Turn your attention totally to this special moment of drawing near to Almighty God. Gather in all your wandering thoughts. Present yourself to him as a living sacrifice with a lively faith. Then bind the sacrifice of your heart and mind with cords to the horns of the altar by the very words of Scripture. Let us now approach God with a heart full of praise for the glories of his person and work.

We began with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord in prayer for his great glory, which is precisely what he deserves. Now we must confess with great shame our sins, for shame is exactly what we deserve. We must humble ourselves before him, being painfully aware of our defilement, our corruption, and our guilt. We must also give full respect to him as our righteous judge, for we deserve to be condemned by him. At the same time, we must express our hope to be forgiven and declared innocent despite our proven guilt through the grace that is found in Jesus Christ. Let us now confess our sins before a holy God, and humbly repent for them all.

In all our prayers for the good things we need from God, we must come boldly to his throne that we may obtain a rich supply of grace to help us in every time of need. Gracious God, let us receive the full measure of the grace that is in Jesus Christ, the one in whom you were pleased that all fullness should dwell. From his abundance let us receive grace on top of grace that will prove to be more than enough for every situation we face in life. Let us now pray earnestly for the many things we constantly need from God’s gracious hand.

We approach the throne of grace not only to seek God’s favor, but to give him the glory due to his name. We give him glory by honoring him for his infinite perfections as the one and only living and true God. We also glorify him by gratefully acknowledging the many manifestations of his goodness to us. He gladly accepts our thanks, and regards himself as glorified by them if they arise from a humble heart aware of its own unworthiness to receive any favor from God. Our thanks must come from the heart, a heart that shows genuine appreciation for his gifts, but always loves the giver more than the gift. Let us now give thanks to God for the mercies he has shown us, and for the many blessing he daily brings into our lives.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us to pray not only with others but also for others. The Apostle Paul has directed us to intercede always for all the saints with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Many of his prayers as recorded in his epistles are offered on behalf of his fellow-believers and friends. We must not think that when we are in this part of prayer we may be any less fervent, or even indifferent, simply because we ourselves are not immediately concerned. Instead, a holy fire of love both to God and man should make our devotions more warm and lively as we pray for others. Let us now intercede for others in our prayers to God.

The Lord commands us to pray always, to pray without ceasing, to be in prayer continually. For we must always live in the privilege and duty of prayer. We must be constantly committed to it, never grow weary of it, and never put it out of the center of our lives. Yet we must come down from this mountain. For our lives cannot be totally consumed with the formal exercises of prayer. Neither may we spend too long in our prayer closet, which would make the privilege of prayer a burdensome task to ourselves as well as to those who join with us. We have other work that demands our attention. Jacob wrestles all night with the angel, but at daybreak he must go, for the journey before him is still long. The prayer of David the son of Jesse must be ended. We must therefore consider how we shall conclude our season of prayer. But how shall we conclude? How shall we make a proper exit from our priestly presence in the Most Holy Place? Even as we complete this privileged session at the throne of grace, we must at the same time consider how we can maintain this intimate relationship with our Lord. Our ongoing conversation with God must retain its vital role in the thoughts and imaginations of our heart. Let us now conclude our time of prayer by asking that all our prayers will give glory to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.Item description