LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.
Isaiah 33:2 (NIV)
Father God, Lord Jesus, Precious Holy Spirit, my soul longs for You! In my most inner being I long to not only see You, but to dwell in Your presence! Psalm 42 declares it so eloquently for me, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God (Psalm 42:1-2)?” That, my God, is my soul’s deepest longing! That I might dwell in Your presence this day and everyday!
I come before You this morning, as the songwriter declares, “With my hands lifted up, and my mouth filled with praise!” LORD, You are my strength and my salvation. You are my Provider and strong Deliverer. In Your unfailing love You have given me grace upon grace (John 1:16). Words cannot begin to express the joy that I have because of Your presence in my life. I can declare emphatically, “It is well with my soul!”
Though Isaiah prophesied a deep, heart-felt request for You to be gracious in the midst of Your judgment, asking for Your strength and salvation in the midst of their distress, my request comes clinging to the hope that You have filled me with by the Holy Spirit, a hope that has as its foundation the finished work of my Savior and the unfailing, promised deliverance from my Father! You, oh God, have said it and it shall come to pass!
I thank You today that I am not my own, but have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). Thank You for drawing me from afar off nigh unto You (Ephesians 2:13). Thank You for adopting me into Your glorious family, no longer leaving me as an orphan (Romans 8:15). Thank You for calling me Your own, Your prized possession (1 Peter 2:9). You ARE gracious to me! You ARE my strength, this morning and every morning! You ARE my salvation! Glory to Your Name! I worship You. I praise You. And I thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.