Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. You forgave the guilt of your people—yes, you covered all their sins. You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger. Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Psalm 85:1-4 (NLT)
Dear heavenly Father, you have an awesome “track record” of rescuing, restoring, and renewing your people. The history of redemption is filled with episodes of your Spirit and love being poured out upon a people who deserve judgment and chastisement. Therefore, we join the Psalmist is crying out, “Do it again, Lord.”
O God of our salvation, be wonderful and merciful, powerful and present, heart-astonishing and knee-buckling. Father, we don’t just want to defend the gospel, we want to delight in it. The heck with status quo, propriety and ecclesiastical decorum; we want to be filled with your Spirit, joy, and praise—in our corporate worship, in our personal relationship with you, and as we live, work, and play in our communities.
One Day we will be finally and fully free, to love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Grant us a good measure of our glorious future now, Father. Forgive us when we’re more concerned about making non-believers uncomfortable than we are thirsty to meet with you, be undone by you, and rejoice in you.
Make the good news of the gospel fresh news in our midst. Show us more of the beauty and bounty of Jesus. By your Spirit, enable us to know much more of the height, depth, width, and breadth of the love of Christ—a love that way surpasses our capacity to comprehend and contain it. Rescue us from our lethargy, niceness, and mild-mannered-ness—rescue us from our pride and unbelief, Father. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ grace-full and exalted name.
