Most Merciful and Saving God,

We come to you as the one who delivers sinners from their affliction, the one who saves those who are caught in the mire of sin. We know you to be a compassionate God, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin. But we also know that you are most just and terrible in your judgments. You hate all sin and you will by no means clear the guilty.

Were we without hope of forgiveness we would be in great despair. But we know that your dear Son did bleed and die upon the cross. His flesh was torn and his body was crushed on behalf of sinners like us. And we do fly now to you with the hope of receiving salvation through his life, death and resurection. We do pray that you would accept his sufferings on our behalf and hold not against us the penalty of our sins.

We pray that you might raise us up with Christ that we might walk in the newness of life. Restore to us a heart of flesh and lead us in the way everlasting. And let not the death of Christ be in vain. But let all the merits that he did accrue in this perfect life be credited to our account. For this we ask in Jesus’ name.