A Prayer of Repentance and Renewal Before the Lord
"And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand." - Malachi 2:13
O Gracious and Merciful Father,
We come before You with heavy hearts, reflecting upon the profound truth expressed in the book of Malachi, chapter 2, verse 13, where it states, "And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand."
Lord, as we meditate on these words, we recognize our tendency to approach Your holy altar with tears, yet to be disobedient to Your will. How often have we sought Your presence with a show of remorse, all the while our hearts remained callous or divided? We confess, Father, that our emotions can sometimes overshadow our sincerity, leading us to bring forth offerings that lack genuine intent and true devotion.
In this moment, we ask for Your forgiveness. We repent of the times we have taken Your grace for granted, indulging in empty rituals or mechanical worship, thinking that tears alone would suffice to cover our sins. Help us to understand that You desire not just our contrition, but our commitment to follow Your ways.
Loving Lord, cleanse our hearts and renew our spirits. As we stand before You, we acknowledge the pain and the sorrow that have led us to weep at Your altar. Teach us to pour out our hearts genuinely, not merely to gain Your attention or approval, but as an expression of our need for Your mercy and grace.
Pour Your love into our hearts, O God, so that our cries and our tears are not just a release of emotion but a true reflection of our yearning for Your presence and our desire for transformation. We do not want to be like those mentioned in Malachi, whose offerings were disregarded because they lacked purity and a sincere heart.
Help us, Father, to understand that You look upon our hearts more than our hands. For it is not the act of giving that matters alone, but the condition of our hearts. Purify us, O Lord. Remove the scales from our eyes that prevent us from seeing the gravity of our sins. Take away the hardness of our hearts that leads us to sin against You and against our fellow man.
We pray for renewal, that our offerings may come from a place of deep humility and love. Let our worship be true and our sacrifices honorable in Your sight. May we strive to offer our lives as living sacrifices—holy and acceptable unto You—as our reasonable service.
Lord, we also pray for our community and our churches. In these times, it is easy to become complacent and to neglect the importance of heartfelt worship. We are burdened by the divisions and distractions that keep us from being truly devoted to You. We ask that You would move among us, creating a spirit of unity and repentance, so that we might collectively return to Your altar with sincerity and fervor.
Let our tears, O God, be, not just a response to our struggles, but a testament to our hope in You. As we weep, may we remember Your faithfulness, and find comfort in Your promises. May our supplications encourage those around us to seek Your face and to remain steadfast in faith, knowing that You do take notice of the offerings made with a pure heart.
Help us not to be led astray by our emotions but to be anchored in Your truth. Make Your word a lamp unto our feet, so that we may walk in alignment with Your will, bringing offerings of praise and adoration that are acceptable to You.
As we gather at Your altar, may we do so not just with tears of despair, but with tears of joy and gratitude for the grace that You lavish upon us.
We trust in Your unfailing love and we set our hope in You alone. O Lord, may our worship be pleasing to Your ears and our lives be a reflection of Your light to this world.
In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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Malachi 2:13 - "And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand."
Malachi 2: 13 And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
"And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand." - Malachi 2:13
Malachi 2:1 - "And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you."
Malachi 3:13 - "¶ Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?"
"And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you." - Malachi 2:1
Malachi 2:7 - "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts."
Malachi 2:4 - "And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts."
Malachi 2:12 - "The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts."
Malachi 2:5 - "My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name."
Malachi 3:13 “Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the LORD, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’
Malachi 2:6 - "The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity."
Malachi 3:2 - "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope:"
Malachi 2:8 - "But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts."
Malachi 4:2 - "¶ But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."
Malachi 2:3 - "Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it."
Malachi 1:13 - "Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD."
Malachi 2:9 - "Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law."
Malachi 2:11 - "¶ Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god."
Malachi 2: For Judah has profaned The Lord’s holy institution which He loves: He has married the daughter of a foreign god.
Malachi 2:10 - "Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?"
Malachi 2:16 - "For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously."
Malachi 1:2 - "I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,"
Malachi 2:14 - "¶ Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant."
Malachi 2:2 - "If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart."
Malachi 2:15 - "And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth."
Malachi 2: 2 If you will not hear, And if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name,” Says the Lord of hosts, “I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart.
Malachi 2:17 - "¶ Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?"
"For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts." - Malachi 2:7
"¶ Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?" - Malachi 3:13