Ep 35: A Prayer for Those Still Striving

This is episode 35 of the Simply Sabbath podcast.

In this episode. I want to pray for those of us who find ourselves still striving for God’s favor. Those of us who know that we are saved by grace through faith. And yet, yet, there’s still a little bit of us that thinks that it’s up to us. That it’s is on our shoulders to find favor with God. That is on our shoulders to do the things that would make God happy with us.

So I would like to pray for us right now.

Lord Jesus, thank you for the beautiful day that you’ve given us. For another day to breathe and to live and to work and to rest.

Lord, you created us, you set us into the space so that you can walk alongside of us and to have a relationship with us. You long for humanity to be in communion with you. And you set it up to be so.

But sin has broken that. We understand that. And so we mourn that sin but we celebrate the fact that you made a way. You made a way for us to return to that Eden-like status. That intimacy with you.

You’ve made a way for us to return to that moment where you take up residence with us.

And commune with us, just like you did in the garden. Through your death and resurrection, you bring us back into a state where we are with you. Always. You will never leave us nor forsake us. Lord, you dwell with us continually through your spirit.

And so Lord, we thank you for that. We thank you that you are the Lord of the Sabbath, that you. Have given us a Sabbath rest.

And we ask you now to forgive us for the times that we thought it was of our own doing. We ask for your forgiveness for in the time set in our pride, we thought we could do better then what you have asked us. Which is to simply rest in you and in your provision, your sacrifice.

Lord, we ask for your forgiveness for the times where we have strived to do this on our own.

To do more and be more in and seek more outside of your provision, Lord.

We are sorry for the times we thought we could be enough.

Lord, we’re sorry for the times we thought we were more than we truly were.

Where the times we played God. We took up your position, your role.

Lord. We know we are saved by grace through faith, but sometimes we think it is of ourselves. Sometimes we get caught up in our righteousness and our goodness. And we forget that we only have that righteousness and that goodness, because you stepped in. And took our place.

And so Lord, we ask that you would forgive us now of those moments where we have been prideful, where we have thought more highly of ourselves than we should have.

And Lord we ask that you would give us a humble spirit, that you would help us to rest in your provision. That we remember that you are God, not us. That we would surrender our lives. That we would submit our work and our productivity. That we would stop our striving and summit to your rest. That we would humble ourselves under your Sabbath banner and that we would live life with you. Dwelling with you. Walking with you. Communing with you.

Lord we ask that you would give us a spirit of boldness and courage to live the life that you’ve called us to one that requires us to trust you. Fully.

And it’s hard sometimes to put words on it, Lord, but we know it. We know when we’re not doing that. We know when we’re trying to do it on our own, we’re trying to do it of our own work. Our own striving. And so we asked that you would give us eyes to see when those moments come up, a humble heart to take a step back, and Lord help us to really trust you.

Lord, I ask all these things in your precious and holy name. Amen.