A Repentant Believer’s Prayer

Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

Lord Jesus,

You came to live life as a human, You taught and served and healed, and died a sinless man for sinners like me.

You did not deserve the kind of death You died, but Your death to save humankind was foretold, and death didn’t stop You. You rose again, and after forty days ascended to be with the Father once more.

When the fiftieth day came, You sent the Spirit, so every true believer could be baptised in You.

And this:

You,
the Lamb that was slain,
deserve the reward of Your suffering,
and that is my life for You.

I’m going to obey You and love You and serve You and do what You want me to do, all the days of my life, even if I go to hell when I die, and even if I suffer in this life, simply because You’re worthy to be loved and obeyed and served. And because I’m not trying to make a deal with You. I trust You regarding my worldly and eternal destinies.

I want to live for You in such a way that the desires of my heart align with Your will, by putting Your Kingdom and Your Righteousness first in my life. I understand this isn’t always easy, so I ask You now to give me the heart of flesh to replace the heart of stone I’ve had until now in areas of my life.

May worship be my means, justice be my measure, mercy be my modality, and humility be my method.

Grant me the wisdom to love and to serve and to honour You, the serenity of peace as the assurance of my way with You, and courage when life is hard, when fear berates and shakes my being.

May my allegiance to You always overcome the temptations of the world, my flesh, and the wiles of Satan. May You attain the reward of Your suffering for me through my earthly life. And may I live a life according to Your Beatitudes, honouring all Your core teaching. Finally, may You always help me pour contempt on my pride so I can walk humbly these remaining days You give me on this earth.

Yours, always, a living sacrifice, for Your sake,

Amen.