"Who can understand his errors? Cleanse Thou me from secret faults" (Psa. 19.12)

INTRO.: A hymn which is in effect a prayer asking the Lord to cleanse us from our faults is "An Evening Prayer" (#106 in "Hymns for Worship Revised"). The text was written by C. Maude Battersby. Almost nothing is known about her except that it is believed that she penned these words sometime around 1895. Their arrangement as a hymn was made and the tune was composed both by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (1856-1932). Many songs by Gabriel, in which he produced either text or tune or often both, are found in our books. This song was published in 1911 by Homer A. Rodeheaver, with the 1939 copyright renewal made by The Rodeheaver Co.

Among historic hymnbooks used by churches of Christ in the 20th century, the song appears in the 1937 "Great Songs of the Church No. 2" (#551, in the "special selections" section, all four stanzas arranged for solo voice with some kind of instrumental accompaniment) edited by Elmer L. Jorgenson, and the 1963 "Abiding Hymns" (#168, copied from "Great Songs of the Church No. 2") edited by Robert C. Welch. Among other books in current use, it appears in the 1956 "Sacred Selections for the Church" (#35) edited by Ellis J. Crum, the original 1971 edition of "Songs of the Church" (#66, replaced by "Rise Up O Men of God" in the current edition) edited by Alton H. Howard, the 1978/1983 "Church Gospel Songs and Hymns" (#19), edited by V. E. Howard (all of which use only three stanzas), and the 1992 "Songs of Faith and Praise" (#320 with all four stanzas in four part harmony) edited by John P. Wiegand.

The song mentions several ways that we can sin for which we need forgiveness.

I. Stanza one says that we can sin against others

A. It is possible for us to act in such a way that we wound the souls of others: 1 Cor. 8.12

B. When we so act, we often put a stumbling block in the way of others that causes their feet to go astray: Matt. 18.6-7

C. And the usual reason why we end up doing this is because we have determined to live in our own selfish way rather than considering the needs of others: Rom. 15.1-3, Phil. 2.3-4

II. Stanza two says that we can sin with our mouth

A. It is true that almost all of us at one time or another have uttered idle words or vain: Matt. 12.36-37

B. Often the reason why we do this is to turn aside from want or pain, to avoid what we see as the unpleasant consequences of speaking the truth in love: Eph. 4.14, 25

C. And our motivation for doing this is lest we ourselves should suffer through the strain, when the Bible makes it plain that Christians may often have to suffer for their faith: 2 Tim. 3.12, 1 Pet. 4.16

III. Stanza three, not in "Hymns for Worship Revised," says that we can sin against our very purpose as Christians

"If I have been perverse or hard or cold, If I have longed for shelter in the fold, When Thou hast given me some fort to hold, Dear Lord, forgive."

A. Sometimes we allow our hearts to become perverse and hard so that we become cold to our duties as children of God: Heb. 3.12-15, Rev. 3.15

B. There may be occasions when we are especially weak or vulnerable that we may seek for shelter in the fold, but in general God has not called us to live in ease behind the battle lines but to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ and be willing to suffer hardship whenever necessary: 2 Tim. 2.3-4

C. Therefore, we should take whatever fort the Lord has given us to hold and determine that we will wage a good warfare and fight the good fight of the faith: 1 Tim. 1.18, 6.12

IV. The final stanza says that above all, when we sin, we sin against God

A. Therefore, we should confess our sins unto God that we might have forgiveness: 1 Jn. 1.8

B. We should even ask forgiveness for "the secret sins." There has been much debate on what the Bible means by "secret sins," whether these are sins unknown to the person who has committed them or simply sins that are hidden from the eyes of others. The song refers to "the secret sins I do not see." Of course it is possible for one to have committed specific acts of sin of which he may be unaware. While he may not recall each specific instance, he still needs to repent of all his sins and ask God's forgiveness, as did the publican in Jesus' parable: Lk. 18.13-14

C. And after asking God's forgiveness, we must pray that He will guide us and be our keeper so that we will do better in the future than we have in the past: Jude vs. 21-24

CONCL.: Some have ridiculed the idea that we need to repent of each sin and confess it to God in prayer to be forgiven; they may ask, what if we sin some time during the day and die before we can get home to say our evening prayers? The fact is that whenever we sin, at any time during the day, we can silently, in our own minds, go to God in prayer, express our repentance, make our confession to Him, and ask His forgiveness that very moment--and we should. We do not have to wait until some pre-arranged time. However, when I do lay my head down to go to sleep, it is a good time to review the events of the day with the Lord, asking His forgiveness for any sins that may still be against me and seeking His help, in "An Evening Prayer."