Creating God of Peace,
You’ve searched me and know me, Lord. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. There’s no place I can go, no place I make my bed, no place so dark you cannot find me and shine Light on me. You brought forth the innermost center of my moral sensitivity and emotions – that which you test and examine when you search. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Your thoughts of me are vast and precious. If only you, God, would slay the wicked who are bloodthirsty and have evil intent, who rebel against you. Search me and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Examine me, see the integrity of my devotion, and keep me true. Lead me in the Way everlasting.
I used to be dead in my transgressions and sins when I followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air who is now at work in those who are disobedient. I used to gratify the cravings of my flesh and follow its desires and thoughts. I was deserving of wrath. BUT because of your great love and rich mercy for me, I was made alive in Christ, even when I was dead in transgressions. It is God’s grace that has saved me. I am raised up and seated with Christ Jesus in the heavenly realms so that he can show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to me in Jesus. It is by grace through faith I have been saved. This is the gift of God – not by works – so that I cannot boast. I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God prepared in advance for me to do. I was separate from Christ, without hope, and without God – far away. But now I have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Jesus is my peace. His purpose was to create in himself one humanity. He came and preached peace to all. I have access to the Father by the Spirit. I am not a foreigner or stranger, but a citizen – a member of his household, which is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets with Jesus as the Chief Cornerstone. In him I am a part of a holy temple to the Lord, who is being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
I rejoice always. I pray continually, I give thanks in [not “for”] all circumstances. I do not quench the Spirit. I do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them. I hold on to what is good and reject what is evil.
May the God of peace sanctify me through and through. May my whole spirit, soul , and body be kept blameless until the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ. I am called by the faithful One who will do all he promise and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with me.
I declare that my whole spirit, soul, and body will be sanctified, in Jesus’s name! AMEN!
Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17
How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
19
If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20
They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22
I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139 NIV)
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2 NIV)
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-28 NIV)
Idea from: https://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word_pf.html?ID=25704
Some notes from: NIV Study Bible (c) Zondervan, 2011