“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father—who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace—may the whole Trinity comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word”. (pp 2Thess.2:16-17). Indeed, “may the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. And as the Lord of peace, may Jesus give you his peace at all times in every situation” (2Thess.3:5,16: Jn.14:27)
Heavenly Father—with our palms turned upward in praise and surrender; we receive these words of encouragement and grace as this day begins. Thank you for anticipating every challenge before us today, for knowing every fear dancing around in our hearts, and for staying faithfully committed to bless, care, and nourish and flourish us.
As Paul prayed in the passages above, we ask you to direct our hearts into more of your without-parallel love, and into the inexhaustible perseverance of Jesus. If our hearts could be like an auto-driving Tesla, set the GPS and navigate our whole being into the depths of your affection you have lavished on us in Jesus.Dazzle and delight us.
Take us from our theoretical, partial, and waning experience of your love into what Paul referred to as being “compelled by the love of Christ” (2Cor.5:14). Make the love of Jesus become the most compelling reality in our lives.
That will free us to trust in Jesus’ perseverance when our resolve is weak, our resources are spent, and our weariness is growing. It’s Jesus’ grip, not ours, that matters most. It’s his faithfulness, not ours, that will not only get us Home but also get us through our current “hard stuff.”
Lastly, Father, you know the specific hurts and heartaches for which we need your fresh comfort, and the particular crisis and crucibles for which we need a fresh baptism in the peace of Jesus. Thank you, “Hallelujah!”, and So Very Amen.
