“I have so forgotten what happiness is,
that I think, “My strength is gone,
and so is my hope in Yahweh.”
Remember my utter misery,
the wormwood and gall.
They are always on my mind;
this is why I am so depressed.
By in my mind I keep returning to something,
something that gives me hope-
that the grace of Yahweh is not exhausted,
that His compassion has not ended.
On the contrary, they are new every morning!
How great your faithfulness!
“Yahweh is all I have,” I say;
“therefore I will put my hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:17-24 CJB
One day Father we will shut our eyes and there will no longer be the experience of this world, its mixture of joy and disappointment, good alongside evil, aspirations of doing things right marred by our imperfection, love and loss, trust and betrayal.
We all are participants… initiators and partakers of great goodness and kindness of heart…willingness to satisfy our own appetite even at the expense of others.
But You call us to a higher place, to be a higher, more perfect people. And You walk with us and aid us in our efforts to do so. Indeed without You, we could not do it.
You know that… we understand that… and so in spite of our shortcomings, we can humbly and with relief… experience… Your forgiveness, when we do fall short, and know that perfect good, perfect joy, is in the future, peace even now, despite the difficulties and consequences, of the present.
We thank You for Your Word that speaks to us, Your Spirit within given to enable us to understand Your Word, to trouble us when we stray, to bless when we obey.
Bring to memory what happiness is and grant it please we pray.
Renew our strength.
Refresh our hope in You.
And we thank You Father for the beauty and wonder of Your creation and created beings, imperfect though it may…they… may be, to be a source of hope and joy to our physical senses as well as our Spiritual being even now… a glimpse of what a perfect future holds for us.
Thank You for this new day, for the clear cobalt blue, cold weather sky, sun warmed breeze, invigorating cold air, the sound of nature speaking , wind in the trees, birds conversing and commenting to each other, the grace of wildlife in motion, the gurgle of water over stony river bed, grassy meadows at the base of tall mountains, the faithfulness of heavenly bodies in their movement and of the seasons and the tides, the cleared and waiting space within us upon which the temple is being built, out from which, loving-kindness, words of building up come, demonstrating in the flesh blessing and love, showing Your Wonderful character to those around us.
May we ever be in pursuit of Your Wonderful Person and Wonderful Ways…relentlessly…and not weaken, be confident even when we stumble for we trust that…
You love us and want us…
Great is Your faithfulness…
Your mercies are new…every…morning.
In the most wonderful name and person of Yeshua, Lord, Savior, Counselor, brother, friend, faithful and most loved Son…we pray…
Amen.
May God’s love be in us all.
Elder
