So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deut. 31:6 (NLT)
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isa. 41:10 (ESV)
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Rom. 12:12 (ESV)
Dear heavenly Father, I didn’t sleep a lot last night. Instead of counting sheep, I was counting the storms, crises, and heartaches of your Sheep. There’s so much brokenness, so many challenges, so much need for your presence and grace. This trio of your sons—Moses, Isaiah, and Paul, sing the same song of hope that I pray will wing its way into the hearts of dear friends.
When fear and panic, shock and dismay are close by, so are you. You go ahead of us into the fray; uphold us when we can’t hold on to anything; and guarantee the fulfillment of a hope that seems unlikely, if not out right impossible.
Great and glorious Father, I cry mercy—have mercy O Lord, upon friends reeling under the weight of heavy and hard news. The Day of no more cancer, no more hate crimes, no more church messes, no more crib deaths, no more broken marriages, no more kids walking away from the faith, no more waiting for hope to be fulfilled, of any kind.
Father, we will rejoice in hope because of Jesus’ empty tomb; we will be patient in tribulation because Jesus has overcome for us; we will be constant in prayer because Jesus is ever living to pray for us. We praise, bless, and adore you, Father. What would we do, where would we go, without you? So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ trust-worthy and worship-worthy name.