Deus Misereatur

  Since there are already thousands of reviews and ratings given for this book, I'll just add a few simple comments. In so many ways it was like reading Richard Sibbes's "The Bruised Reed" or an easier version of Jonathan Edwards. Scripture was handled in the meaningfully devotional ways that the gracious Puritans handled them. Ortlund doesn't shy away from the harder subjects, such as God's justice and wrath, but places them beautifully alongside God's steadfast love and faithfulness, in the way God himself puts things in Exodus 34:6-7. Neither does he back off from tackling our sinfulness. Rightly he observes, "we can vent our fleshly passions by breaking all the rules, or we can vent our fleshly passions by keeping all the rules, but both ways of venting the flesh still need resurrection. We can be immoral dead people, or we can be moral dead people. Either way, we're dead. The mercy of God reaches down and rinses clean not only obviously bad p...

O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, your mercies and loving-kindnesses have been from everlasting. You became man and stooped to endure crucifixion and death for the salvation of all who rightly believe in you. You rose from the dead for our justification and ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father, from whence you shall come to judge the living and the dead. And as our great High Priest you regard the humble prayers of all who call upon you with their whole heart. Incline your ear and hear. First of all, we implore you to remember your Holy Universal Church, which you have purchased with your precious blood, this congregation; these churches in the greater OKC area; College Heights Baptist, Community Missionary Baptist, Crest Baptist and Cross Baptist Church ; and also your servants who are under persecution – by totalitarian magistrates and totalitarian movements – for your sake and for the sake of your holy gospel. Confirm and strengthen your Church, enlarge and...