In one of his psalms, David expresses his longing to be upright, and free even from secret faults. But perhaps when we try to pray the same thing, it seems too much to ask, when our inadequacies and deficiencies are so many and so varied and so obvious. Obadiah Sedgwick, who contributed to the Westminster Assembly, was aware of this concern and offered various pieces of advice in response. In the following updated extract he goes into some detail on the thought that God accepts the weak services of His people because of His graciousness. The opposite of making us lax about serving Him, His readiness to accept our feeble efforts inspires the believer to greater dedication and diligence in His service.

It should be a comfort to believers that God makes a gracious acceptance of their weak services.

Our service is our attempt to please God

Consider firstly that all our holy services are the tithes (as it were) of our graces, the rents of our helps, a certain homage which we bring in to God. They are expressions or actions by which we strive to bring God glory, and to please Him.

Our best service is imperfect

Consider, secondly, that the best services are imperfect. As no human does as much as he should, so the best Christian does nothing as well as he should. As the highest grace is still in defect, so the most solemn duties are still in default. Even the best in duty are like the moon, which, even at full moon, when it shines the most clearly, yet has its spots. So, even when the heart is most enlarged with intentions and heavenly affections, there is yet something contrary, or some shortness, some sort of blemish notwithstanding.

This is why, for example, Aaron was not only to bear the iniquities of the people, but also to bear the iniquity of the holy offerings (Exod. 28:38). What is done by a good man is not good; and even when he does much which God rewards, yet he does nothing so completely but God needs in something or other of it to pardon and cover. It’s not only that our sins accuse us, but there is some sinfulness in our best actions.

Our service is accepted in grace rather than in justice

Thirdly, consider that by reason of these imperfections, there is more reason (in a strict way of justice) that God should reject it all, than that He should accept of anything.

Beloved, I grant that God does not reject the services of His servants. Indeed, as He requires them, so He will accept of them, and reward them. But this is not because of the dignity of the servant, but the graciousness of the Master. For if God should answer any imperfect service from the court of pure justice (even, say, transient thoughts, or some thinner indispositions hanging about us in our duties), you would find that the mixture of a little sin would easily drown out the acceptance of much good. The most good which I bring in my services it is but duty, and the least evil which I bring is besides the duty, and the evil in duty. It may not be able to make the good part to be bad, yet it is able to shut out the service from acceptance, because, by reason of that evil, the service is not so good as God may and does require, if He were to act on terms of strict justice.

Our service is done in faith and integrity

But then consider, fourthly, that though there are many imperfections cleaving to our services, yet if we are upright, God will (for all of us) graciously accept of our services. If my heart is really for God, with all humble respect to God’s commands, and in unfeigned integrity aiming at God’s glory, then my services are graciously accepted with God.

There are two things which may assure a good person that his services are accepted.

One is faith, when he presents his services in the name of Christ. As every sinner needs a Mediator of redemption, so every saint still needs the same Christ as a Mediator of intercession for his services. Though, as done by us, our services can find no favour, yet as presented by Christ, they are always a sweet savour before the Lord (Rev. 8:3). Though our services are but weak testimonies, yet Christ’s intercession is a strong and mighty ingratiating both of our persons and actions.

The other is uprightness, when the heart is true and plain in what it does. Beloved, remember, that as God does not respect the strongest gifts, when they are left passive and idle, so He does not reject the slightest abilities, if uprightly employed. If the flax is even smoking, though it is not aflame, He will not quench it, and not only not slight it, but cherish it and accept it (2 Cor. 8:12).

If you can truly say something like this, God accepts it — “Lord, I would believe more steadfastly if I could, and I strive to believe, and I would pray better, if I could. Yet as well as I can, I now present my supplications before Thee. I want to serve Thee more fully, more entirely; that is the desire of my soul, and my endeavour. If I had the wherewithal, Thou wouldst have a better heart from me, more lively affections, more ample and cheerful duties. Everything would be better, if I had better power.” I say that, notwithstanding your many imperfections, this uprightness, this holy frame of a complete and active will (in which all the powers of the soul are bent to services according to the present power of the measure of grace received) is a most sweet-smelling sacrifice, and finds the most gracious acceptance of God in Christ.

Our relationship is beloved children of our loving Father

Please remember what David said. “Like as a father pities his child, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him” (Psalm 103:13). The prophet Malachi says the same thing. “I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him” (Malachi 3:17).

A father may command his child to lift some heavy weight, and the child readily sets himself to obedience. He lifts, and tries, and still he gives another heave at it, but perhaps he cannot get it quite up. Yet the father is pleased with his child for this, and even though perhaps the weight stays just where it was, yet he regards this act of his child as true obedience. Why? Because, though what the father requested was not actually done, yet it would have been done if the child had had more strength, and he endeavoured with all his strength to do it.

Or alternatively, the father wishes the child to shoot an arrow. The child draws the arrow perhaps only half way, and though his eye is on the mark, yet his arrow falls short by many bows’ length. Yet the father will commend all this, for though he sees that the arrow has fallen short, yet he observes that the bow was drawn, and although the child did not hit the mark with the arrow, yet his eye aimed at it.

So is it with God our father, who commands such and such duties, and if we set ourselves with uprightness to do them, He will wink and pass by the weakness in what we actually do, while He both observes and accepts the integrity of intention and affection.

“Oh but,” says an upright person, “I find such infinite heaps of other thoughts, such dullness and deadness of spirit, such untowardliness, so many weaknesses in every way! These are all the grief of my soul, and it troubles me so much, that I cannot do the good that I want to do. How will the Lord take such broken services from me?”

My answer to this is that if your heart is upright in these interrupted services, God has the mercy to pardon the weaknesses, and He has the wisdom to identify the uprightness, and He has the graciousness to accept of the dutifulness.

A goldsmith will not throw away the lesser specks of gold, though mingled and (to the non-expert eye) hopelessly mixed up with various heaps of dross and dust. Not at all, because he has the skill to find the little gold, and put aside the dross. Though so much corruption and weakness is mingled in with all our holy actions, yet there is such a wise skill in God’s gracious mercy that He can find uprightness, and holiness of desire, and sincere endeavour in a service which He has commanded even when it is done with many infirmities. Hezekiah prayed, “The Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary” (2 Chron. 30:18–19), and (v.20), “the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.”

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