My Blessed Redeemer, I thank You for offering Yourself as my Burden Bearer. You have invited those who are weary to come to You and You would give them rest. When I am weary and feeling beaten-down, it is comforting to know that You care and want to give me rest. When I am worn out and sad, it is Your joy that gives me strength and hope for a better tomorrow. You nourish me with Yourself; and, through the working of the Holy Spirit, You refresh my spirit with rivers of living water flowing from within. When I feel darkness permeating my life, I look to You for guidance and Your light. Your light is like a morning sunrise that begins each new day. Your love shows me to whom I belong and where to go to bask in Your goodness. In everything that comes against me, You have been my refuge. I feel alive because You live in me and I in You.
When pain and sorrow weigh me down, You are never far away. You forgive the weakness of my faith and build me up with compassionate words. As I live each day, I know that my life is but a brief blip in the passage of time, but I want to make it worthy of You. I have put my life in Your hands, and I ask You to be my covering and refuge. As my faith grows, I want to understand more clearly who You are and what You want from my life. When things become still and quiet during the storms that come ashore in my life, I know that You will shelter me from them and rebuff the winds of adversity. There are many mysteries surrounding who You are and what You expect from Your followers. However, I know that if I stay close to You, You will guide me with truth and teach me the things I need to know. I believe that Your peace will overwhelm my fears when I acknowledge Your ways and put them into practice.
O Lord, You are my strength, my fortress and my refuge. You supply strength when I feel weak … You are my fortress when I am tempted … and You are my refuge when I need a shelter from the pressures of daily life. You have been my refuge when I suffered the ravages of disappointments and failures. You have sheltered me from the stress of every day living. And You have been a covering sheltering me from the heat of the battles I fight against sin. When I feel disadvantaged or oppressed, it is good to know that You are there to comfort me and heal my wounds. When I feel like no one else cares what happens to me, I know that you will be there to get me through. By prayer and reflection, I believe You will bring me out of my tailspins … as You will remind me of Your love. I am recognizing more each day how You are my constant help and refuge from times of trouble. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Psalm 9:9-10 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.