Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” (Genesis 3:8-10).
Heavenly Father, You are the one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6). You are the Lord Most High...awesome, the great King over all the earth (Psalm 47:2).
Omnipresent God, You are not far from any one of us. ‘For in [You] we live and move and have our being' (Acts 17:27-28). Yet, quite often, it is we who wander, or drift away from You, our naked hearts exposed by the knowledge that we have broken Your commands.
And still You seek us, as You did the man and his wife in the garden, longing to clothe us in your compassion and Your righteousness, longing to restore us to spiritual health, and hope, and healing.
Oh Father, uproot the seeds of stubborn resistance, pride and rebellion in us! Let this not be our dire reality, "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2).
Cleanse us, O Lord, forgive our sins and hear us. Deliver us from the evil that surround us and the from the evil within us. You have instructed us to "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7).
We are reminded by the apostle Paul of the promise You made, “In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” We are reminded of the urgency, "I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Thank You that we can cry out for your favor today. O cover us with the shelter of Your redemptive power!
Thank You O Lord, for Your promise of pardon. We cry out for a world that is lost and running away from You—exposed to every kind of danger and darkness. We cry out for the sake of our children, and for the new generations.
We pray, in the words of Your servant David, "Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior" (Psalm 27:9).
According to your kindness and compassion, have mercy upon us, O Lord!
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