Prayer of Thanks For God Giving Us Right Standing Before Him Without Shame

CLEAN HANDS

There are certain verses that I read in the Bible that I just have to make comment on every time to the Lord when I see it.  This verse from Psalm 18:20 is one of them.

The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.  Psalm 18:20

I cannot tell you how grateful I am that the Lord is not limited to blessing me by my own doing right and the cleanness of my hands. My history is far too tattered for me to EVER want that to be the case.  So every time I run into this verse I smile again

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:21

That is what makes me so grateful for Jesus who has made all the difference in my life by washing my sins away through His perfect sacrifice for me on the cross. My crazy past is a forgiven past.   I can now stand before God with confidence and peace, and completely without shame because God sees me made whole and right through Jesus. 

Today we pray with thanks and great joy for this great gift.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  2 Corinthians 5:17

Oh Lord, we’re so grateful that when we come to You for new life the old goes and new comes.  We can’t really wrap our heads around why You would do it but we trust Your word that You do it because You said so.

Thank you God for reconciling us to Yourself in Christ, not counting our sins against us.  Not only have You done that for us but You are willing to do that for anyone who turns from their sin and turns to You.  We want to be very careful and respectful with this message of joy and hope You’ve given us to offer to others.  We don’t want to clutter it up or stuff it away somewhere in a back corner.  We want to share this message with confidence and joy today so others can know the blessing we have experienced for themselves.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  2 Corinthians 5:19

And then what we’re grateful for as well today is that You are willing to go forward with  us – knowing that we will all stumble and yet doing an amazing work in us so that when we stand before God’s throne at the end of time we will be those who are without fault and so amazingly grateful and joyful because of it because we have this promise about you in the Bible: 

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.    Jude 1:24-25

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

So then it just seems appropriate to end with this blessing:

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.  Hebrews 13:20-21