HEAVENLY FATHER, I bow before You this Lord’s Day morning through the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit. Thank You, Father, for Your amazing grace and wondrous mercy. I thank You, Father, for electing me unto salvation in Jesus Christ from before the foundation of the world. Thank You for giving me to Him to be my Shepherd, Savior, Lord, and Friend. Thank You for sending Your Son to live and die in my place so that I would be granted everlasting life through union with Him by faith. Thank You for revealing Yourself in Your Word as holy, righteous, good, merciful, gracious, just, and infinite in all Your attributes. Thank You for loving me and demonstrating that infinite love by sending Jesus to redeem a wretch like me! Make me realize that when I am obedient to Your will, I am only an unprofitable servant who has only done that which You have commanded. Correct me when I go astray, make me humble when I obey.
LORD JESUS, I praise You for laying down Your life for me, and for all Your sheep. When You found me, I was a miserable, blind, rebellious, wretched sinner. Not only did you lay down Your life for me, but You also lived that perfect life in my place. You alone fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the Law of God. You have clothed me with Your perfect righteousness in order that I may come boldly into the throne of grace being justified by Your work which You accomplished in Your life, death, resurrection, ascension, and session. I thank You, Lord Jesus, that You imputed Your righteousness to me and to all Your people in exchange for our sins being imputed to You. Thank You that on the cross You dealt with all our sins, past, present and future, once for all time and therefore we bear our sins no more! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! What A Savior!
HOLY SPIRIT, thank You that while I was spiritually dead in my trespasses and sins, You made me spiritually alive and created faith in my soul so that I might believe the Gospel, love You, love the Father, love the Lord Jesus Christ, and love Your Church. Thank You for creating faith in my heart so that I could believe the Gospel and fully trust in Jesus for my salvation, which He obtained for me by His sin-atoning death and law-fulfilling life. Thank You for enabling me to serve Christ by serving His Church, which Jesus purchased with His own blood. Fill me with Your presence, and power, dominate my life, control my every thought, word, and action, and cause me to be obedient to that which You command of me in Your Word. Holy Spirit, I ask that You open my understanding more and more in order that I might rightly understand Your Scriptures since You alone give understanding of Your Word. Grant me courage to live completely and comprehensively for Jesus my Lord and Savior. Open my eyes that I might see the wondrous things in Your Word. Show me Jesus in Your Word. As the hymn writer declared, “More of His saving fullness see, More of His love who died for me. More about Jesus in His Word, Holding communion with my Lord; Hearing His voice in ev’ry line, Making each faithful saying mine!”
O GOD: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank You for blessing me with all the blessings in the heavenly places in Christ for I know that I don’t deserve the least of Your blessings or truth. I know that all I have merited is damnation! All Your blessings come not by my obedience but by Your sovereign grace in Christ. My obedience is always less than perfect and defiled with sin and is only acceptable to You because of the merits of Jesus Christ, who always lives to make intercession for the saints. O my Father, hear my prayer for the sake of your Son, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in whose name and authority I pray. Amen!
