Salvation

O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done marvelous things,
things planned long ago.

In that day they will say,
"Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." (Isa. 25 NIV)

This past weekend I traveled out of state to visit my parents, sisters, and their families. In the process of the weekend visit I was thinking about an upcoming worship series at our church that, in part, talks about the end times. And I was grieving for the selfishness and pain and sorrow in our world.

While I know that all these things are the norm in a "bent" world (CS Lewis's term), I also know that they will be eliminated only after Christ's return and the start of the New Heaven and New Earth. In the meantime, there are millions of people languishing in sin, sorrow, selfishness, and without the trust in Christ for their future. Would you join me in praying for their salvation?

God,

O LORD, you are our God; We will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

You said you want to draw all people to you - that you want all to be saved from eternity without you. We claim that promise for these loved ones and friends that we name now ....

....for my cousin and her family - that they would know Jesus as the Messiah they have awaited

...for my uncle, aunt, and cousin - that they would come back to the Truth, Way, and Life you offer

...for my relative whose "fruit" is destructive in the family - replace that heart of stone with a heart for your love alone and let it then flow out to bless the family

... We pray that your salvation would spring up within them, that they would be drawn by your Spirit into your arms of love. We pray they would accept this gift of grace you offer to them and trust you for their salvation, their purpose, their healing, and their abundant life lived in you. We pray they would then rejoice in their salvation and live lives pleasing and honoring to your Kingdom. Lord Jesus, it's in your name we pray....Amen.