Prayer of Praise

Praise to God for Salvation and Restoration

God our Deliverer, King over all creation,

Glory, honor and praise to you forever!

Messiah Jesus, Savior, Lord–when you came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey, as the prophet Zechariah foretold, crowds at the temple shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Save us!’ they cried.

Later you wept, knowing the shouts of your people would soon change to, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’

Humble Servant, Submissive Son, One with the Father–when the elders of your people sent men to arrest you, your disciple, Simon Peter, in an effort to defend you, used a sword to cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant.

Lovingly you rebuked Peter when you said, ‘Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’

ADONAI-Yir’eh, it was the Father’s will to make the Son’s life an offering for sin. By your sacrificial death on the cross you justify many because you bore our sins.

Omniscient God, all-knowing and wise, your plan of redemption was already underway even as rebellion against your authority began in the heavenly realm. After your guardian cherub, Satan, attempted to exalt himself above you, the Most High God, then he enticed Adam and Eve to rebel against you too.

But from the beginning, God, when you created the heavens and the earth and everything in it–you made mankind in your image to rule over all the creatures you had made. It was good!

The man and woman, beautifully innocent, yet with free will to choose, were to care for the garden and keep your commands.

Omnipotent God, all-powerful, supreme over all, you are vast and immeasurable, yet you walked with Adam and Eve in a garden, a garden you planted because you love to be with your children. Often, I’ve imagined the garden you planted in Eden—the delightful fruit trees including the forbidden tree called Knowledge of Good and Evil. Tending the garden must have been very pleasant before sin entered, before the curse on creation–perfect weather, temperature and instead of rainstorms, a mist watered the earth every day.

In my days, I’ve seen some exquisite gardens—pink roses with perfect petals scattered amongst perfectly boxed hedges, tulips making a sea of red and yellow, bordered by shores of green grass as soft and thick as carpet. Who could resist walking on it with bare feet? There are random wildflower meadows scattered here and there throughout the earth—irises in a variety of colors sheltered by fine field grasses, also golden Sunflowers, blue Cornflowers, white Chamomile, and red Anemone. Oh, and let me not forget the little honeybees working so hard among them making sweet treats for your people.

Yet, Lord of all creation, I’m sure none could compare to the garden you planted for your children.

One command you gave to them—do not eat the fruit of the tree called Knowledge of Good and Evil. Father God, you lovingly warned your children to not eat of that tree or they would surely die.

But the Serpent, Satan, lied and told your children they would not die if they ate the forbidden fruit. Then Satan enticed them with another lie—eating the fruit from the tree called Knowledge of Good and Evil would make them like God.

Satan wanted your children to follow after him in his rebellion against you Father God.

So, your children had a choice—believe you God and do what you said or if they did not trust you God and follow your command they would die.

Sadly, your children chose not to believe you God, nor did they do what you commanded. Their sin has been inherited by all mankind and also brought a curse on all creation—hard labor, death and decay.

Creator God, it’s difficult for us to conceive of the earth before the curse. Even now there are many lovely, serene places to enjoy. Even so, we know the earth is filled with evil and increasingly catastrophic destruction from weather, earthquakes and war. God, if not for your compassionate intervention, mankind would not survive.

Thank you for providing a way—a way through redemption to recover from rebellion.

After Adam and Eve disobeyed you God, as their children’s offspring multiplied and began to fill the earth, so did sin abound. But Lord, while you were deeply troubled by all the wickedness of humans, you found among them, Noah, a righteous man.

Because the earth was corrupt and full of violence you determined to destroy all people and the earth. Yet, Lord you called upon Noah and gave him a promise, to save him and his family and two of every living creature, male and female, and to keep them alive in an ark that Noah built.

Lord you guided and instructed Noah step by step and he was faithful to do all that you said. So when judgment came, rain for forty days and nights flooded the earth, and everything was destroyed except those who were safely inside the ark.

Almighty God, often I’ve thought about the judgment during Noah’s day and, according to the prophecies, a future judgment yet to come. Although, you promised Noah never to destroy the earth again by flood, even making a rainbow in the sky as a sign of your promise, it grieves me to think about a future judgment on the earth by fire. In times past there have been many who have died in a flame kindled by evil people, but this was not your doing. However, when a future judgment comes, it will be according to your perfect timing, according to your plans and purposes which stand firm through all generations because you are Holy God, just and righteous in all your ways.

Holy God, just and righteous, the prophets have recorded in the scriptures, warnings about a future judgement by fire, yet those who believe in you and keep your commands will be saved—safe with you Lord Jesus and safe from the wrath to come. And although we don’t know when the judgment will come, as the prophecies unfold, we will know it is you God.

God of all comfort, along with the warnings of judgment, you have written to us words of encouragement–after the judgment there is restoration. And although, we don’t know all the details of how this will be, we know that when the flood waters receded–Noah, his family and the animals with him came out of the ark and repopulated the earth–the mountains formed with rivers and streams in the valleys, you gave the seas boundaries on the land and your lovely trees and vegetation grew again.

Therefore we implore you Lord, empower your church to proclaim Salvation and teach new believers to live faithfully for you. The burden is great–so much work to do, so many people to reach, so many different languages to speak. However, I’m confident in an all-wise God, who long ago scattered people over all the earth, causing them to speak different languages–yes I’m certain Lord, you will provide a way for all the peoples of the earth to hear the message of Salvation, so they will know that God speaks their language.

