The person who says in his heart "There is no God" is in grave danger (Psalm 53:1). For when we repress our innate knowledge of God (see Romans 1:20), we rebel from his good guidance and authority, setting us up for moral failure. Moreover, when we deny the existence of God, we destroy any chance for knowing him personally and relationally, the one thing that anchors us in this world, giving us a sense of identity, purpose, fulfillment, and joy. When we deny God and forego a relationship with him, we deny ourselves the one thing that can fill us, the one thing that can make us happy, and condemn ourselves to emptiness and striving after the wind.
Save us, O Lord. Left to our own wisdom we will perish. We need your guidance. Grant us the humility needed to recognize your lordship, submit to your ways, and find life in you and joy in keeping your commands.
The pernicious, insidious lie that Satan planted at the beginning, that has been growing in human hearts since Eve's temptation at the dawn of time is that you don't love us, O Lord. And that if we want to be happy we have to take it for ourselves, by our own hand. Of course, every time we try to do this, we find Satan's words to be a lie. Every time we try to seize happiness for ourselves, in rebellion from you, we find ourselves further and further from you, and further and further from happiness. When will we realize that happiness is found in being close to you? When will we finally realize that our hearts cannot find happiness on our own, but that we were created to be with you forever? Lord, draw us ever closer to you, and grant that we might ever be more and more filled with your rich, glorious, abundant joy.
We pray also, O Lord, for those who continue to deny you. We have neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members who are looking for happiness apart from you. We want their lives to be filled with the joy we've come to know in your love. We pray for your salvation, not only for ourselves, but for all: for those we love, and even for those we struggle to love. We know you are gracious, therefore, we pray that you might save them and bring them into your eternal care. In Jesus' name, amen.
