Of First Importance- Starting Your Day off Right

This poem was taken from Milton Vincent's book A Gospel Primer. I have changed it only slightly to make it into the form of a prayer. I have been reciting this every morning for the past few days, and it has been powerfully-reorienting and passion-igniting. It starts my day off where I ought to start my day- remembering and thanking God for the gospel. I encourage you to make this a regular practice in your life as well, and I give you this prayer as a significant means of grace for your joy and God's glory.


Father,

Beholding the heavens, I know understand
You measured them all with the breadth of Your hand.
You fashioned the trillions of stars in the sky,
The sun and the moon You established on high.
All heaven and earth, which You made in six days,
Show daily and nightly Your merit of praise.

So wondrously caring are You every day,
Creating, sustaining, my life ev'ry way.
Each breath I intake, ev'ry beat of my heart,
All pleasure well-tasted are Yours to impart.
Indeed, for such blessings You should be adored
And honored supremely as eminent Lord.

In fact, for this purpose You brought me to be,
That I might Your glory and kindliness see
And cherish You fully in all of my days,
Obeying with pleasure whatever You say,
Fulfilling the calling You've laid upon me
To show forth Your glory deliberately.

Yet I could not fail You much worse than I've done.
Ignoring Your glory, for mine I have run.
I've spurned a life under Your wisdom and care,
Begrudging You the throne I pretended me there.
A prideful and lust-laden path I have trod,
Transgressing all Your Ten great Commandments oh God.

My foolish rebellion gives You ev'ry right
To damn me with haste to the mis'rable plight
Of terrible judgments in Your Lake of Fire,
Where wrath is most fierce and will never expire.
With wickedest sinners I truly should know
The worst of Hell's furies for failing You so.

So this is my status and these are my flaws
Apart from Christ Jesus and His saving cause:
I carry sin's guilt and am gripped by sin's power,
Held fast to its various lusts ev'ry hour,
Deserving of flames, both within and without,
And sliding t'ward Hell as I toss all about,

Too reprobate even to play a small part
In clearing my record or changing my heart
To pacify Your wrath and be worthy of grace,
To make myself lovely and win Your embrace.
Completely condemned by Your Law in its whole,
I've nothing to offer to ransom my soul.

But wonder of wonders, so great to behold,
Oh God, You chose to save me with method so bold.
What I could not render, You fully have done,
And doing, You rendered it all through Your Son.
You sent Christ to die on the cross for my sin
To suffer my anguish and pardon to win.

Amazing it is, when I stop to regard,
That You God would consent to an anguish so hard,
Surrend'ring Your Son unto mayhem and death,
To torturous writhing 'til His final breath.
'Why does My God forsake me?' alone Jesus cried;
But You left Him hanging until He had died.

That Jesus You were willing Your life to lay down,
Be scourged and insulted and wear a thorny crown,
For one such as I who had spited You so,
Amazes and blesses and makes me to know
That greater a lover is no man than He,
Who laid down His life for a sinner like me.

Now after Christ died He was placed in a tomb,
Which first was a grave, but then served as a womb,
Travailing and quaking the day He was raised
And brought forth by You God to be handled and praised.
The Firstborn from death on that day emerged He
With power so save to the utmost degree.

At Your own right hand Christ is now reigning on high,
A Friend in high places to sinners who cry,
To Him for forgiveness their evils confessed.
Jesus you give them a pardon and then make them blessed.
As Prince You are Savior to all who believe,
Who come to You humble Your grace to receive.

Now when my time came and to You Jesus I cried,
You gave me the pardon for which I had sighed,
You cleansed me completely from wrongs I had done,
Released me from bondage to sins, ev'ry one.
You shattered sin's chains which had held me before,
And thus made me free not to sin any more.

A child of the Father You made me to be
And You gave me the Spirit as Your guarantee
That, being God's child, I will one day obtain
A heavenly treasure that never will wane.
While in me, the Spirit gives power and love
and sweet premonitions of glory above.

In saving, Father You also did justify me,
Accounting me righteous by Your own decree,
Declaring me guiltless of all of my sin,
And bringing Your wrath against me to an end.
This wrath Christ You appeased in full brunt on the Tree,
When, bearing my sin, You endured it for me.

So now Father You relate to me only with grace,
The former wrath banished without any trace!
And each day I'm made a bit more as I should,
Your grace using all things to render me good.
Yes, even in trials Your grace abounds too
And does me the good You assign it to do.

And when I am sinning Your grace does abound,
Ensuring my justified status is sound.
No wrath is awakened in You at my sin,
Because Your Son appeased it, (to say so again).
Your heart pulses only with passionate grace,
Which jealously wants me back in Your embrace.

You don't even require that I confess,
Before You desire Your forgiveness to press.
Forgiveness has been in Your heart all along;
And when I approach You to make right my wrong;
You run up to greet me and draw me near,
Embracing and kissing and ready to clear.

You do see my sins and You grieve at them so,
For when I am sinning, Your love I don't know!
You even will send me some heart-rending pain,
So I'll learn new ways and Your holiness gain.
Your disciplines always are with love imbued,
A love that seeks ever my ultimate good.

So Lord this is my story; ongoing evermore.
How shall I thank You for this gospel of Yours?
A gift that keeps giving, the gospel confers
The bounty of heaven each time I rehearse.
Deserve it? I don't on my holiest day;
But this is salvation, and herein I'll stay.
Amen.