Father God, faithful and true, one way we know that all peoples will hear the message of Salvation is because you promised Abraham, to make from him a great nation and to make him a blessing to all peoples on earth.

God my Savior, in your eyes, when Abraham believed your promises and obeyed, his faith was considered righteousness.

Then through his son Isaac, Abraham’s offspring multiplied to twelve tribes known as the Israelites and when the Israelites became so numerous that the king of Egypt felt threatened by them, he forced them into slavery.

In time, Moses, of the tribe of Levi, became a leader, whom you called and empowered to deliver your Hebrew people out of slavery. He led them out of Egypt to the land promised to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

God of wonders, with your mighty intervention, after wanderings and testing the Israelites came and settled in the Promised Land. And through Moses, you gave commandments, laws and decrees, a covenant with the Israelites and your glory dwelt with them in a tabernacle.

Eventually, King David, anointed by the Holy Spirit to be leader over the Israelites, established Jerusalem as the place of worship. Then his son, King Solomon, built the first temple.

Holy Lord, God Almighty, your glory filled the temple as you overshadowed your presence with a cloud.

This is why whenever the sky is dark with clouds, I imagine it’s time to rejoice with fearful reverence, for you are near.

Holy God, through your servant, Moses, you gave commands, expecting your people to live by your laws and decrees. And Lord Jesus, you said that all the laws and the Prophets hang on two commands:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.

Holy God, your laws included instructions for making sacrifices–sin offerings, fellowship offerings and guilt offerings.

Burnt offerings required an animal from either the herd or the flock, a male without defect. And Lord when thinking about the reality of this, a shepherd would need to select a young lamb without defect and then watch over it night and day, keeping it close to preserve it perfect for the sacrificial offering. From all his care over it, the little lamb would become a precious pet to the shepherd.

And then Lord, when the day came for making sacrifices on the alter, the shepherd would carry his spotless lamb on his shoulders–the lamb that had become dear to his heart, he would present to the priest, lay his hand on its head, (symbolic of the lamb taking his sins) and then slaughter his precious lamb. While the priest splashed the blood on the sides of the alter and laid the pieces of the lamb on the alter fire, I can only imagine the grief and revulsion felt by the shepherd—his beloved lamb had to die so horribly to make atonement for his sin.

So it was for you Messiah Jesus—Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

Messiah Jesus your appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being. You were despised and rejected by mankind. You were pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on you and by your wounds we are healed. Righteous servant you have justified many because you bore our sins.

Messiah Jesus, your birth in Bethlehem Judah was spoken of long ago by the prophet, Micah. Around 800 BC, he warned the Israelites of judgment for turning to idols and not keeping God’s commands. Yet, Micah also comforted his people with your promises of deliverance.

Lord you also spoke through Isaiah, a prophet during the time of Judah’s King Ahaz, promises of deliverance by the Messiah–God with us, Immanuel, born of a virgin.

And Lord you were spoken of through many other prophecies so that we would know that God came to earth, born as a human—God, yet fully human, the perfect Son of God, who lived with his people and died for his people to save us from our sin.

Also, to save us from the wrath to come.

As recorded in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

We are forever grateful God our Savior for your marvelous mercies, your glorious grace—by faith in your gift of Salvation—your sacrificial death on the cross–we have wonderful peace of sins forgiven and by faith in your resurrection, we are overflowing with joy of new life in Christ.

And even though we share in your sufferings righteous servant, Savior, Lord-we will also share in your glory.

For now, the children of God are waiting for your return Lord Jesus. We have an inward longing for transformation to be completed and all creation awaits with us too in hope of restoration.

For in this hope, we were saved (Romans 8:24).

We are saved from eternal separation from you, Almighty God, our creator, our deliverer from the wrath to come—we are saved from the judgment on those who disobey and continue following after Satan.

Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth (1Chronicles 16:33).

Longsuffering Lord over all creation—you love all people and long for all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Gracious God, we share in your grief over those who continue to reject the Salvation you have brought to them. However, we share in your joy over the multitudes of people who have become part of the family by faith in the Son.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1Thessalonians 5:9).

But after the wrath–Son of God, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords–you will bring healing and restoration–the mountains and hills will sing while the trees clap their hands.

Lord of all creation, when you come again in power and majesty you will dwell with your people again, king over all the earth from your throne in Jerusalem. And Jerusalem will be a praise in all the earth.

When you restore the earth, you will put in the desert, the cedar, acacia, myrtle and olive trees and in the wasteland, you will plant junipers, firs and cypress trees and everyone will know that this could have been done only by you Lord.

For there is no God like you who saves his people.

Notes:

Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-9; Luke 19:28-44; John 18:10-11; Isaiah 53:10-12; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17; Luke 10:18; Jude 6; Revelation 12: 3, 4, 7-9; Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalm 96:11-13; Psalm 98:7-9; Psalm 145:21; Joel 2:21-23; Psalm 19:1-4; Psalm 65:5-13; Psalm 8:1-9; Psalm 148; Job 38:7,36,41; 39:27; 1Chron 16:31-33; Isaiah 41:18-20; Isaiah 52:14; 53:3,5,11; Leviticus 1:1-17; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:21; Romans 8:18-25 Isaiah 55:12-13; Isaiah 60:13