A Humble Prayer of Petition (Also Useful for a Congregational Prayer)

O God,
There is nothing that precedes you in time,
Nothing that rivals you in power,
Nothing that outshines you in glory.
But from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
It is to you, alone, we raise our humble prayer.

You are the origin of all that is excellent.
You are the author of all well-spoken words,
The architect behind every wise plan,
The builder of each enduring wonder.

In your thinking, you are clean.
In your wanting, you are right.
In your loving, you are faithful.
From your invisible, eternal perfections,
You speak and you act
To redeem your people
And to reveal your immortal greatness
Among all nations of the earth.

Yet who are we?
Who are we that you would hear our humble prayer?
You are the Potter who formed us from clay.
You are the Spirit who filled us with breath.
You are the Gardener who fed us from your fruits.
Whatever we are, whatever we have –
It is not ours, for it all comes from you.
Who are we, that we would receive such things?

Especially as we consider –
We are but humble sinners offering this prayer.
We have misused your gifts.
We have mistreated other people.
We have mistakenly neglected you and your Word.
Instead,
We have been swayed by cultural ideas and emotional appeals,
We have been stubborn in our selfish demands,
And we have been seduced by the tempter’s schemes.
We are guilty of iniquity, doing what is wrong.
And we are guilty of inactivity, failing to do what is right.

But we give you thanks and praise,
For you have set your love upon us.
Though we were dead in our sins,
You raised us from the silent grave.
Though we were enemies against your kingdom,
You led us to repentance and reconciled us.
Though we were strangers to you,
You called us and gave us covenant promises.

Your greatness is magnified for all to see
Both because the gifts you give
are exceedingly good.
And because those receiving your gifts
are exceedingly unworthy.
Only a God of infinite greatness
Would have it in his heart to pour out such love
To creatures so unlovely and unloving.

God, our God,
Lord of heaven and earth,
Great Commander of angels and men,
Supreme King over time and space,
Over heights and depths,
Over life and death,
O Living and True God,

Grant it to us,
That you would fill us with your truth
And your light, and your love.
Drive out of us all affections
For greed, gossip, and gross immoralities.
Flood our inner being,
to put our unbelief to death.
Use your whip to drive hypocrisy
From the temple of our hearts.
Drive nails into the hands and feet
Of our selfishness.

And raise us up, to live with Christ.
Raise us up, into heavenly fellowship.
Raise us up, to adopt new concerns and customs.
Raise us up, to shine with Christ’s glory
Even as we live on earth.

Please hear our humble prayer.
And through us, your servants,
Whether in affliction or in abundance,
Bring honor and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ.
And it’s in his great name we ask these things,
AMEN.