For healing

Miraculous God,

Your son, during his pilgrimage on earth, healed and cured so many believers.  He performed a wide variety of miracles to the amazement and bewilderment of many of his contemporaries.  Each town he visited was blessed with the gift of healing.

I pray for all those who have a family member or loved one who may have received the crippling news that their condition has no remedy; that life for them is a fleeting iceberg; that termination is the inevitable future.

May you comfort them with your boundless and unrelenting love.  Assuage all fear and anxiety and replace them with peace and tranquility, with the knowledge that you are the watchful commander over the entire ordeal and that you have already taken measures to make a murky and morbid situation, one filled with your holy and magnificent presence.  May they know that you have sent angels and guardians to allay and make stable all inclemency and travails.

We know that this earthly journey is our only passage into the eternal life that is promised to us in scripture and teaching.  Therefore, even if the current situation seems futile and disheartening, we stand triumphant and joyful with the confidence that our loved ones are headed to eternal glory with you and those who have gone before us.

Grant every son, daughter, mother, father, wife, husband, sister, brother the equanimity to stand tall and strong in the face of adversity with the assurance that you have a perfect plan for each person.

Amen.

For serenity

All-powerful God,

Your beloved son was able to calm the tumultuous waters with one commanding instruction.  Surely, you power is immense and your omnipotence proven and timeless.

I ask you today for the ability to remain serene and calm even when the torrents that surround me seemed poised to drown and engulf me without escape or recourse.  Allow me to see the clarity and purity of the water as a cleansing agent, as a prism through which I can see your image and your will for my life.

Give me the equanimity to understand that only in struggle can I truly discover my strengths and capacity, while reveling in your mercy and presence; you are by my side even when I may not realize how present you really are in every single step and twist.

Thank you for being such a font of encouragement and support - my rock, my deliverer.

Amen.

For perseverance

Eternal Father,

The journey of life is replete with valleys, ditches, bumps, mountains and the great terrain of the basins.  Each chapter seems to pose a unique challenge.

However, my current trial seems to consume all remaining energy, patience and tenacity I have in the arsenal.  I don't understand why this is happening.  Do you judge me capable of enduring the race?  Do you not see my wounds, my sweat, my lack of breath, my desperation, anguish, disgust, bitterness and how this course is turning me into a different person?  Could I be as strong as you think I am?  I know you made me in your image and that for you all things are possible, but don't you know that I look away from the mirror and that I forget!

Allow me, in your kindness, to hold steadfast to your timeless promises and to secure my anchor in your wisdom, mercy and love, so that not matter how tough and ruthless the current, I can stand strong and formidable, with my eyes set on you.

In the end, you will be proud of me.  In the meantime, I seek your encouragement and help.

With pleading songs,

Amen.

Lilly Goodman - In the end (a beautiful song)

Gratitude

Generous and loving Father,

I thank you deeply for knowing my needs and answering my prayer in a timely fashion.  You get the "big picture" and respond in the most appropriate ways, taking into consideration elements and aspects of my life and purpose that I overlook, downplay or simply negate.  When I step back and realize that my life is in your hands and my security and well being are in your keeping, the anxiety and the worry expunge instantly.

Allow me on a daily basis to recall this important fact: where you live and abound, nothing is lacking.

Receive a kiss from a giddy rebel son,

Amen.