“I (Paul) became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace… This grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ…” Eph. 3:7-8
Heavenly Father, I woke up grateful for the various voices and vehicles, pastors and pointers, authors and artists by which you enrich my life with the Gospel. Each of us has a cloud of witnesses as varied as the clouds you hang in the sky. Thank you for the women and men who make the Gospel beautiful and believable to us. Grace-fountains that spring up to slake our deepest thirst. Rescuers who find us in our prone-to-wander seasons. Heralds of hope you send when we are most desperate or most deceived by false hopes.
Who are they? They are parents and Sunday School teachers, Young Life leaders and campus ministry directors. They also include angelic visitations and tenacious roommates, total strangers and totally awesome podcasters, book-writers we’ll only meet in heaven and songwriters we listen to every day.
Grandmothers who prayed for us and grandchildren who play with us. Old cassette tapes somewhere in the attic and sun-faded book covers adorning our shelves. Missionaries who showed up and friends who will not give up. Thank you heavenly Father for the servants of the Gospel you send us in all shapes and sizes.
From eternity to Genesis to Revelation—between our first birth and our new birth, from the Day we enter the new heaven and new earth and for the next 10 forevers—only you are worthy of our worship, love, and praise, Abba. Thank you for seeking and saving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to be our “righteousness, holiness, and redemption.” Thank you for giving us the Spirit by whom you sealed us as your children and are making us like Jesus. Thank you for the Gospel, period. Hallelujah, thank you, and So Very Amen.
