Prayer (reflecting on John 3:22-30)

O Triune God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit,

My times are in your hands. Indeed, there is nothing that I have which you have not given me.

There is no gifting that didn’t come from your hand. Any ability I have—whether to think, write, teach, preach, administer—all has come from you. Any praise that I receive for my abilities really belongs to you.

There is no gift that didn’t come from your hand. My parents and sister, wife and children, came from you; they are all gifts of grace to me. The house in which we live, the possession which we use, the calling in which I labor, all has come from you.

Above all, there is no spiritual gift that does not come you—especially, the forgiveness and righteousness that come through faith in Jesus.

Over and again, Lord, you remind me that without you, I can do nothing. It is only by your Spirit, by your grace, that anything I do gets done.

Please forgive me for believing that somehow this gifting and these gifts are mine, and not yours; that human beings are the ones who give me a place in this world; that my worth is based on how human beings appraise or praise me; that I am self-sufficient.

Please forgive me for not believing that the Gospel is true, whether I feel it is or not; that you love me even if people do not; that you have a place for me, even if it is to be a celebrant at a wedding feast; that your empowerment is as vital as breath.

O Lord Jesus, please increase in my life, my heart, my sight. Please allow me to decrease in my life, my heart, my sight. And may my greatest joy, my complete joy, be in you receiving great praise and honor in the lives of others.

Once again, Lord, I give myself clear away. I’ve done this before; I will do it again. But this day, I give you myself to use in your kingdom however you see fit.

Above all, O Triune God, do not cast me away; find some use for me in your Kingdom. Let me know the complete joy that comes from serving the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In the strong name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.