A prayer of grace

A kind and gracious friend gave me this prayer yesterday and it really ministered to me, so I am posting it here. It really expressed the difference between the forgiveness of men and that of God who forgives in actions not merely in words....


Thank You, my loving and sovereign God, that my failures and mistakes are part of the "all things" You work together for good... as well as my tensions and stresses, my hostile and anxious feelings, my regrets, my trips into shame and self-blame - and the specific things that trigger them.

I praise you that "all things," including these, can contribute to my spiritual growth and my experience of You... When my heart is overwhelmed, I'm more aware of my need to cry to You... to take refuge in You.. to rely on You.

I rejoice that these things keep reminding me to depend on You with all my heart... that they prompt me to trust in Your love, Your forgiveness, Your power, Your sufficiency, Your ability to overrule, and Your transforming presence within me.

Thank you for the ways that my shortcomings and failures bring pressure on me to open myself to You more fully, and the way they let You show me deep and hidden needs: griefs and hurts that I've never poured out before You, that I've never exposed to Your healing touch, and sins that I've never faced and acknowledged. How grateful I am for Your constant cleansing as I confess each sin You make me aware of, and then turn back to You as my Lord.

I praise You that I'm free from condemnation simply because Christ died for me and rose again... that it doesn't depend on how well I live.

I praise You for how You use my sins and failures to humble me, and for how this opens me to the inflow of Your grace - amazing grace, that enables me to hold my head high, not in pride but in humble gratitude for Your undeserved, unchanging love and total cleansing.

- Amen