Oh, the joy of hearing the words, “in Christ, you have been forgiven”! These are gracious words that flow from the heart of God; we are a forgiven people. Like Paul reminds us in Romans 6, we do not hear these words so that we may go on sinning, but as a reminder of who we are in Christ, which leads us to desire to become more Christ-like. Often the words of assurance are followed by a doxological moment of praise.
These opening words and a confession and assurance sequence based on Psalm 145 provide us with a helpful balance between two extremes: The first is a myopic view of the world that is only thinking about the here and how, the second is being too concerned about the distant future.
Psalm 65 paints a picture of a renewed earth when all that is wrong with the world is set to right. But that vision can only be achieved through prayer and the gift of God’s grace.
“Will God find faith on earth?” Only if we grow a true love for God’s law. That can only happen if we engage with the law more often. To set the stage, Psalm 119:97–104 is incorporated into a confession and assurance of pardon sequence.
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