All that is lovely

Heavenly Father,
True, honourable, just and pure,
Lovely, gracious and excellent,
You are worthy of all praise and glory!

You call us to study the things that reflect Your heart of love:
True things that can strip away what’s false in us,
Honourable things, that show us how to live,
Just things, that show us who to fight for, to win them justice
Pure things that wash us in Your Spirit’s light,
Lovely things, that teach us of Your love,
Gracious things, that flood lives with Your grace,
Excellent things, that teach us what to push towards,
The things that You have blessed are worth our praise!

Transforming Spirit of Jesus,
You are the Truth, the Life and the Way,
You are the Truth that sings through the words as we study,
You are the Spirit that dances through the rainbow and symphony of Creation as we observe it,
When we seek You, You promise we will find You.

Studying Your truths, Your wisdom untangles us
From half-truths, wrong answers and all our pig-headed blindspots.
Re-align us, Lord, transforming our minds and notions.

Father, we confess our stubbornness, asking now for the flexible fire of Your Spirit;
Lord Jesus, we confess our shaming narrowness, asking now for the limitless vision of Your accepting love;
Holy Spirit, we confess our shallowness, asking for quiet understanding to plunge deeper into You.

Lord, we thank You and pray,
That in studying You,
Your lamp that is a light to our feet,
May keep us out of pits and potholes;
Your whisper that calls us to question and explore
May switch on the little light-bulb above our heads
And humbly have us beaming with Your radiance;
Liberating Lord,
Free us from our fears and foibles, habits and hang-ups,
To put a toe in the ocean of the knowledge of You,
So we can swim unafraid through the fountain of Your deepest blessings!