A Prayer for Remembering Gospel Benefits
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Ps. 103:1-5
Dear Jesus, though I’m growing forgetful, I pray I will never forget you or a single benefit you’ve freely given us in the gospel. But irrespective of changes in my brain chemistry, you will never, ever forget us—your beloved children. This is my great hope and peace. As this day begins, here are a few of the innumerable gospel benefits for which I am especially grateful.
I praise you for forgiving all my sins—past, present, and future—sins of thought, word, and deed. How staggering a thought. I used to think you forgive only confessed sins, but now I realize I’m probably aware of only 4 percent of my sins. But your blood covers the other 96 percent as well. Praise the Lord, O my soul, for perfect and pervasive forgiveness!
I praise you for healing all my diseases—diseases in my body, heart, and mind. Though I wish you would completely heal me before you return, nonetheless, I have this sure hope: the healing I’m already receiving in the gospel will be brought to completion. Praise the Lord, O my soul, for present, ongoing, and a secured complete healing!
I praise you for redeeming my life from all pits—the pit of eternal separation from God, the pits others throw me into, the pits I naively fall into, and the pits I foolishly dig for myself. You’ve bought and brought me out of all pits into your embrace by taking the ultimate “pit” of God’s judgment for us on the cross. Praise the Lord, O my soul, for an all-pit redemption salvation!
I praise you for crowning me with your love and compassion. You have taken away all my guilt and you’ve borne my shame. My conscience is no longer under the law and condemnation but under the gospel and freedom. But you haven’t just crowned me, you’ve also clothed me in the royal raiment of your righteousness. Praise the Lord, O my soul, for a coronation of mercy and the garments of grace!
I praise you for satisfying my desires with good things. Lord, I praise you for the smile of my grandson, the kiss of my wife, the taste of dark chocolate, the rainbow you painted on the side of a trout, the encouragement from a friend, and the sounds of great music, just to name a few. Praise the Lord, O my soul, for a God who takes my desires seriously and satisfies them in countless ways!
Lord Jesus, may the unsearchable, innumerable, and inexhaustible riches of the gospel renew me today with youth-like energy, that I may soar like an eagle and live to the praise of your glorious grace! So very Amen I pray, in your exalted and peerless name.
(photo: sunrise in Denver on Saturday morning)
No comments:
Post a Comment