Thursday Morning Prayer

Father, these are long days of living. We are living right out in the moment. Father, you are asking me to just live in the daily demands of a life. But I seem to be floundering with my schedule and other things. There seems to be no pattern or rhythm. No daily sameness that helps me track—I am random.

But you, Father, are the pattern. You are to be the fixed point of the day. Remind me, remind us, that if our eyes stay on you, the roiling waves diminish in their power and the chaos will be tamed.

Father, I thank you. I bless you for so many things: for my car, my home, my job and all the people in it. I thank you for my friends and my family. I thank you for journals and worn out Bibles and friends who send new books in a genuine attempt to feed our souls.

Thank you for my salvation and the shed blood of Jesus that has covered us. This blood gains us entrance into your throne room. Thank you for Jesus’ example of how to live in that blood. Thank you for the Spirit who comes now to dwell in these temporary shelters of us. Thank you that he is our Counselor and reminds us of God’s grace.

Thank you for this Holy Spirit who speaks truth to us when the world is shouting enticing, but doomsday lies. Thank you for the conviction of this same Spirit to move us to be like Jesus.

Thank you that you are you, O God! You are incorruptible; you are unchangeable, immutable, unstoppable and infallible.

You are.

I thank you that you are always bringing us back to yourself. You always use the crook of your staff to return us to yourself and the path you are on.

I thank you for your Word which always feeds us, convicts us and changes us. It never leaves us untouched.

I thank you for your mercy and your grace—both so undeserved. Both so lavish and freely given—not cheaply obtained or bought.

You have done all of this, Father. And you just keep doing it. I thank you that you see things in me and call them by their real name before I even recognize them. I thank you that you know me thoroughly and yet you love and call me precious anyway. Thank you that you have a purpose for me and you have every tool I need to fulfill this purpose. Thank you that you have called me and gifted me for that purpose.

Thank you this morning that you are the Good Shepherd. You have the day’s pasture already chosen. You have already found the stream that you want us to drink from; you have already gone ahead of us in this day.

Thank you, Father. Now help me, and those reading these words, to lean and trust in these facts. May they comfort us, brace us and encourage us.

Praise you! Bless you!

Amen and amen.