A Method for Prayer01 Matthew Henry
And now, Lord, what wait we for? Truly our hope is even in you: Deliver us from all our transgressions, that we may not be the reproach of the foolish. Psalm 39:7, 8.
Lord, all our desire is before you, and our groaning is not hidden from you; even the groanings which cannot be uttered: For he that searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit. Psalm
38:9. Romans 8:26, 27.
We do not think that we shall be heard for our much speaking; for our Father knows what things we have need of before we ask him; but our Master hath told us, that whatsoever we ask the Father in his name he will give it us. And he hath said, Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may befull. Matthew 6.7, 8. John 16:23, 24.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hearth us: And ifwe know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:14, 15.
1. WE MUST EARNESTLY PRAY FOR THE PARDON AND FORGIVENESS OF ALL OUR SINS.
Lord, we come to you, as the poor publican, which stood afar off, and would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven but smote upon his breast; and we pray his prayer, God be merciful to us sinners. The God of infinite mercy be merciful to us. Luke 18:13.
O wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin, for we acknowledge our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us. O purge us with hyssop and we shall be clean, wash us and we shall be whiter than snow: Hide your face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities. Psalm 51:2, 3, 7, 9.
Be merciful to our unrighteousness, and our sins and our iniquities do you remember no more. O forgive us that great debt. Hebrews
Let us bejustified freely by your grace through the redemption that is in Jesus, from all those things from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses. Romans 3:24. Acts 13:39.
O let not our iniquity be our ruin; but let the Lord take away our sin that we may not die, not die eternally: that we may not be hurt of the second death. Ezekiel 18:30.
2 Samuel 12:13. Revelation 2:11.
Blot out as a cloud our transgressions, and as a thick cloud our sins; for we return unto you because you have redeemed us. Isaiah 44:22.
Enter not into judgment with your servants, O Lord, for in your sight shall no flesh living be justified. Psalm 143:2.
Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; Heal our backslidings, and love us freely, and let your anger be turned away from us; for in you the fatherless finds mercy. Hosea 14:2, 4, 3.
Though our sins have been as scarlet, let them be as white as snow, and though they have been red like crimson, let them be as wool, that being willing and obedient, we may eat the good of the land.
We will say unto God, Do not condemn us, but deliver us from going down to the pit, for you have found the ransom. Job 10:2. Job
For the encouraging of our faith, and the exciting of our fervency in this petition for the pardon of sin, we may plead with God, 1.1. The infinitegoodness of His nature, His readiness toforgive sin, and His glorying in it.
You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and rich in mercy to all of them that call upon you. You are a God full of compassion and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psa/m
You are a God of pardons, merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; that dost not always chide, nor keep your anger forever.
Nehemiah 9:17. Psalm 103.9.
You, even you are he that blots out our transgressions for your own sake, and will not remember our sins, which we are here to put you in remembrance of, to plead with you and to declare that we may be justified. Isaiah 43:25, 26.
And now we beseech you, let the power of our Lord be great, according as you have spoken, saying, The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Pardon, we beseech you, the iniquity of your people, according unto the greatness of your mercy; and as you have forgiven, even until now.
Numbers 14:17, 18, 19.
For who is a God like unto you, that pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of your heritage, who retains not your anger forever, because you delight in mercy. O that you would have compassion upon us, and subdue our iniquities, and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18, 19.
1.2. The merit and righteousness of our LordJesus Christ, which we rely upon as our mainplea in ourpetitionfor thepardon of sin.
We know that as you are gracious and merciful, so you are the righteous God that loveth righteousness, and will by no means clear the guilty. We cannot say, Have patience with us, and we will pay you all; for we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness as filthy rags. But Jesus Christ is made of God to us righteousness; being made sin for us, though he knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Psa/m 11:7.
Exodus 34:7. Matthew 18:26. Isaiah 64:6. 1 Corinthians 1:30. 2
We have sinned, but we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1, 2.
Itis God that justifies, who is he that shall condemn? Itis Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, and now is even at the right hand of God; who also makes intercession for us, and whose blood speaks better things than that of Abel. Romans 8:33, 34. Hebrews
We desire to count everything loss for Christ; and dung that we may win Christ, and be found in him, not having any righteousness of our own, but that which is through the faith of Christ.
This is the name whereby we will call him, The Lord Our Righteousness. In him, Lord, we believe, help our unbelief. Jeremiah 23:6. Mark 9:24.
Lord, remember David and all his troubles, the Son of David.
Remember all his offerings and accept his burnt sacrifice; and turn not away the face of your anointed; who by his own blood is entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
Psalm 132:1. Psalm 20:3. Psalm 132:10. Hebrews 13:12. Hebrews 9.24.
Have not you yourself set forth your Son Christ Jesus to be a propitiation for sin through faith in his blood, to declare your righteousness for the remission of sins, to declare at this time your righteousness, that you mayest be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus; And we now receive the atonement.
Romans 3:25, 26. Romans 5:11.
1.3. Thepromises God hath made in His word topardon and absolve all of them that truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holygospel.
Lord, is not this the word which you have spoken, that if the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and return unto the Lord, even to our God, that you will abundantly pardon, will multiply to pardon? Isaiah 55:7.
To you the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against you. Daniel 9:9.
Is not this the covenant which you have made with the house of Israel, that you will take away their sins; that you will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more; that the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found? Romans 11:27. Jeremiah 31:34. Jeremiah
Have you not said, that if the wicked will turn from all his sins which he hath committed, and keep your statutes, he shall live, he shall not die, all his transgressions shall not be mentioned unto him?
Have you not appointed that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in Christ's name unto all nations? Luke 24:47.
Didst you not promise, that when the sins of Israel were put upon the head of the scapegoat, they should be sent away into the wilderness, into a land not inhabited? And as far as the east is from the west, so far dost you remove our transgressions from us. Leviticus
16:21, 22. Psalm 103:12.
O remember these words unto your servants, upon which you have caused us to hope. Psalm 119.49.
1.4, Our own misery anddanger becauseof sin.
Foryour name's sake, O Lord, pardon our iniquity, for it is great; for innumerable evils have compassed us about, our iniquities have taken hold upon us, so that we are not able to look up. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver us; O Lord, make haste to help us. Psalm 25:11.
O remember not against us former iniquities, let your tender mercies speedily prevent us, for we are brought very low. Help us,