GRACIOUS AND LOVING GOD...

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

Ephesians 2:8 -- For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Gracious and Loving God,

Forgive us
when we forget that You stand with us
when we walk through our valleys of despair,
climb our mountains of accomplishment
and struggle through our twisting paths of transition.

Forgive us
for thinking that we made it on our own,
refusing to acknowledge Your gentle nudges,
discounting Your helping hand along the way,
and not noticing that You went before us each step of the way.

Forgive us
for not recognizing the fact that we have not been alone,
that You have always been with us Lord,
smoothing the path in front of us,
hiding a prayer in every word of encouragement,
sending friends to accompany us,
and granting us hope.

Thanks for not abandoning us
when we have failed to be the people
that You called us to be in Your Word.

Breathe into us
a willingness to sit at Your feet
and wait for the revealing of Your truth.

And when we begin to worry about life,
grant us a childlike trust that deepens our faith
and radiates Your peace.

In Christ’s Name we pray.

Amen