Lord, reach down and show your tender power in a special way to your children who are being severely persecuted for worshipping you. They face loss of jobs, loss of homes, loss of freedom, loss of life rather than deny you. They are heroes and do not even know it. Their courage in weakness declares your glory to those who degrade them. Their determination to never deny you declares your love to those who hate them. You are the one who gives them strength. You are the one who overcomes Satan through them. They are your hands and feet, their unwavering voices, their stubborn wills. To you belongs all wisdom and glory here on earth now, and in heaven forever.

The other day I declared something that is controversial and does not really matter. Why did I do that? All it does is promote factions, former friends turning against each other. Forgive me, Lord. If only I could take those words back. Forgive me, Lord.

Oh, yesterday was so beautiful and wonderful. The breezes were warm with the door to spring opening up to my part of the world. The sun shone bright in a deep blue sky. The cottony clouds bumped playfully into each other.  Even the fish in the pond nearby wiggled their way around each other while the ducks paddled their little webbed feet just as fast as they could in celebration. Ah, spring. The awaking time. The rest of winter is about over now. Time to plant and go for walks and enjoy the breezes wafting around me. Thank you, Lord, for springtime.

The children, Lord. Make today’s children rebellious. Make them tell their parents and grandparents, “No more. You do not want rules, so I will find the rules for myself and live by them.” Make this young generation light the torch and carry it high so the world will see that Satan will not and cannot win. Help the teenagers of today do what they so naturally want to do. Help them rise up in rebellion against the immorality and lack of ethics that have raised their ugly heads in society. Help them find out who the only true God really is ~ not some high-minded imagination of people who make themselves gods by promising a religion full of emptiness.  Help these teenagers light the torch that reveals you to the world of their grandparents, their parents, their peers, and the next generation. May you be magnified and glorified through this next generation.

Lord, forgive me when I become suspicious of people’s motives. Why do I do that? You are the only one who can read hearts. I try to give a dollar here at there to beggars on the street and never question how they will use it; I just tell them they need to go home. But other people I do question. It is not up to me. That is up to you. No matter who does what, make me assume their motives are good, encourage them, and put my mind at rest.

Thank you, Lord God, for loving everyone, even my enemies. You give me courage when I have no courage. You give me strength when I am weak. You give me love when I do not feel it.  I am weak and sinful. Yet you love me and stay with me in your patience. I do not deserve you. I can only whisper over and over, thank you.

Ah, my Lord God, you are the highest and greatest above all others. You are the epitome, the mountain peak, the inner depths of all.  You are so much more powerful than Satan. May you be now and forever. You alone are worthy of the world’s honor. You alone are true glory ~ on earth and in heaven. You alone are my Maker, my Sustainer, my Savior. The stars race through the firmament to be the first to magnify you. The oceans soar to the depths to be the mightiest to magnify you. The new-born baby basks in the memory of seeing you face to face and being rocked by you in the cradle of a womb. All things praise you. And I cannot wait to do so again tomorrow.

Help me, Lord, to find a balance. Help me not be judgmental and just not have an opinion as though nothing truly matters. Forgive me when I say anything that is hurtful. Help me compliment instead of complain. Help me be more like you.

I thank you, Jesus, for materializing and doing all you did to save me from my deserved punishment for my sins. You did not have to leave the comforts of your home to live in a dirty, smelly world. You didn’t have to give up being everywhere at once to be confined to a body. You didn’t have to jeopardize yourself on the cross. But you did. Such love. The agony and anguish you experienced in my place. Such love. I am not worthy. But you could not let me go. Ah, heart of my heart.

I lift up my praises to you, God of the universe. They swirl around the universe and finally to your throne. You are all might and power and everything good. You are right and just tempered with unimaginable mercy.  You alone are God. I will serve you all the days of my life. Take me to your home soon, though. How much longer will it be? A year? Ten years? Twenty? How long? Take me to your home and I will serve you there forever.

When I fear what people can do to me, I allow them to harm me a thousand times over in my mind. I allow them to overcome me. Make me overcome my haunting fears. Help me love everyone instead, no matter how unloving, spiteful and hateful they are. Their lives must be so tortured. Make me overcoming all that in their lives with love because, as you said, “perfect love casts out fear.”

Ah, my Lord God, in deep gratitude that pierces my soul, I thank you for forgiving my many sins. I sin against you daily with bad attitudes that creep in. I am so ashamed and so weak. You forgive me anyway and I am not worthy of this. I fall at your feet and perpetually I whisper thank you.

My soul magnifies you, Jehovah God. You are the Creator of my life and the Savior of my Spirit. The love you have for my soul overwhelms me. You give meaning to life when there are no answers. You help me rise to the heights of hope when nothing is working out right. You even allow me to share in a little of your glory and to show others what it is. You are my laughter and tears of joy. You are my contentment and my all.

Yesterday you made me forget myself a little while and talk to people about their problems and needs. It is still not enough. Make me reach out in more concern. Forgive me when I surround myself with my selfishness.

Thank you, Lord God of my soul, for taking notice of me, even though I am a sinner unworthy of your presence. I adore you and revere you. I fall at your feet in gratitude. You stopped at nothing to save me from Satan and hell, even though I do not always honor you. Your love is stronger than sin and Satan, danger and death. Your love transcends worlds and envelopes me in safety. And thank you, too, for my family and friends and time to use what talents you gave me to your honor and glory.

