Respect, Love, Fear, Honor

 

 

Show respect for all people [treat them honorably], love the brotherhood [of believers], fear God, honor the king.

 

—1 Peter 2:17 (AMP)

 

Holy God,

 

May my fear of You—my absolute reverence and overwhelming awe of You—be proven by my obedience to all Your commandments.

 

I confess that I have not always shown respect for all people—that I have forgotten that every one of us has been made in Your image, and therefore is worthy of being treated with respect.

 

I confess that it is easy to respect and treat honorably those who agree with what I believe, but very difficult for me when it is apparent to me that they are not living in the Truth of Your Word.

 

I confess that I have not loved my brothers and sisters in Christ as I should—much less the unbelievers of this world, or those that You have placed in authority over me.

 

Forgive me I pray, and help me to remember that You control all things—that You give power and authority over me to whomever You choose—in order to bring about Your plans and purposes for us. 

 

And help me to remember that my part remains the same:  to fear and worship You alone, as I put all my hope in Christ; to show respect to all people and treat them honorably; to love well my brothers and sisters in Christ; and, as much as I can do so, without violating Your commandments, to give honor to those in authority over me.

 

May Your Kingdom come, and Your Will be done—that the whole earth would be filled with Your Glory!

 

May my fear of You—my absolute reverence and overwhelming awe of You—be proven by my obedience to all Your commandments.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

You Are God!

 

 

Before the mountains were born, Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. 

 

—Psalm 90:2 (NASB)

 

Everlasting God,

 

I worship You for who You are—the God who always was, always is, and always shall be—the only One worthy of my worship!

 

I worship You for only You are timeless! Only You existed before time began—before You created everything that now exists, put it all in order, and set in motion, thus creating time itself.

 

I worship You, for among the so-called gods and other worshiped things of this world, only You are the Living God—the One who gives life to all things! Yes, You are alive and live here within me. You make yourself known to me through Your Word, as revealed by Your Spirit, so I can personally experience Your great affection for me as Your dearly loved child.

 

I worship You, for out of all of that which begs my worship, only You will remain steadfast and unchanging for all eternity—only You will always love me with an unfailing love that passionately and unrelentingly pursues me.  And only You will remain worthy of my love and worship and devotion, forevermore.

 

I worship You for who You are—the God who always was, always is, and always shall be—the only One worthy of my worship!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Restore Me!

 

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
    but you will restore me to life again
    and lift me up from the depths of the earth.
You will restore me to even greater honor
    and comfort me once again. 

—Psalm 71:20-21 (NLT)

 

Loving and Gracious LORD,

 

In Your sovereign and infinite wisdom, You have allowed me to suffer much hardship in my life. And still, the story You are writing with my life is—and always will be—a testimony to the faithfulness of my God!

 

For I have seen You use every hardship that You have entrusted to me, as part of my story, to bring about something good—always drawing me closer to the abundant life that I find only when I totally surrender to Your plan for my life.

 

So, help me to continue to look for Your hand in every difficulty that may come, that I would see Your faithfulness once again—as You lift me up from the depths of this earth, from heartache, pain and evil of this fallen world, and restore me to life in You again.

 

Be my source of comfort in this world, as by Your grace You honor me, taking me to those higher and deeper places I have yet to discover in Christ. Keep me and sustain me in every way through everything that I may face—until that day You rescue me completely out of this world and its hardships and take me home with You.

 

In Your sovereign and infinite wisdom, You have allowed me to suffer much hardship in my life. And still, the story You are writing with my life is—and always will be—a testimony to the faithfulness of my God!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.