Day 3, Wednesday: O Christ, our King, Creator, Lord

by Pastor Brian Petak

“The biggest reason for why God asks us to pray – a reason we can’t avoid – is this: Scripture insists that God has hard-wired the universe in such a way that He works primarily through prayer. God has set up creation so that the way He does His work is through the prayers of His children. At the moment we pray, we become subject to the most powerful force in the universe.”

~ David Jeremiah, The Prayer Matrix, p. 44.

Meditation

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

“For, as death came upon the human race by the disobedience of man, it was fitting that by man’s obedience life should be restored. And, as sin the cause of our condemnation, had its origin from a woman, so ought the author of our righteousness and salvation to be born of a woman. And so also was it proper that the devil, who, being man’s tempter, had conquered him in eating of the tree, should be vanquished by man in the suffering on the tree which man bore.”

Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, 11th Century, Normandy & England

Call to Worship

Hear God call you to worship through his word:

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5-8

Adoration

Pray this praise to God:

O Christ, our King, Creator, Lord
Savior of all who trust Thy word
To them who seek Thee ever near
Now to our praises bend Thine ear

In Thy dear cross a grace is found
It flows from every streaming wound
Whose power our inbred sin controls
Breaks the firm bond and frees our souls

Thou didst create the stars of night
Yet Thou hast veiled in flesh Thy light
Hast deigned a mortal form to wear
A mortal’s painful lot to bear

When Thou didst hang upon the tree
The quaking earth acknowledged Thee
When Thou didst there yield up Thy breath
The world grew dark as shades of death

No in the Father’s glory high
Great Conqueror never more to die
Us by Thy mighty power defend
And reign through ages without end

~ Gregory the Great, 6th Century Bishop

Confession of Sin

Confess your sins to God:

O Lord, I do not deserve a glimpse of heaven, and I am unable with my works to redeem myself from sin, death, the devil, and hell. Nevertheless, you have given me your Son, Jesus Christ, who is far more precious and dear than heaven, and much stronger than sin, death, the devil, and hell. For this I rejoice, praise, and thank you, O God. Without cost and out of pure grace you have given me this boundless blessing in your dear Son. Through him you take sin, death, and hell from me, and do grant me all that belongs to him. Amen.

~ Martin Luther, 16th Century Reformer and Bible Translator, Wittenburg, Germany

Assurance of Pardon

Receive these words of comfort from God:

⁴ Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6

Prayer of Intercession

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

Give us faith in all the truths of your Word; may we be daily moved by the terrors of the Lord, and invited by your mercy. May we meditate on the awful punishments denounced against the wicked, and call to mind the reward which you have promised unto those who please you by patient continuance in well-doing. And thus may we be prepared to make every sacrifice to which you may be pleased to call us. And may we consider all our interests in this life as of no value compared with the eternal welfare of our souls. May we seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, trusting that all things which are needful for the body shall be added unto us. Amen.

~ Henry Thornton, 18th Century Slavery Abolitionist with William Wilberforce

Further Petition

Pray for:

• Personal: pray for those in your family to draw closer to God through His Word, His Spirit and His people.
• Church: pray for The Ascent Church – for effective discipleship in our children’s ministry, student ministry and ministry to young adults.
• Community: pray for each of us to have an impact in our neighborhood, pointing those we come in contact with to Christ.
• World: pray for Gospel effectiveness through the ministries of our Global Partnerships in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ethiopia and Germany.

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 grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

2 Peter 1:2

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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)}