God of heaven and earth, you are far above anything and anyone else.  You are our Creator.  You are perfection. I am so far below you in all things. But you are the lover of my soul, my protector, my comforter, my betrothed. Thank you. You deserve all earth’s praise and honor and glory.  All heaven praises you and I adore you.

Lord, I have been neglecting the lost. Why do I do that? Help me be alone with them and ask them about their relationship with God. Instead, I surround myself by my Christian friends. I need them, but the lost need me more. Forgive me when I become too comfortable. Oh, Lord, give me souls or else I die.

Thank you, God of my heart and soul, for loving me so. You stopped at nothing to save me, despite my rebellious ego that does sinful things you say will hurt me.  You are so good, and though I offend you every day, you keep coming back and loving me all the more. No human is able to forgive as often as you do ~ hundreds of times just in one year and sometimes in one month. How can I truly thank you? I fall at your feet unworthy.

How I magnify you, Jehovah, in my heart, my soul, my mind. You are my life and breath. You are my light and love. You are my salvation when Satan tries to grab hold of me. You are my existence when Satan tries to annihilate me. I will cling to you instead of life, and you will give it back in exalted glory because it is you who granted it in the first place. Oh, how I long to see you with whatever kind of eyes I need. Oh, how I long to be able to bow at your feet. Oh, how I long to sing to you, to climb mountains of magnificence with you, to drink the water of life with you.

I am full of selfishness, Lord. I do not take enough time to inquire how others are really feeling and doing deep inside. I am so ashamed. The world does not revolve around me. Forgive me, please.

Jehovah, God, I thank you for all you did to ransom mankind from Satan when he took my soul the moment I first sinned. The ransom was steep. The ransom was so great, I could not pay it, nor could anyone else. You materialized and paid the ransom for us.  You are Love and would have gone out of existence had you not ransomed us from Satan. I will stand by your side and tell others what you did to bring salvation from Satan!  Thank you for preparing a better place for me and paying for it with your blood.

Ah, Lord God, you are the lover and master of my soul. My spirit touches yours and we sing and cry together, work and rest together, travel through meadows and up rugged mountains together. You are my life now and in eternity. You are my betrothed and oh, how I love you. I adore you as a bride adores her groom. I long for the day of our wedding feast when we become one. Such a life you have in store for me! I do not comprehend it. I cannot comprehend it. But life with you, my Lord, will be heaven.

Sometimes I envy people who are asked to speak at various events ~ men or women. I wonder why that opportunity was never opened up to me. Well, it was a little, but never for long. Forgive my envy. Help me be happy for them and remind myself to be content with opportunities for service you have given me.

Thank you, God, for providing the Bible so I do not have to guess what works and what does not work. So, I can understand your ways and Satan’s ways. You are the most mighty, the all mighty. Satan does not have a chance! He thinks he is winning, but he is not. He may win a few battles, but you will win the war. Thank you for the opportunity to stand with you despite opposition. Thank you for the opportunity to be defamed because of you, gossiped about, pushed around, and look like a loser because of you. When I am weak, that is when I am strongest, for my strength then is your strength.

I praise you, Jehovah, for you are stronger than Satan. He wants annihilation, you create. He wants void, you form. He wants darkness and hatred, you light and love. Even with fewer in numbers than those on Satan’s side, you are stronger. You will overcome it all and chain Satan away from us some day when the time is right. Are you allowing Satan to hang on so we will become stronger by doing battle with him? I do not know the answer. What I do know is you are magnificent and wondrous and beautiful. My heart bursts with excitement when I think of you.

Lord, I have been judgmental lately. How dare I? It is your place to judge people’s motives, not mine.  I have never walked in their shoes. I have never faced what they have faced. I have never fought the kinds of battles they have had to fight. Oh, Lord, forgive me.

Thank you, God, for sending a part of you to live among us and be our example.  You in human flesh lived perfectly so you could die in my place according to the Plan explained from the beginning.  As a part of you walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, you came back as promised. Satan won when he convinced them to believe his lies that you did not want what was best for them. You descended to face down Satan. This time you were going to win.  This time you did. I could never have escaped Satan. Nor anyone else. You were the only one who could. So, you did. For me! For me!

I praise you, God, for you are the only God. All other gods are actually demons perpetuated by egotistical humans ~ both men and women ~ who want people to follow their leadership with false promises and false threats that frighten people into following them. You are selfless. If you became selfish, you would go out of existence. Then all would cease to exist. May you live forever, Lord God. May you keep bringing back to life what Satan kills. May you keep relighting the candles of hope that Satan blows out. May you reign on high forever and forever and ever.

Forgive me when I try to entice people into doing good works by promising rewards. And forgive me when I expect recipients of my good works to show their gratitude. They are not always grateful, do not always turn their life around, do not always decide to do good works for others. Forgive me when I look for those things in the people I help. I must not ever do something for someone else expecting anything in return ~ whether mental, emotional, or physical. Forgive me when I do.

Thank you, God for the free country I live in. A decent home to live in and time to pursue the desires of my heart. Thank you for facing death and Satan for me, something I and everyone else could have never done. You materialized for us so you could live and die for us. War of the worlds, and you won. Thank you for showing me how to be on the winner’s side. Thank you for challenges and problems and enemies so I can stand up for you unflinching, unshakable, an imitator of all you stand for.