O Faithful God, I know that when things are not going well in my life I can count on You to get me through them. You have given me the ability to choose … who I will serve and how I will see things. For example, the smile others see doesn’t necessarily mean that everything in my life is going perfectly. It means that I’m appreciating what I have and what You’ve given me. Having You in my life keeps me balanced and gives me a better perspective of things. I’ve learned from You that worrying doesn’t stop bad stuff from happening … it just stops me from enjoying the good. My greatest contentment comes from the love, peace and joy that I receive from You each day. I’ve come to understand that I must work hard to accomplish change in my life and I will need to count on You to help me achieve it. As I keep my focus on You, what was impossible for me yesterday seems very doable for me today.
The faith that You placed in me is a seed that I must cultivate into a thriving part of me that spurs me on to greater heights with You. Faith is not necessarily knowing what the future holds for me but who holds my future in His hands. I count on You to refresh me when I grow weary from the toils of daily life and uphold me when I feel faint. Through my faith, I am able to hold on tight when the winds of adversity are at their strongest. My faith helps me realize that when my arms are too short to reach out and help someone … I can hug them with my prayers. With faith as my guiding light, I don’t have time to worry about who likes me or who doesn’t … I’m too busy loving people who feel unloved. Along with my faith comes a good measure of hope that springs forth from my belief that You have everything under control.
It is so comforting to know that You have my back in all things and have built a hedge of protection around me. As my Good Shepherd, Your desire is to keep me safe and guide me to places where I will thrive and prosper. In Your Word, You called me Your friend. I know You are my friend because You never speak harshly to me or speak negatively about me behind my back. It is consoling to know that You are good and everything in my life that is good comes from You. Through Your love, I am being taught patience in times of tribulation … kindness in the face of harsh treatment … long suffering in bad circumstances … and, forgiveness in place of condemnation. Your unconditional love is showing me that there is no place for selfishness in my life. It is Your love and kindness that have drawn me to You and it is comforting thoughts like these that keep me close to You. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
I Corinthians 1:4 Praise be to … the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.