Dear Heavenly Father,
You are the creator God, holy; your radiance outshines the sun and all things are answerable to you.
And yet, you love us with a tenderness, as a father to a child.
You call us by name, you know us through and through. Every hair on our head has been counted. You nurture, guide and provide for us. You are interested in every infinitesimal thing about us. Like the endless credits at the finish of a film, the only banner over our entire make-up reads, ‘Loved by God’.
Thank you that you know exactly how we are feeling each day. You send us guidance, not only through scripture, but through friends, nature, anything that we are engrossed in. You help us when we are gloomy, sad, fearful or worried. Do not be afraid, you say, I am with you. You give us a direct communication link with you called ‘prayer’, and, when we give our lives to Jesus, you send us the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives within us as our guide and comforter; His whispers tell us what we need to know or do.
You shower us with good things for our every need. We only have to count our blessings to see this. Blessings that we can pass on to others to help them in turn. We can draw inspiration from the wonderful truth that thinking of others and putting them foremost in our lives, has mental benefits for ourselves and creates a common good. Hallelujah for your wisdom, grace and mercy!
Our failures you turn into opportunities for spiritual growth. We say, ‘we can’t’. You say, we can, but only if I’m with you. Your reassurances are the stuff of life and we can only praise you for your constancy.
Our sin – the big stumbling block to you in our lives, you removed by allowing your beloved only son Jesus to suffer and die on a cross. The penalty was paid, our sins forgiven. Jesus’s resurrection showed your power, your love, your mercy. We are free to join you in heaven for ever, but only if we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour. Help us keep believing in you!
Father God, we cannot hope to understand all we go through in life in the context of a loving God, but we see your love shining through our families, friends and strangers, also through ‘coincidences’, that suggests a knowing and merciful presence watching over us.
Please help us grab the lifeline you offer. Please help us trust you, not knowing, but having the faith to seek you with all our might. We can do no better thing.
Amen.