Day 15, Monday: ‘Tis For You

by Pastor Brian Petak

“To Jesus prayer is everything; it’s a duty as well as a privilege, a right as well as a responsibility. We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but Jesus wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there’s nothing else we can do, but Jesus wants us to pray before we do anything at all.”

~ Oswald Chambers, Prayer, p. 7.

Meditation

Think about what Jesus did for you as you read this out loud:

‘Tis you that God entertained thoughts of restoring after your miserable fall into dreadful depravity and corruption, and into danger of the dreadful misery that unavoidably follows upon it; ’tis for you in particular that God gave his Son, yea, his only Son, and sent him into the world; ’tis for you that the Son of God so freely gave himself; ’tis for you that he was born, died, rose again and ascended, and intercedes; ’tis to you that there the free application of the fruit of these things is made: all this is done perfectly and altogether freely, without any of your effort, without any of your righteousness or strength; wherefore, let your life be spent in praises to God. 

Jonathan Edwards, 18th Century Pastor During the Great Awakening – Princeton, New Jersey

Call to Worship

Hear God call you to worship through his word:

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire^[c] in his temple.

Psalm 27:4

Adoration

Pray this praise to God:

Fairest Lord Jesus,
ruler of all nature,
O thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish,
Thee will I honor,
thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.

Fair are the meadows,
fairer still the woodlands,
robed in the blooming garb of spring:
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer
who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
fairer still the moonlight,
and all the twinkling starry host:
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
than all the angels heaven can boast.

Beautiful Savior!
Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
praise, adoration,
now and forevermore be thine.

Joseph Seiss, 19th Century Lutheran Pastor, Teacher and Hymnwriter – Philadephia, PA

Confession of Sin

Confess your sins to God:

Almighty and most merciful Father, you hate nothing that you have made, nor desire the death of a sinner–look down with mercy upon me, and grant that I may turn from my wickedness and live. Forgive the days and years which I have passed in folly, idleness, and sin. Fill me with such sorrow for the time misspent, that I may amend my life according to your holy Word, strengthen me against habitual idleness, and enable me to direct my thoughts to the performance of every duty; that while I live I may serve you in the state in which you shall call me, and at last by a holy and happy death be delivered from the struggles and sorrows of this life, and obtain eternal happiness by your mercy, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ Samuel Johnson, 18th Century English scholar and writer, author of Johnson’s Dictionary, persevered faithfully despite OCD and Tourette Syndrome – London, England.

Assurance of Pardon

Receive these words of comfort from God:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 2:1-2

Prayer of Intercession

As you make your requests to God, pray this prayer:

O Lord, to you all glory and honor belong – may your marvelous works be known throughout the whole earth, and may the force of your power overthrow your enemies and ours; grant also to us that we may be so settled by the afflictions that you send us, that we may never cease to praise your mercy and goodness, which is abundantly shown to us in your dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.

The Scottish Collects (1595)

Further Petition

Pray for:

• Personal: pray, as you and your family walk through Holy Week, that God will remind you – and each of them – through His Spirit, of the significance of what was accomplished for your salvation and eternal destiny this week, in Christ.
• Church: pray the same for all who attend or are considering attending The Ascent Church.
• Community: pray for those in our community who need to experience the hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for all who would accept Him.
• World: pray for believers worldwide to also be reminded, through the Holy Spirit, of the significance of what was accomplished for their salvation and eternal destiny this week, in Christ.

Connect the Heart

Consider the following questions to better connect your head and your heart:

1. What did God show you about Himself through today’s devotional?
2. What did God show you about yourself through today’s devotional?
3. What is something you need to surrender to God today as you pursue greater intimacy with Him?

Benediction

As you close your time of meditation and devotion, receive by faith this blessing from God:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:13

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_{Content for our 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting devotionals is adapted from several sources, books on prayer, meditations and liturgies, drawing heavily from O Sacred Head, Now Wounded by Jonathan Gibson (copyright 2024 by Crossway)}