Tag: dedication

A Prayer to the Holy and Gracious God

Matt Erickson1 Comment

For the Lord is righteous,
    he loves justice;
    the upright will see his face. (Psalm 11:7)

My life is small, imperfect, and needy,
yet I lift my eyes to You, my God.
Although You are holy and majestic,
thank You for also being full of mercy and grace.
I look to You.

All around, the world is mixed with awesome wonder and sharp pain.
Human lives yield inspiring love and shaking hostility.
I see this same mixture in myself each day,
so I humbly call out to You for myself and the world.
I look to You.

Trees and mountains tower above me, yet You are higher.
The surging lake depths yawn beneath me, yet You are deeper.
The shimmering stars stretch far beyond me, yet You reach farther.
The blood in my veins pumps all throughout me, yet You are nearer.
I look to You.

Have Your way in me as I consider this day.
and please form Your life in me as I live this, my only life.
Guide my steps in Your pathway of life
and reveal Your presence which is full of true joy
for I look to You.

A Prayer on the Transcendent Gift of Adoption in Christ

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Blue sky sunshine

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:14-17)

Thank You, Father, for the gift of Your Holy Spirit which we have received through faith in Jesus Christ. We could not buy or earn this favor but have received it from You as a generous gift. We don’t take it lightly. Thank You that the Holy Spirit makes us children, not slaves, and brings us boldly and lovingly into Your family. Thank You that we can call out, “Abba, Father!”, by the Spirit and know that we belong and will be heard.

What dramatic sort of gift is this, Lord? How could it be that any who come by faith through Christ might receive the immeasurable gifts of belonging, adoption, and being able to call on You? All these gifts are beyond value. Many things that we pursue with our lives for and strive endlessly after still outpace our wild grasping or earning. Yet here with You we find all we most need given as sheer received gift! What else can we say but “thank You”? Thank You for the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit who speaks of our adoption, confirming within our spirits what the Scriptures tell us is true and our new reality.Thank You that we are heirs of Your full kingdom as we become children—even co-heirs with Christ. Thank You that we are privileged to share in both the suffering and the glory of discipleship with Christ Jesus. As Peter writes, this is “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade…kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). Thank You!

And so, Father, with abounding praise and gratitude we step into this day as children of God, heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ, and recipients of the Holy Spirit. We choose to yield and surrender ourselves to You again. Let us enter into the fellowship of Your suffering that we might also enter into the fellowship of Your glory. Strengthen us to deny ourselves that we might also find the abundant life in You. Give us power each step of this journey that we might live a long obedience in the same direction. Again, today, Lord, we declare that we are Yours.

A Prayer of Bowing Down at the Beginning of the Day

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The LORD is gracious and merciful
long-suffering, and of great kindness.
The LORD is loving to everyone,
and his mercy is over all his works.”
(Psalm 145:8-9, Coverdale)

I bow down, O LORD, before You
that You might raise me up again into this day.
I bow down my desires and my goals,
my dreams and my pursuits.
I bow down my fears and confusion,
my stumbling blocks and temptations.
I bow down my marriage and my parenting,
my friendships and my aloneness.
I bow down my job and my leisure,
my tasks and my spare time.

I bow all myself down before You, O LORD,
that You might raise me up again.

Raise me up in Your grace and truth,
in Your way and Your life.
Raise me out of the old, false self
and into the new, true, undivided self.
Raise me into the enduring peace of Your presence
and the steadfast love of Your being.
Raise me into the shadow of the Cross
and the brilliance of the open tomb.

As I bow down, O Lord, raise me up this day
that I might walk in life with You.

A Prayer of Thanks and Dedication

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To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Lord, thank You for Your grace
revealed in Jesus our Messiah.
Come and glorify Jesus’ name in me
even as I share in Jesus’ glory within by faith.

Purify my desires and intentions today,
refine my pursuits and resolutions,
that as I pursue Your will and Your kingdom
You might establish and fulfill what is good in and through me.

Do a fresh work inside of me,
that work which You have already begun
and have promised to bring to fulfillment at the day of Christ.

Do a fresh work inside of me
to make me worthy of my calling
as a follower and servant of Jesus our Messiah.

All this I ask through Jesus Christ, Your one and only Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

A Prayer of Daily Dedication

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“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. (Philippians 2:14-16a)

Lord, take my life and shape me around Your life.
transform me from the inside out.
Let the fruit of my life—that which is seen
and experienced by others—reflect You.
This day, Lord, I bring You
my words and my attitudes.
Set me free from grumbling and arguing
which is the overflow of a distorted heart
set on the self and selfish will,
unyielding to the unplanned and difficult.
May the attitude of my life reflect surrender
to You and Your ways even as I serve You and Your kingdom.
May You be the center of my words and attitudes
that I may not distract others from You
by my mumbled grumblings of frustration
or my thoughtless arguing for my way.
Lord, have mercy upon me and change me.
Grow me to be like You in every way.