Prayer of Exaltation

God,

You are the standard absolute perfection. Language finds its limits when it seeks to speak of you. In you there is such love to leave us simultaneously speechless, and yet resounding in praise. No matter how many times we are exuberantly told of your glory, when we finally see you face to -face we will all be like the Queen of Sheba and feel as if we’d be only told half the truth of just how glorious you are.

You receive nothing, but only give. All things need You; we need you; yet You need nothing or nobody. You always aim at Yourself because You can’t rest in anything other than Yourself. Because you are the fountain of all perfection and goodness, You can’t love anything else except with a view to Yourself. You may not and cannot be content with less than absolute perfection.

Your power and love are beyond anything we could ever imagine. You spoke creation into existence with mere words. You orchestrate reality down to a microscopic and metaphysical level we can’t possibly comprehend. A thousand years is like a day to you. You have never been defeated and never will be defeated by any enemy that stands in your way. The most powerful leaders, both today and in history, only have their authority because you’ve granted it to them. No one sits upon your throne but you alone. You have all of the near boundless reaches of the universe in your gaze, and yet for some unthinkable and astonishing reason, you are mindful of us.

In the fullness of time and in perfect wisdom, you sent your only Son to take on flesh and live a perfect life on our behalf. This Messiah would blow the minds and categories of the religious folks seeking to put you in a box. He would seek a kingdom far bigger than just the nation of Israel and He would seek to save people from a problem far bigger than Roman captivity. This man came to change eternities and hearts forever. At the cross, you turned the bow of Satan back on himself and put an expiration date on the effects on the fall of the world. Despite all of the odds you stepped triumphantly out of the grave in decisive victory over sin, Satan, and all of the powers of Hell. This Jesus, who is beyond anything the prophets ever dreams ascended to Heaven, is ruling at the right hand of the Father and has promised to come again. On that day, God, You have promised to bring perfect justice and to right all of the wrongs of the world such that even the damned would agree with their punishment.

You will so perfectly put an end to death that morticians will be out of a job. Med school will become unnecessary when you’ve so perfectly healed our bodies and this world. The only reasons for tears in the New Heavens and New Earth will be for the tears of joy we’ll cry as we worship at your feet. For all of eternity we will share in the very joy which you’ve enjoyed forever: the joy of your very blessedness. In Heaven, we will all exalt your name in concert with all of the saints from every language, nation, and age. We will all have one refrain on our lips: worthy is the lamb who was slain. To him be the glory and honor and power. That’s our goal tonight is to get a foretaste of heaven and give you all of the glory. It’s in your Son’s blessed name we pray, Amen.