A Prayer about the Antidote to Shame

God of Delight,

We confess, we often cower in shame rather than enjoying and glorifying you. 

This verse gives us a hint about how our crippling shame has been overcome.

We suffer from shame over our sin: the real guilt we should feel about our attempts to rule your universe, our attempts to steal glory for ourselves, our attempts to find security and significance in anything other than you. 

We suffer from shame over others’ harm: the neighborhood bully who called us “fatty” in front of our friends, the teacher or coach or babysitter who made inappropriate sexual comments, the parents who never seemed satisfied with B’s on our report card…

Help us to see that we have a potent antidote to this nagging shame we feel: 

Joy. 

Jesus, the “founder and perfecter of our faith,” 

“Endured the cross, despising the shame”— how? 

“For the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2)

What was that joy? Jesus enjoyed you, and he knew you enjoyed him. Jesus enjoyed completing the mission you had sent him on—to bring your people home to you. He endured the cross, despising the shame because he knew that in his death the shame of our sin would be forever conquered. He knew that in his death and resurrection, our shame would be forever covered as we would be robed in his righteousness. 

Help us to grasp this incredibly good news, Lord. Help us to turn away from our shame, whether true or false, and turn toward Jesus. Help us to embrace your joy in your new creation; help us to enjoy your enjoyment of us, and help us to simply enjoy you as the delightful and delighting Creator and Redeemer that you are.

In Jesus’ joy-full name. Amen. 

Read Hebrews 12:1-2; John 17:1-5; Luke 2:10; Philippians 4:4.