Gratitude For Grace

This is a prayer I wrote in the 1990’s, almost 30 years ago. My inspiration was a little book published by LifeWay entitled Jesus By Heart. The prayer is mostly scripture [2 Corinthians 4] and when I went back and read it after all these years, it spoke to my heart.

Father, in light of the mercy you have shown me and in view the fact that I would have no life at all, spiritual or physical, if it were not for Your infinite grace, I present myself to You as a living sacrifice. This is for me and act of worship and my reasonable service. I am confident that You, who began a good work in me will perfect it until the day that Christ returns; for I am convinced that it is YOU Father who is at work in me both to will and to work for Your good pleasure. I believe that You are able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that I have asked or even imagined and You are doing it according to the power of grace that is at work in me. With gratitude, I acknowledge that Jesus is LORD; that He and He alone is the ‘glorious light’ of the gospel and it is He who shines through our hearts into a world of darkness. I am amazed that You place such a wonderful treasure in a clay jar like me but I know it is so that You will get the glory from the light that You have placed in me. Although I have been afflicted–by Your grace, I have never been crushed. I have gotten discourage more times than I can count but by Your grace I have never given up. I have been confused, bewildered and have felt alone but I realize that I have never been forsaken. I have been knocked down more than once but Praise Jesus and His amazing grace, I have never been knocked out. You have constantly delivered me over to situations that called for the death of my old sinful nature so that Christ might be manifested in this mortal body. You are making me a mirror that reflects Jesus. I can see and even feel the transformation and it is all about grace. Therefore, my only response can be gratitude and praise.

Posted August 17, 2018