“A Shield of Grace Over my Entire Wretched Life”

I love prayers written by other Christians who have gone before us.  So often they give words to what I feel but don’t know how to express.

As a perfect example, I was reading Pastor Weedon’s blog last night when I came across this wonderful prayer from Bo Giertz:

My dear heavenly Father, You know that I am hesitant and filled with fear when I stand before You. How do I dare? You know me completely. And I think about the endless abyss between Your holy being and my human pettiness. Everything I received from You has been soiled and damaged. I am ashamed to show it, and yet You let me come before You. Because of Jesus, I can come to You as Your child. Although You know everything about me and have seen every sin, You let me come – with everything I am ashamed of, everything that hurts, everything that doesn’t have to do with You. I now lay it all at Your feet and pray for Your mercy. You have stretched Your atonement over me like a shield of grace over my entire wretched life. Praise be to You for Your incomprehensible and inexhaustible mercifulness, in Jesus’ name. Amen. –Bishop Bo Giertz, *To Live with Christ* p. 340.