Father, we lift our hands to You, our holy God, affirming that You are our refuge and You are our strength. As we pour out our hearts to You we remember that You are faithful, God, forever. In the midst of uncertainty, disappointment, and mystery help us to recall that in circumstances when we can’t trace Your hand we can trust Your heart, since everything You do is for our good and in our best interest, not just for here and now, but for all eternity. Amen.

Loving Father, You give us treasures that go far beyond monetary accounting. They include special people in our lives, those categorized as mentally impaired, who lift our soul, bring a different perspective to life, and confound the most educated among us. They teach us a great deal about survival, overcoming, and simple trust. Their value of life is based not on the artificial but on the genuine. They show us that You have a special plan for each of us, no matter the challenge or how difficult the hardship. Thank You, Father, for bringing these precious souls into our lives so that we can be of blessing to them just as they are of great worth to us. We really do need each other. Amen.

Father, none of us are 100% humble since we are clothed in these mortal, fallible bodies. But we do know that Jesus is the model of One completely humble in His humanity though supreme in His divinity. He did not consider equality with You, our Father, something to be grasped but took on His personhood as a man and became obedient to death, even death on the cross. We look to Jesus as the supreme example of humility, obedience, and sacrifice. As we clothe ourselves in Your righteousness we will resist pride that is ever before us. Expressing an attitude of humility and thankfulness is the daily antidote for resisting haughtiness and ingratitude. When we acknowledge that everything we have and all that we are is due to Your merciful blessings we are humbled and grateful to You, the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Amen.

Father, the alarms have rung loud and clear since Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden of Eden. The battle lines were drawn between the hosts of heaven and hell early on. We thank You for the spiritual armor listed in Ephesians 6 that equips us for battle, both offensive and defensive, as the flaming arrows from the devil are hurled in our direction. We thank You for Jesus, the captain of the spiritual army, who sounds the warning throughout Scripture and through godly and courageous messengers of the gospel. Keep our ears tuned, our minds alert, and our hearts fully surrendered and trusting in You. May our words be in accordance with Scripture and our lives reflect that which we speak so that we consistently “sound a clear call” to follow Your commands and honor You above all others. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Father, we thank You for productive family members, co-workers, and leaders in the church community and throughout the land. With so much to be accomplished we thank You for those who don’t just point out the need but they get their hands dirty and contribute to standing up, fixing up, cleaning up, and doing that which will benefit many. Help us to be people who are not asleep like others. Instead we want to be awake, sober and vigilant in carrying out the task You set before us including that of being godly messengers who faithfully teach and live by the whole counsel of Your Holy Word. We seek to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that we do so keep us self-controlled, alert, and ready. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.