Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. 1:3-7
Heavenly Father, today we need a fresh supply of persevering grace, for the “all kinds of trials” of life are sapping our spirits and weighing us down. We need to be reassured that you are refining our faith and not just ignoring us. Many of us feel tired, weary and disillusioned. However, because the gospel is true, giving up, bucking up or just pulling up our boot straps is not the way forward. You give us a much better way—a new and living way.
Though, unlike many of our brothers and sisters in Jesus, most of us didn’t go to sleep hungry or thirsty last night; we didn’t hear and fear gunfire echoing through our neighborhoods; there’s no plague pillaging our doctor-less communities; no roving band of thugs threaten to steal our Bibles and torch our churches… nevertheless you take our hearts and stories very seriously. You never roll your eyes at us or shame us with a disappointing glare. How we praise you for your love for us in Jesus.
For many of us, life is presently more like swimming in a pool of tiny piranha just nibbling away at our joy, energy, and peace. It’s no one thing, but many little things that are taking the toll.
Please give us grace perfectly suited for the demands and the daily-ness of normal life—in our bodies with aging joints and leaking memories; among fellow sinner-saints who, like us, love inconsistently; in unresolved stories from the past, and present stories of brokenness and weakness; in the face of minor injustices and a lack of common mercies; when cars, plumbing, air conditioners, and other stuff breaks; when people don’t say “thank you,” people drive like maniacs, and pets pee on the freshly cleaned carpets.
Lord, in all these things, we want your hand and heart to be at work. we want to know what a people of faith look and love like, not just is we have to face a firing squad one day, but, also when we facing the multiplied messes and normal messiness of everyday life. So very Amen we pray in Jesus’ tender and triumphant name.
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