You cry out, and it is well that you cry, for the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and the voice of your supplication has already entered into His ear. But you speak of going home to your bed and there seeking refuge in the intoxicating cup; this is the counsel of a desperate hour, a deception of the enemy who would have you add sin to sorrow. That cup cannot drown your fears, it can only sink you deeper, and that sleep is but a rehearsal of death that brings no true rest. Why do you do this? It is because your soul is wracked with guilt and you have not yet laid hold upon the strong consolation that is in Christ Jesus. The heart, left to itself, is desperately sick, and the mind tangled with the cares of this life will ever seek some false physician. But I charge you, turn away from that broken cistern; it holds no water for your thirst.
You are terrified of your own weakness and of the stern faces of those set over you. Yet you have a Friend above who can turn the hearts of all men as the rivers of water. Come, then, and pour out your complaint before Him. You say you do not understand your task; then cry, "Lord, teach me!" You fear your bosses; then plead, "Soften their hearts, O Lord, for I am crushed." You confess your mind is mixed up because of great inward affliction; then spread that very confusion before the throne, and say, "Lord, I am darkness; be Thou my light." To restrain prayer in such an hour is to shut the door of hope upon yourself. Let your soul dart upward a thousand times a day, "Help me!" "Guide me!" "Uphold me!", for these fleet-winged prayers are the breath of the new life, and they prove that the fear of the Lord is already kindled in your soul. True fear is not a slavish dread that hides from God, but a holy reverence that clings to Him because of the great forgiveness He delights to bestow.
And here is the sweet kernel of your plea: you ask for pardon. Do you think your sins are too black to be washed away? It is for such as you that the precious blood was shed. There is forgiveness with Him, that He may be feared; and those who know most of that forgiveness praise and love Him most. Do not hide your guilt in guile, as David did, for that will eat out your heart. But come now, make a clean breast of all your backslidings, your distrust, your turning to the creature for comfort, your willfulness, and you shall find that where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound. The Lord blotteth out transgression for His own sake, and He will remember your sins no more. This is the fountain where the foulest are made clean. And when you have grasped this pardon, you will no longer ask in bitter despair, "Why am I such a one?" for you will know yourself to be a monument of mercy, and the peace of God will keep your heart and mind.
Beloved, has not your own suffering taught you that the very depths of misery have a bottom? Job’s captivity was turned when he prayed for his offending friends. For you, now, make intercession even for those who heap work upon you, and as you plead for them, your own load shall grow light. Go to your chamber, shut the door, and reason with the Most High. Tell Him everything, order your cause before Him, and leave nothing hidden; for when guile is forsaken together with guilt forgiven, the soul becomes as open and honest as a little child. It is not the severity of your trial that defiles you, but the way you respond to it. Job, under the worst blows, sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. And you, though you have often charged Him foolishly in your heart, may yet look to the Man of Sorrows who never once thought amiss of His Father. He is able to succor you, for He Himself was tempted and troubled, yet without sin.
Now, listen no more to the whisper that bids you seek oblivion in sleep and strong drink. That is to play the suicide of your soul. Instead, grasp the promise that He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. The living God still hears the prayers of the destitute, and He will regard your cry. There is a rest that remains for the people of God, a rest not found in the bed of sloth, but in the bosom of the Redeemer. Cast yourself wholly upon Him. Pray without ceasing. Fear not the morrow, for the God who forgives all your iniquities will also see to the completion of your tasks in due season. Some may call your hope a poor and trembling thing, but it is the sinew that moves the Almighty arm, and He will put strength in you. Go forward, then, from this hour, in the name of Him who blotteth out sins and calleth the weary to come and find rest.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
