So don’t be misled,
my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever
is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who
created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or
casts a shifting shadow. He
chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all
creation, became his prized possession. James 1:16-18
I struggled for words
today. Inspired by someone sending me verses,
I was led to the first chapter of James, which evolved into this prayer, and I
hope it lifts your spirits as God and His word did mine.
Father, I come to you for there is none greater than
you. You are the Alpha and the Omega,
the all-knowing, the all-seeing, and the all-present. You are the great I Am. I am unworthy of the love and grace you have
shown me, and I praise you because you are worthy of praise. I do all I can not to your grace but in the
hope that it is a shining example of the heart I have for you.
God, I come to you this morning because frankly, I am at a
loss for words and wisdom. I am tired and disheartened by a world that has
become comfortable with what is wrong and leaders who will say anything to
appease us. There are people who have turned a blind eye to the suffering
of others, and others who lash out violently because they have lost their
way. If they can't be violent, they speak with such ill will that I find
myself defending those who I may not even agree with. How could this
be? I am not sure Lord, but I lean on you now more than ever. I
trust in your word and its ability to give strength at times that I am
weak. To give me courage when I am fearful, and to love when all that may
come at me is bitterness and hate. Help me to love you more such that it
not only is a shining example of the love you have shown me but also inspires
those to be thankful for your gift of grace.
Heal us Lord. Heal
our sharp words and replace them with Psalms of encouragement. Take our anger and replace it with an
abundance of love and kindness. Remove
our sense of isolation, and push us to engagement and togetherness. When I cannot see a way out, give me your
vision and wisdom for where I cannot make a way, you can. Father, I am so humbled to be your
servant. Let my words be of comfort to
others who are hurting. Let them know
that you are always there. Always
listening. Always loving! See through my faults, and use them as
encouragement to others that through it all, we all can indeed be conquerors.
Finally, Father, I thank you. I thank you because you have thought of me
even before I knew a thought. You
nurtured me all this time with wonderful parents and brothers. You placed me in the care of an amazing
family that taught me who you were, and then watched me as I wandered in the
wilderness until I found you again. You
gave me the perfect wife, three wonderful children, and seven grandchildren. You gave me this incredible job with amazing
people that inspire me every day to do better.
All this love, Father. I did not
deserve it, and yet you somehow loved me enough to give them to me anyway! I am forever grateful. I pray that my words are encouragement to
others to embrace what they have, and to be courageous to be the people You
want them to be. Thank you for your
love. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your blessings. And thank you for the blood you shed on the
cross; a price that I could never repay but I humbly try to each and every
day. In the glorious name of Jesus I
pray. Amen.
Thank you Kent for this gracious rendering..I gave you physical birth but you consistently give moral birth to all of us with such loving, kind, and respectful prose. You are a high tower that continues to help us nourish our blessings.
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