My prayer this morning is based on a prayer from John Piper’s book, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ.

Almighty and merciful God, we exult in the reflection of your might and your mercy, your power, and your tenderness in your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We rejoice in the strength of his lion-like power and in the tenderness of his lamb-like meekness. He is holy and humble. Great and lowly. Exalted and was yet despised.

We take heart from his incomparable combination of excellencies. It reassures us that there is none like him, and that he is not a mere man like others.

There is no one like our Savior.

O grant us, in our brash indifference, to tremble before the Lion of Judah and to humble ourselves under his fierce holiness.

May we not think small thoughts about Jesus. Help us to rightly revere his majesty.

And grant us, in our brokenness and fear, to gather courage from the lion- like Lamb.

May we not hesitate to come boldly to the throne of grace through our sympathetic high priest, our great Mediator.

Might we not fear to come before You, to open all before you, since we have such a great high priest who humbled himself to share in flesh and blood.

Oh, how we need the whole Christ! Open our eyes to see the fullness of his excellence. Remove the lopsided and distorted images of your Son that weaken our worship and lame our obedience.

May the power of the Lion and the love of the Lamb make our faith in Christ unshakable.

Deliver us from small dreams and timid ventures and halting plans. Embolden us. Strengthen us. Make us love with fierce and humble love. Let us share the confidence of the Lion of Judah that gave him the will to die like a Lamb and rise in everlasting joy. And in it all, grant that all might see the glory of Christ and that you might be honored through him. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Let’s continue to worship the Lord this morning as we give to his glory out of the abundance he has provided for us.