Jesus, my Jesus, I come to you today with a full heart of praise for all You are, for all You've done and continue to do. You are the essence of good. We know our own human hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). Yours is pure and holy and selfless. I can hardly comprehend it but believe it is true that Your only motive toward us is good. What a wonderful Savior You are! Thank You, Father, for Your Son. Thank You for this Living Hope and anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:19). In good times and bad, joyful times and in seasons of sorrow, You remain the same (Hebrews 13:8). You are intrinsically good and we are so grateful! Even when we are confused as to why things happen, we can trust Your love is greater than our circumstances. We confess our desire to control and ask that You enable us to let go and trust You, Father God.
Jesus, I pray today for these who are suffering. You know what it feels like to know you are in God's will and yet in tremendous pain of heart, soul, mind and spirit. Lord, You struggled with all You endured but held fast to the promises of a faithful Father. I pray this same steadfast hope and endurance for all believers, but especially these determined in their suffering to finish this race well (Acts 20:24). Thank You that it is not sin for us to be fearful. It is not sin to dread. Jesus, You modeled this for us in Gethsemane when You prayed the cup would pass if possible. Yet if not in God's plan, You agreed, "Thy will be done." (Mark 14:36)
So, I pray the same. If possible, Lord, please let this cup pass by. Remove the source of illness, the pain and anxiety caused by the unknown. I pray in Jesus' Name for every infectious cell to be destroyed, for pain to subside, for health to return and systems to work as they were created to. You are over all, through all and in all! (Ephesians 4:6). You can easily override the natural laws because You wrote them. You are above the natural; You are supernatural!
Please sustain Your beloved to hold onto You, Jesus, and to trust You no matter what comes. May it be true for all of us, ill or not. We desire to be faithful, faith-FILLED people. I pray by the power of Your Spirit that this would be so. And in times when it's hard to hold on, may the comfort be that You never let us go. You tend Your flock like a shepherd. You gather the lambs in Your arms and carry us close to Your heart. (Isaiah 40:11a) Thank You for this promise!
You are the God of all comfort according to 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. You comfort us in our trouble so we, in turn, can comfort others. That's what ministry is, passing on comfort to others that we can encourage; so I pray for ministry opportunities this week to arise. Let Your servant know he is being used by You to comfort another with the comfort You gave. It is a wonderful thing to know there is purpose to this season. I also ask that You soothe Your hurting ones by Your very presence. If we know we aren't alone and we know someone understands, we can do this thing. May Your presence and Your peace quiet the anxious souls of the suffering.
Finally, I specifically pray for to know how very loved they are. May Your angels surround them, Father, and may this week be restful and peaceful in Jesus' Name. May Your Word speak to Your beloved each and every time it is opened. Let Your voice be heard and may it be so personal and encouraging. Your Word really is a lamp to our feet for the here and now but also a light to our path for the future steps we take (Psalm 119:105). Reveal light in the darkness, please Lord! Bring understanding and vision to Your servant through Your beautiful, life-giving Word. In His glorious Name. Amen