A Prayer

Father,

You are such a good father to us. You understand who we are and what we need. And You are always there for us. This is what makes life possible for us.

Father, we live in a world that is filled with issues, problems, questions, troubles. We are reminded daily, it seems, about dangers to our health, financial pitfalls, job insecurities. And one of these days we're going to die.

It is no surprise that so many around us become anxious and seek relief from these things in one foolish way or another.

Father, behind all of this stands Satan with his schemes, tempting us so that we would become anxious also. And sad to say, there are too many times when he fools us and that is exactly what we do.

But there really is no reason for us to do that. You are our Father. You care about us. You care for us. You invite us to cast all that concerns us - all the issues, problems, questions and troubles - to cast them all on You. You are ready, willing and very eager to carry them all for us, to protect us in all of this. You really are a good father. There is no reason for us to worry.

So, first, Father, we want to thank You. You could be like the gods of so many others. These gods demand and deceive, but they do not help. They do not care. And that’s because they are either some disguised demon or they are just not real. But that's not You. You care, and You help. We can see that, and we are grateful.

But we also need to admit our guilt. There are too many times that we either look to some phony god or give in to the temptation and become anxious and worry about it all, as if doing that could do any good. There are too many times that we simply do not believe You. We do not believe that You care. We humbly ask that You would forgive us our foolishness. Thank You that Jesus has come so that we can be forgiven these evil sins of ours.

Help us, Father, to believe You, to believe that You care. Grant us the grace that we need to do that, especially when it comes to areas of our lives where we are so used to not believing You. Help us, Father.  

We ask for changed lives not for our sake alone. We do benefit when You bless us in these sorts of ways. But we know that the ultimate goal is not our welfare. The ultimate goal is You. The ultimate goal is revealing the beauty of who You are to all of creation.

So, teach us to entrust ourselves more consistently to You so that our lives will display that beauty to a world that is so very used to ugliness. Change us, Father, so that we can display the Gospel of Jesus, Amen.