A prayer based on Luke 15.

<aside> 🙏🏻 Our God, We praise and thank you that You so loved the world that You sent Your Son to earth to seek and to save the lost. To seek and save people like us. People who by nature are dead in their transgressions and sins. People who are unable to help themselves. People who are without hope and without God. Who were far from You; living immoral lives with no consideration of You. Or people who have been living moral lives. Who think that they don’t need You because they can make themselves right with You by their own efforts.

We thank you Lord Jesus, that You search out for those who know they are sinners. For lost sheep and prodigal sons and daughters. We thank you that You look for religious people, who are trusting in their own righteousness. For lost coins and elder brothers. And that Your desire is to save them. That out of love You came down from heaven to earth. That out of love You lived a perfect life of obedience, never ever putting one step out of place, keeping every single command. That out of love You chose to walk the hardest, loneliest path to the cross where You carried for us all our sin and guilt and shame. That out of love You hung there until the punishment we deserve was paid. And Satan’s head was crushed. Your Father’s wrath was satisfied. And justification and redemption and reconciliation was achieved for all who trust in You.

How grateful we are that we can know for certain that all this is ours by faith because on the third day Lord Jesus, You rose again and have ascended to the presence of your Father.

Gracious Father, please forgive us for not appreciating as we should what Your Son has done for us by coming to seek and save us when we were lost in our sins. And how costly it was for Him to make His very own, our sins and sorrow and shame and bear the penalty we deserve for us to bring about this wonderful rescue. Forgive us for all the times we behave not as those who have been made alive, but as those still dead in our sins. For acting as those who are still lost, not as those who have been found. For when we lack joy When we lack contentment. When we grumble that others seemingly are blessed more than we are.

So, help us now, by Your Spirit, we pray, to rejoice like the angels that we and others have been rescued from sin and death and hell. And to appreciate how incredible this salvation is. That now You don’t treat us as servants but as sons. That we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing, so that it is like the best robe, the ring, the sandals have been put on us and the fattened calf has been killed and we are enjoying the feast, knowing that one day this will be a reality. It is truly remarkable what you have done for us. We give to You now our praise and our thanks. Through the precious Name of Jesus.

Amen.

</aside>