Lord God,
Count me among your people. Number me among the faithful. See my love for you in the service that I give. Note my devotion in the offerings that I bring. Look upon me, Father God, as your child, and bring me into the safety of your fold; for, I am lost without you, Lord. I am simply a number if I do not belong to your family. There is no hope of salvation if you are not my God, no forgiveness and grace if I am not one of your people. I need you, Lord, to redeem me from my sins. I need you to rescue me from the destructive power they have over my life.
Without you, God, my life is forfeited. It's the price I pay for the sins I've committed against you, against others, and against myself. My envy, gossip, hypocrisy, and pride have racked up a debt I can never pay. My carelessness, laziness, arrogance, and greed have kept me far away from your presence and grace. The damage I've done with my selfishness is so great, I cannot begin to heal it. The guilt I've accrued will surely bury me, if I cannot be reconciled to you.
Lord, forgive me for the hurtful things that I do to others without thinking, for I know that my actions speak louder than my words. Forgive me when I am cruel and unkind. Forgive me when I don't pause to consider how the things that I do and say will affect others, when I act as if I live in a vacuum, as if I'm the center of the universe, where all things revolve around me.
Forgive me when I don't make time for you, or put you first in my life. Forgive me when my own comfort is more important than your mission, and my desires are more consequential than your truth and grace. Forgive me when I'm less interested in worshiping you than I am in what I want to do. Forgive me when I don't live as a sinner who is saved by grace, but more like a self-righteous jerk who thinks they can make their own way.
Help me, God, to change my ways. Help me, Lord, to be different today. Warm, and soften my cold, hard, heart; and fill me with your grace. Guide me by the truth of your word, and sanctify me by the power of your Spirit. Help me to live for you today and count me among your people.
In the name of your firstborn Son, I pray, by his grace and for his glory, Amen, and amen!
