I have … wearied Your patience, abused Your goodness ...

Have mercy, O Lord,

Have mercy, and hear my prayer.

Holy God, holy and most righteous Lord,

You alone are the source of all life.

You are the eternal Creator of men and angels,

You are the Sovereign of heaven and earth.

All who dwell on the earth are before Your eyes,

Every word of every language is heard by Your ears,

And every thought of every person,

You alone, O Lord, know them all together.

You do not delight in evil,

You take no pleasure in wickedness,

Surely sin cannot dwell with You.

How then, O Lord, can I presume to come before You?

Surely You have rightly judged me guilty,

For I have provoked Your righteous wrath.

Surely, most surely, I have …

Wearied Your patience,

Abused Your goodness,

Rejected Your authority,

Burdened Your Holy Spirit.

How have I not by my thoughts, words and deeds,

Said to You:

“Depart from me!

I do not desire the knowing of Your ways!

I have not want of Your Word!”

Yet, O Lord, my God,

I prostrate myself at Your mercy.

If You should mark my iniquities,

How shall I stand?

If You do not pity me, I am undone.

Surely You are patient,

Not willing that any should be lost.

I know that You have sworn by Yourself,

That You do not take pleasure in the death of anyone,

But desire that all turn to You from our ways,

That in repentance and faith we might live.

Surely You have delivered up Your own Son for us all,

That through Him, You might freely give us all things.

I appeal to You through Him,

Whom You have sent

to be the Way, the Truth and the Life,

That I might find You gracious and merciful to me a sinner.

Forgive me and awaken my conscience,

Enlighten my knowledge of myself and my sin,

That I might know my depravity,

Know my misery and my helplessness,

And rightly esteem the blessings of the Gospel in Jesus Christ.

Only in this way will I be able in faith,

To rightly rejoice in

the suitableness,

the full-sufficiency

and perfect willingness of Christ to be - 

my Savior from sin and death,

my Wisdom in foolishness,

my Righteousness in wickedness,

my Sanctification in un-holiness,

and my Redemption in debt.

As Prophet, grant me to hear Christ’s Word and heed it.

As High Priest, grant me to rely on Christ’s sacrifice and intercession.

As King, grant me to honor and obey Christ.

Have mercy, O Lord.

Have mercy, O Christ.

Have mercy, O Lord and be gracious to me.

Amen.

- pmwl