A prayer based on Joel 2

<aside> 🙏🏻 Our God, We praise you that you are gracious and compassionate. You are slow to anger. You are abounding in faithful love. You take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. We praise you that we are living in days of salvation when everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Even today you are calling people to turn to you. To repent of their sins, to trust in your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, before the terrible and dreadful day of the Lord arrives, for who can endure that day of darkness and gloom, when you judge with righteousness and justice. We thank you that we can turn to you now. That we can repent of our sins. So, we do that now.

We confess that we have sinned and continue to sin against you. Intentional sins. Unintentional sins. Sins we are unaware of. We are so prone to rebelling against your ways. Our thoughts, our desires, our words, our actions, are not what they should be. We are unworthy of your grace, your compassion. We are amazed that you would say to us, “turn to me.” We recognise that it is a great kindness to us that you do. Hear us we pray. Forgive us we pray. Have mercy upon us. Give us a fresh assurance that we are forgiven, that our guilt has been taken away, that we don’t need to fear being punished in hell, that we are adopted into your family, called your people, and have the hope of eternal life because Jesus has taken the penalty our sins deserve. Thank you for His righteous life. Thank you for His sin-bearing death. Thank you for His glorious resurrection and ascension. Thank you that He is interceding for us, crying out to His Father on our behalf, “Spare those who trust in me.”

Lord, we pray that you would keep us from sin. We want to love you with all of our hearts, and all of our souls, and all of our minds, and all of our strength. We want to trust in you continually and please you in every way. Help us to resist temptation today. If we do turn from you in any way, make us sensitive to that, convict us of our wrongdoing, and help us to return to you with all our hearts. We pray for this turning and returning to you to take place in lives of others. For those who have backslidden, who are not walking in your ways anymore, who are refusing to turn from a particular sin, would you discipline them in love to bring them to their senses so they turn back to you, and when they do, would you welcome them. And for those who have never turned to you, we pray that they would be brought to call on the name of Jesus and escape the wrath to come.

Father, we thank you that a day of blessing is coming, that will last for all eternity, and which is beyond anything we can ask or imagine. Where every loss in this life will be swallowed up by all the joys of the new creation. Where there will be no trace of sin or the curse, where every enemy that threatens and harms your people will be removed. When weeping and wailing will be replaced by celebration. When famine will be replaced by feasting. When curse will be replaced by blessing. When despair will be replaced by delight. And you will bless us forever. Thank you that we can be sure of this because you have kept your promise to pour out your Spirit on all your people. And we have your Spirit dwelling in our hearts as a downpayment guaranteeing that this eternal hope is ours. Lord, for all you have done for us we give you the glory now. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

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