DEAR FATHER, we thank You that by Your mercy and grace,
through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit
by faith in Jesus Christ, Your Son, we have come to know You.
At the moment of salvation You anointed us by Your Spirit,
who remains forever with us to teach us to understand Your truth.1
You have drawn us by the power of the gospel to the light of Your Word.
You have given us grace to receive the truth—
we who were so deeply defiled by our own guilt;
we who were once condemned to destruction
under the righteous demands of Your justice.
Our very souls were corrupt; we lived in rebellion against Your law;
our minds were hostile to Your truth; and
our very lives were an offense to Your holiness.
We were hopeless until You gave us an eternal hope.
You have saved us by Your goodness, grace, and mercy.
But You sent Your Son to be our Savior—to rescue us from sin’s power
by taking our guilt on Himself and dying to pay sin’s awful price.
Mercy and truth thus met at the cross;
righteousness and peace kissed each other.2
Your wrath against sin was perfectly satisfied;
Your justice was fully vindicated;
Your truth was forever established;
Your grace was brilliantly magnified;
and all the demands of Your law were perfectly fulfilled.
In the process, You lovingly brought us
into a place of safety, honor, glory, and everlasting salvation!
You made us Your children and heirs—
joint heirs with Your only begotten Son.3
Truly “there is one God, and one mediator also
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”4
As we contemplate all that Christ did for us on the cross,
our hearts are filled with humble gratitude.
Surely He bore our grief and carried our sorrows.
He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him;
and by His scourging we are healed.5
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,
so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.6
And You have graciously and tenderly drawn us to Him,
the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls.
O Lord, what gifts these are to us!
Give us grace and pure hearts to worship in spirit and in truth,7
that our praise may be acceptable to You.
May Christ Jesus be fully on display in us
through both our words and our works,
so that others may see and be drawn
to the pure light of the gospel.
We ask these things in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
1 1 1 John 2:27-28
2 2 Psalm 85:10
3 3 Romans 8:17
4 4 1 Timothy 2:5
5 5 Isaiah 53:4-5
6 6 1 Peter 2:24-25
7 7 John 4:23
Taken from John MacArthur, Jr. 2014. A Year of Prayer: Growing Closer to God Week after Week. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers.
