgiveness is only to be obtained from God, through Jesus Christ His Son, who died the Just for the unjust that He might bring us to God. He not only forgave at the first all our sins, but He continues daily to forgive, for the act of forgiveness is a continuous one, and it is an eternal forgiveness. Do as Luther did when his heart was dark, and say with the Creed, I believe in the forgiveness of sins, and believe in the forgiveness of sins for yourself. Come with a penitent heart and put your trust in Christ, and the Lord promises oblivion to all your debt.
You also cry, Oh Lord help me with a place to sleep, a place to take my children. The Lord is that place. He says, He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust. I like to hear my heavenly Father's voice, but we could never come to a state of peace in such times as these if we did not feel that He was near, that He was our Friend, that He would not hurt the children of His own love. When the children of Israel were in hard servitude and cruel oppression, God looked upon the children of Israel and God had respect unto them. In the season of their direst grief God was All in All to them. So will He be to you and to your little ones. You may try to satisfy your soul with earthly comforts, but wife and children, dear as they are, cannot fully fill the heart without the Lord Himself. You need something more, and He will be that more to you, a safe shelter while you have no roof that you can call your own.
Let us pray for you together.
O Lord our God, with whom there is forgiveness, look upon this weary parent and these dear children. For Jesus Christ's sake blot out every transgression, wash away every sin, and let this soul know the certainty and completeness of pardon now. Be Thou their shelter and their dwelling place. Cover them with Thy feathers, provide for them a place to sleep in safety, bread to eat and a door to be opened by Thy providence. Keep the little ones from harm and keep this parent's heart from despair, and draw the whole household to trust wholly in Thy Son. In Jesus mighty name we ask it, Amen.
Cast your care upon Him, for He careth for you. Seek Him first for the forgiveness of your sins through faith in Christ, and then ask Him daily for your daily bread and shelter, and seek also the help of a faithful local church near you who can know your need face to face and bear your burden with you.