Lord, hear our prayer:

Wonderful God! We thank you for your gifts of freedom, hope, joy and mercy–gifts we simply do not deserve. We are grateful that we do not have to be in any doubt as to the reality of your love for us. Every time we think of Jesus, we thank you for the demonstration of your concern in him; for his life of gentle, firm, persistent love; for his death for us in our place and for his resurrection which has guaranteed our place in your kingdom. We thank you too for your church; for those who down the centuries and all across the world today have experienced your love in their lives; for those who have responded to the good news of Jesus and through their faithful witness have made it possible for us to hear it for ourselves. Thank you for the infilling, overwhelming power and presence of the Holy Spirit; for the way he lifts us up, transforms our lives and is the source of the thankfulness that wells up within us. We bring our thanks in the name of Christ our Lord.

Amen.

David Clowes, 500 Prayers For All Occasions © 2003 by David C Cook Publishing
Used by permission. All rights reserved.