If some Christians can be accused of self-righteousness, the problem for most is the opposite: an all-too-painfulness awareness of their failings. Such an awareness has its place, if it leads to a genuine desire to change, but the last thing God wants is for anyone to struggle through life burdened by a sense of guilt or shame. At heart the gospel is about God's love and mercy, his offer of forgiveness for all through Christ.
The prayer-poems in this book – some general, some more specific – articulate those two aspects: the frustration and sorrow we feel at our repeated faithlessness but also the assurance of God's unfailing grace. They are designed to speak both for us and to us.