Praying the Scriptures

________________________________________

Plead with God the Merit and Righteousness of Jesus Christ

The merit and righteousness of my Lord Jesus Christ, which I rely upon as my main plea in my petition for the pardon of sin.

I know that as You are gracious and merciful, so You are the righteous God who loves righteousness, (Psalm 11:7) and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. (Exodus 34:7) I cannot say, “Have patience with me and I will repay You everything,” (Matthew 18:26)  for I have become like one who is unclean, and all my righteous deeds are like a filthy garment. (Isaiah 64:6)  But Jesus Christ has become to me righteousness from God; (1 Corinthians 1:30) being made sin on my behalf, though He knew no sin, so that I might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I have sinned, but I have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for my sins; and not for mine only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

God is the one who justifies, who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is even now at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for me, (Romans 8:33-34) and whose blood speaks better than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24)

I desire to count everything as loss for the sake of Christ, and as rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having any righteousness of my own, but that which is through faith in Christ. (Philippians 3:7-9)

This is the name by which I, with Your people, will call Him: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jeremiah 23:6)  In Him, Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief. (Mark 9:24)

Remember, O LORD, on David’s behalf, all His affliction; (Psalm 132:1) the Son of David, remember all His offerings and accept His burnt offerings; (Psalm 20:3) and do not turn away the face of Your Anointed, (2 Chronicles 6:42) who by His own blood has entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for me. (Hebrews 9:24)

Have not You Yourself displayed Your Son, Christ Jesus, as a propitiation in His blood through faith, for the demonstration of Your righteousness at the present time, so that You would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus? (Romans 3:25-26)  And I now receive the reconciliation. (Romans 5:11).

_____________________________________

This prayer is from the daily email sent from Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. I have selected the New American Standard Bible scripture text, and have chosen to have the prayer written in first person. To subscribe to this daily email click here.                                                            

Praise God for His Heavenly Splendor and Glory

One of the daily devotionals that I use is Matthew Henry's "Method for Prayer." It is a method of praying that utilizes the language of the Bible, God's Word,  when we offer up to Him our ADORATION, CONFESSION, INTERCESSION, PETITION, AND THANKSGIVING. The program allows me to choose from a few different Bible translations and I can select whether I want to pray in "first person," as in private, or as speaking for a group. Here is today's prayer. For information on how to receive these devotionals by email, or how to obtain the book, click on the green Matthew Henry banner below the comment section. By the way, the scripture text here is from the New American Standard Bible.

I must give to God the praise of that splendor and glory wherein He is pleased to manifest Himself in the upper world.

You have established Your throne in the heavens, (Psalm 103:19) and it is a throne of glory, lofty and exalted; and before You the seraphim cover their faces. (Isaiah 6:1-2) And it is in compassion to Your people that You obscure the face of that throne and spread Your cloud over it. (Job 26:9)

You make Your angels spirits, and Your ministers flames of fire. ( Psalm 104:4) Thousands of thousands of them minister to You, and myriads of myriads stand before You, to do Your pleasure. (Revelation 5:11) They are mighty in strength, and obey the voice of Your word. (Psalm 103:20-21) And I have come by faith and hope and holy love into a spiritual communion with those myriads of angels and the spirits of the righteous made perfect, even to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, in the heavenly Jerusalem. (Hebrews 12:22-23)

INTERCESSION

The Lord Jesus has taught me to pray, not only with, but for others; and the apostle has appointed me to make petition for all the saints, Ephesians 6:18(NASB) and many of his prayers in his epistles are for his friends. And I must not think that when I am in this part of prayer, I may let fall my fervency and be more indifferent because I myself am not immediately concerned in it, but rather let a holy fire of love, both to God and man, here make my devotions yet more warm and lively.

Exhortation to Pray for the Whole Lost World of Mankind

I must pray for the whole world of mankind, the lost world; and thus, I must honor all people, 1 Peter 2:17(NASB) and, according to my capacity, do good to all people. Galatians 6:10(NASB)

I pray, as I am taught, for all men, believing that this is good and acceptable in the sight of God my Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth and of Jesus Christ, 1 Timothy 2:3-4(NASB) who gave Himself as a ransom for all. 1 Timothy 2:6(NASB)

O look with compassion upon the world that lies in the power of the evil one, 1 John 5:19(NASB) and let the ruler of this world be cast out, John 12:31(NASB) who has blinded their minds. 2 Corinthians 4:4(NASB)

O let Your way be known on the earth, Psalm 67:2(NASB) that barbarous nations may be civilized, and those who live without God in the world may be brought to the service of the living God; Ephesians 2:12(NASB) and thus, let Your salvation be known among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; yes, let all the peoples praise You: O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for You will judge the peoples with uprightness and guide the nations on the earth. Psalm 67:2-4(NASB)

O let Your salvation and Your righteousness be revealed in the sight of the nations, and let all the ends of the earth see the salvation of God. Psalm 98:2-3(NASB)

O give Your Son the nations as His inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as His possession; Psalm 2:8(NASB) for You have said, “It is too small a thing for Him to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel”; but You will make Him a light of the nations. Isaiah 49:6(NASB)

Let the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ. Revelation 11:15(NASB)

__Matthew Henry's "A Method of Prayer." A daily devotional for praying the Scriptures. To receive the daily devotional prayer by email, click the "Method of Prayer" banner below the posts, at the bottom of this page.

Thank God for the Covenant of Grace

Praying the scriptures, from Matthew Henry's  Method for Prayer

For the covenant of grace made with me in Jesus Christ and all the exceedingly great and precious privileges of that covenant, and for the seals of it.

I thank You that in Jesus Christ You have made an everlasting covenant with me, according to the faithful mercies shown to David; (Isaiah 55:3) and that though the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, yet this, Your covenant of peace, will not be shaken. (Isaiah 54:10)

That You have granted to me precious and magnificent promises, so that by them I might become a partaker of the divine nature; (2 Peter 1:4) and that Jesus Christ is the Mediator of this better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)

That though You chasten my transgression with the rod and my iniquity with stripes, yet You will not break off Your loving-kindness from me, nor deal falsely in Your faithfulness. Your covenant You will not violate, nor will You alter the utterance of Your lips. (Psalm 89:32-34)

That desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of Your purpose, You have interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, I who have taken refuge might have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before me. (Hebrews 6:17-18)

That baptism is appointed to be a seal of the righteousness which is by faith, as circumcision was; (Romans 4:11) that it assures me of the forgiveness of my sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit; and that this promise is for God’s people and their children. (Acts 2:38-39) And that the cup in the Lord’s Supper is the blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28)

_____________________________

If you want to receive personalized daily devotional emails from Matthew Henry's A Method of Prayer, click here for information.

Thank God for the Assurance you have of Christ's Second Coming

Thank God for the Assurance you have of Christ's Second Coming

For the assurance we have of His second coming to judge the world.

I bless You that You have fixed a day in which You will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom You have appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. Acts 17:31(NASB)

That in that day the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus: 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8(NASB) And He will come to be glorified in His saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed; 2 Thessalonians 1:10(NASB) for God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4:14(NASB)

That He will then send forth His angels to gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, Matthew 13:41(NASB) and to gather together His elect from the four winds; Matthew 24:31(NASB) and then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Matthew 13:43(NASB)

And I then, according to Your promise, am looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells: Lord, grant that, since I look for these things, I may be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless; 2 Peter 3:13-14(NASB) and then Come Lord Jesus, Come quickly! Revelation 22:20(NASB)