“Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (KJV, Ps. 50:14-15).
“Offer”
Father, I thank You for offering up Christ on the sacrificial altar. I see my need for Him this day, and I pray that You would forgive me for my sin. I come to You with nothing to bring, but I come pleading for Your mercy. You have called me to give my life to You as an offering, and I pray that You would help me to yield to Your will and commands.
I see that I am to offer myself as a living sacrifice and that if I offer myself in this way, this is pleasing to You. I also see that I am not to be conformed to this world, but that I must seek to be renewed through the transformation of my mind. Help me to honor You in this way. Give me a clear understanding of Your Word, and I pray that Your Word would captivate my mind.
“unto God”
I see that I am to offer my worship unto You, O God. In this command, I see Your greatness. You and You alone are worthy of glory, honor, dominion, power, and might. To You alone can majesty be ascribed. You alone are high and lifted up, and it is your train that fills Your temple.
To You alone does salvation belong. Jesus, You are the Author and Finisher of my faith. You are the Creator God, Who has existed throughout all eternity, and of Whom it has been said that the angels worship and adore.
Even the angels cannot look upon Your greatness or stand upon the holy ground on which You are enthroned. Your majesty is remarkable, and Your humility is unsearchable. Jesus, You humbled Yourself to become a servant and to endure the death of a sinner upon a cross.
Unto You, God, do I offer my life. Take me and keep me close to You. I see that my heart is prone to wander, and I need Your divine assistance to keep me close.
“thanksgiving”
Thank You for not giving up on me. I see many reasons as to why I would merit Your estrangement. I do not honor You as I ought to. I am far from whom You have called me to be. I see that there is a law waging war within and that I often give into my flesh.
But Your steadfast love toward me gives me many reasons to be thankful. You have never given up on me, although I often give up on myself. You have shown me Your ways and Your Word, but as You show me, I see how far I am from Christ in practical experience.
Nevertheless, I see that in Christ, I have been made holy, righteous, pure, and clean. I thank You that I stand before You with the merits of Another. I thank You that when You look upon my helpless state, You see Your beloved Son.
Christ has been given much honor for His work, and in Christ’s exaltation, I rejoice. I thank You that I have an Advocate with the Father and that He stands before You as righteous. I thank You for my great Mediator, Jesus Christ, the God-Man.
I thank You that when my heart fails me and I grow weak, You are the strength of my heart. I thank You that when the challenges and difficulties of life come my way, I can find my place of refuge in You.
“and pay thy vows unto the most High”
Father, I pray that You would help me to do that which I have told You I would do. I pray that You would teach me to take seriously my commitment to You. I see that my receiving of Christ is not simply something that I have done to keep me from punishment. When I accepted the blood of the covenant, I have also accepted Christ’s Lordship in my life and vowed obedience to You and Your will.
What is Your will? Please show me. Show me how I ought to live and how I can be pleasing in Your sight. Empower me by Your Holy Spirit to grow in my love for my Savior and be convicted concerning Christlikeness.
“And call upon me”
Father, I need Your help. I cannot walk in what You have called me to walk without You. I pray that You would help me to see that You have given me everything that I need for life and godliness. I pray that You would help me to see that You have given me Your Holy Spirit and united me with Christ. I pray that You would help me to see that I am in Christ and Christ is in me. I pray that You would help me to see that I have died to sin, and that in Christ, I now walk in newness of life.
Please show me who I am. Please help me to believe what the Bible says about me. Please help me to fight against what my experience tells me or what the enemy seeks to tell me. You have given me a new name and a new heart. I have been adopted into Your family. I am no longer under the law, but I am under grace. I can call upon You, my Father, Who are ready to give me grace to help me in my time of need.
“in the day of trouble”
I see many troubling events in my life. I find that life is difficult and that life did not get easier when I became a Christian. I see that prior to Christ, I did whatever I wanted to do. Now, in Christ, I am called to live for Another, and my flesh wars against a life lived for You.
Trouble besets me often, both within and outside of me. I find that I must look to Christ, Who has told me that tribulation will come, but I can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world.
Teach me to look up rather than horizontally. Teach me to look beyond my circumstances and to see Jesus. You have told me that You will never leave me or forsake me, and in this promise, I find great comfort when times of tribulation come my way.
“I will deliver thee”
You are my deliverer. Help me to never forget that You have told me to look to You for deliverance. Teach me to never look to this world for deliverance. You delivered the Israelites from their bondage, and You have also delivered me from bondage. You delivered David from the hand of Saul, and You have also delivered me from my enemies, as well. You have delivered me from death and transferred me out the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of Christ.
“and thou shalt glorify me”
You are worthy to be glorified and honored. I find that I can get distracted in this world with my own selfish pursuits. Please forgive me, and help me to live a life that is pleasing in Your sight. You have told me that I was created to worship and glorify You. I am told that I am to glorify You and enjoy You forever. I find that when I do not live to glorify You, I lack joy in my life.
Please, would You align my heart with Yours, and show me the path that I must walk? Please help me to look upon Christ, of Whom it has been said that He always pleased You in everything that He did. Christ is an amazing Savior, and I pray that You would make me like Him. Show me how I can glorify You. Teach me Your Word, and cause it to take root.
Convict me by Your Holy Spirit. Burden my heart concerning prayer. May You be magnified and greatly adored in my life. May I reflect the light of Christ in this dark world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.