My Father and My God,
You alone are the sovereign God of the universe.
You rule over all things for Your glory and the good of Your church.
From the very least of your creation to the greatest, You rule all things by Your glorious Providence.
You are the Creator, Sustainer, Provider, and Governor of all things in Heaven and on earth.
O Lord, You gloriously created mankind, both male and female, as Your image bearers, but man soon fell from that glorious position.
Adam, as the federal representation of all mankind, sinned against You, and all of mankind fell in Him.
Original sin, the consequences of Adam’s fall, is now imputed to all human beings coming into this world.
All that was light in man has become darkness, and mankind is now a broken, shattered image bearer of God.
Sadly, man in his fallen state is a God-hater and a rebel against God, and he does not want God in his thinking.
But in a glorious display of grace and mercy, O Father, You rescued Adam and Eve in the Garden through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ. You covered Adam and Eve with animal skins, no doubt lamb skins, as a foreshadow of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
You took off their filthy fig leaves and covered them with the only covering acceptable to You, which is Christ.
And You gave a multitude of humanity to Christ to be redeemed by Him for the display of Your glorious grace.
And you have left multitudes in Adam and in their sin for the display of your righteous and holy justice.
O my Father, You have graciously included me among those given to Christ, even though I deserve Your wrath and justice.
The reason You have redeemed me is not found in me but in You alone.
For Your pleasure, purpose, and glory You gave a multitude of sinners, which none can number, to be redeemed by Christ.
By His perfect law-fulfilling life and sin-atoning death, Christ has purchased His people, body and soul, to be His own.
Triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit — I am humbled, amazed, and eternally thankful that You saved a wretch like me from sin, Hell, Satan, the second death, and Your wrath to come. As the hymn writer wrote:
“How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son, To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss – The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One, Bring many sons to glory.”
I am vile, corrupt, and sinful of myself.
I have sinned against You by breaking all Your commandments; even as a believer I fail to keep Your commandments in my thoughts, words, and deeds. I have not loved You with all my heart!
I have rebelled against You; I am a sinful stench before You without any hope but alone in Jesus Christ.
Yet in a gracious wonder, You gave me to Christ.
Lord Jesus, You have clothed me in Your righteousness.
You have covered my sins with Your precious blood.
You have made me white as snow by the imputation of Your righteousness, holiness, and perfect satisfaction.
You have raised me, O Holy Spirit, from spiritual death to spiritual life.
You have granted me holy faith so that I look to nothing or no one but Jesus Christ alone!
And in Your sanctifying work, You are making me more like Christ.
O Lord, keep me in the palm of Your hand as You have promised, since “I am prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”
Strengthen me by Your Word and Spirit since I am weak and powerless.
Fill me, Holy Spirit, with Your presence and power.
Watch over me and keep me from sinning against You.
Keep me from drifting away from You.
Keep my love for You, as weak and feeble as it may be, keep my love from growing cold.
Keep me from lethargy and rebellion. Keep me from indifference and toleration of sin!
Bless Your church this day as we gather to worship and praise You: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
May Your Holy Word be faithfully proclaimed throughout this whole world.
May Christ be exalted!
In Jesus name!
Amen!