That we may learn from our suffering
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Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for all your mercies, sweet and severe, for your hand is in all things. We do not believe that you will any suffering to any of your creatures, yet suffering is our lot here on Earth, and we cannot believe that anything occurs beyond your will. So we try to count all things yours and learn from our sufferings, seeking to bring good from ill, light in the darkness. Help us meet good days and bad days with an equanimity that is born of faith, sustained by trust in your goodness, and nurtured by listening to your Word. Help us to live each day for you, toward you, within your will.
Be with those who suffer this day. Be with those who have suffered from the dread catastrophes of earthquake and fire. Be with those who are victims of violence. Be with nations and peoples locked in endless cycles of pain and political wrangling. Be close to your children this day, young and old. Be with those who have undergone surgery and with those who are now forced to face again the possibility of surgery. Be with those who suffer from cancer, the scourge of our day. Touch the lives of the young. Fill them with the desire to carry your good news to every corner of the world.
Bless our land as we lean toward the light lengthening days of spring. We long for the first crocus, the first hyacinth, the jonquil and the daffodil, the red bud and the tulip magnolia. The days hasten on in the ritual of recovery, the warmth calling to life the dormant seeds deep planted in the ground. Bless us this day, Lord, may all we say or do be done for your glory. In the sweet name of the savior, you, Dear Lord Jesus, we bring our prayers and offer the prayer you taught us... pray the Lord's prayer.
Blessings,
Bill
