Though my troubles seem infinite, I can cast my cares upon You, Lord, because You are good to me. Though my sin is ever before me, I am graciously covered by Your tender mercy. Beauty is to be found in the shadow of the cross as it stretches across all of human history. Have Your way, Sovereign Lord. Grant me a glimpse of Your majesty and I will forever be altered. With Moses, I cry out for Your glory to pass by. You have pardoned the one deserving punishment. Though my hand was lifted against heaven in the manner of the apostle Paul before He met You, You have not slapped me away. Rather, You took hold and pulled me to Your side. When I am surrounded by reminders of what I was, Your blessed Word reminds me of what I have become in Christ. Looming mountains cannot stand in the way of faith. Fiery trials cannot scorch the purposes of my God. By way of the Holy Spirit, I will walk until my steps are steady and in line with Your perfect and complete will. Woeful misery has to step aside when the joy of the Lord takes up residency in the heart. Where once darkness held dominion, now light reigns. Your patience is the surest refuge that illuminates the shadow with infinite hope. My soul bends its knees under the Lordship of my Savior. I accept Your grace. I yield to Your offer of salvation. I lean into You, Lord Jesus, asking You to take all that I am and reconstruct me into what I was designed to be. Under the power of the Word set down in 1 Timothy 1:13-16 and the authority of Christ, I bow in prayer.

 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:13-16, NIV