A prayer based on Romans 9:1-29.

<aside> 🙏🏻 Gracious and loving Father, We are amazed at Your kindness to us. That for those whom You have saved, nothing – not death or life, not angels or demons, not the past or the future, not anything in all creation – will be able to separate us from Your love for us in Jesus. But it grieves us to know that there are many who do not have this certainty.

Our hearts are filled with great sorrow and unceasing anguish when we consider that the majority of Jews have rejected Him and are facing His punishment. They were God’s people; adopted by Him. They had seen His glory. They were in a covenant relationship with Him. They had the law which showed they needed a Saviour. In the temple worship, the priesthood, the sacrifices, the festivals, they had Christ pictured for them. They had all the Old Testament promises. And yet they still rejected Him.

We recognise as well, that they are so many more Gentiles who do not believe in Jesus. Including many in this nation, and even in this community.

How we wish that this were not so.

Yet we praise You, that we can be confident that You will keep Your promise to save Israel – the Israel made up of people You have chosen to be Your people. An Israel made up of both Jews and Gentiles, which includes us, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are truly astonished that You would choose to save us. There is nothing about us that makes us better than those who are not saved. You made Your choice before we had done anything good or bad, which means that our salvation has nothing to do with us – Not our birth, our desires, our actions, our merit, our knowledge, or our connections – You chose to save us, because You chose to save us. How grateful we are that You have, because we have sinned and deserve Your condemnation. If You were giving us what we deserve, we would already be in hell, with every other human; That You rescue anyone, not leaving them to be held accountable for their guilt, shows just how merciful You are.

We ask that by Your Spirit You would be at work in us. Cause us to plead with You to show us mercy by enabling us to turn from our sins and believe in Your Son, and in Him alone. Cause us to be overjoyed that You would save us; to be awestruck that You would rescue us. Cause us to trust in Your promise to save all who have faith in Jesus and to know for certain that a glorious future awaits us if we hold fast to Christ ourselves. And cause us to be compassionate. To be concerned for those who are still lost and stubbornly rejecting Jesus. The many Jews and even more from the nations. To be grieved that many people are at present drowning in their sins. To believe that there are still a vast multitude whom God has chosen to save. And to take seriously our responsibility to speak the gospel, knowing that faith comes from hearing this message.

We thank You that salvation is all of You. And so, to You be the glory for ever.

Amen.

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