Chock-full of Good News

The timing of God is impeccable.  Before last week’s journal was even posted Lucy strode into our path.  Actually she is crisscrossing our path.  After attending our group for the last couple of years, she is headed out on a new adventure.  Sunday evening Lucy came bearing gifts, one of which was the book At the Throne of Grace by John MacArthur.   

In the preface of this book, filled with his pastoral prayers, the author affirms some of the same points that were given in last week’s journal.  He says, “There is also a legitimate place for organizing our thoughts and planning the words we will take before God’s throne–particularly when the prayer is for a time we have set aside specifically for worship, either in private or in the midst of a congregation.   Composed prayers have the advantage of being more thoughtful, more to the point and less repetitious…Despite my concern that prayer books can easily be misused in a way that fosters ritualism and religious formalism, today’s evangelicals seem far more easily tempted by superficiality, self-indulgence, and prayerlessness.”

Here is a small section of one of his prayers chock-full of biblical content and the good news: 

“Father, through the cross of Christ

        we have been reconciled to You,

        and we exult in the hope of future glory.

“We were fallen creatures,

        without merit of our own,

        guilty to the core of our beings,

        justly deserving everlasting destruction.

“You are the One who opened our understanding to see the gospel

        and then You opened our hearts to embrace it.

Your Spirit revealed to us the hidden wisdom

        which even the rulers of this age do not understand.

You gave Your Son to die in our place, and with Him,

        You freely gave us everything we lacked.

“Nothing we could ever do can augment or add merit

        to what You have already accomplished on our behalf.

We simply rest in the perfect, finished work of Christ.

We thank you that the work of Christ

        is applied to us effectually and continually.

We know that we are thereby secure

        in the forgiveness Christ won for us at Calvary.

Strengthen our faith,

        seal our will unto obedience,

        and empower our lives to glorify You.

“In the blessed name of Christ we pray.  Amen.”