Category: Scripture

Hesed

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Praise and Worship, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Hesed (חסד) . Perhaps one of the most beautiful, life-giving, astounding, and utterly incomprehensible words in Scripture.

To my knowledge, there is no word in the English language that quite captures the meaning of the Hebrew word hesed. I’ve seen it translated as “mercy” or “steadfast love,” but perhaps the best translation for hesed is “lovingkindness.”

Since there is no word in English that captures the full essence of the word hesed, possibly the best way to begin to grasp it is to find it in Scripture and read it in context. However, we can never fully comprehend God’s hesed toward us. As John Bunyan writes in All Loves Excelling about Ephesians 3:18-19: “Were it all [all knowledge] put together, we, we all, and every one, did we each of us contribute [knowledge] for the manifesting of this love, what it is, the whole of what we know, it would amount but to a broken knowledge; we know but in part, we see darkly (1 Cor. 13:9-12)…were all the saints on earth, and all the saints in heaven to contribute all that they know of this love of Christ, and to put it into one sum of knowledge, they would greatly come short of knowing the utmost of this love, yet unknown by them.” In other words, Christ’s love for us is beyond comprehension (Eph. 3:18-19) and even if all the children of God combined all their knowledge about His love, it would be insufficient to scratch the surface!

However, as Bunyan clarifies later, “that which is not possible to be known to the utmost, is to be known we know not how much; and therefore they that seek to know it should never be contented or satisfied to what degree of the knowledge of it soever they attain; but still should be reaching forward, because there is more to be known of it before them.” In other words, although we can never dream of comprehending the Lord’s love and hesed lovingkindness toward us, we must learn all we can! And every little water droplet we take in from the endless ocean of Christ’s love and hesed will awe, astound, and amaze us, drawing us in to praise and worship our Savior for His undeserved favor toward us.

Here are just a few highlights from my personal Scripture study on hesed.

  • God in His hesed grants us family (Gen. 24:12, 14)
  • We are unworthy of God’s hesed (Gen. 32:10)
  • God’s hesed uplifts us and grants us favor in this life (Gen. 39:21, Ruth 2:20, 1 Kings 3:6, etc.)
  • God shows hesed toward His people (Ex. 15:13, etc.)
  • God is abundant in hesed (Neh. 9:17, etc.)
  • God’s hesed is unfailing and endures forever (Deut. 7:9, 1 Chr. 16:34, Ps. 136, 103:17, etc.)
  • We can trust in God’s hesed (Psalm 13:5, 52:8, etc.)
  • God’s hesed pursues us continually (Ps. 23:6)
  • God’s hesed surrounds those who trust Him (Ps. 32:10)
  • God’s hesed is precious and better than life (Ps. 36:7, 63:3)
  • In God’s hesed He forgives our sins (Ps. 51:1)
  • In God’s hesed He hears our prayers (Ps. 69:13)
  • God crowns us with hesed (Ps. 103:4)
  • We glorify God because of His hesed (Ps. 115:1, 138:2)
  • The earth is full of God’s hesed (Ps. 119:64)
  • The Lord takes pleasure in those who hope in His hesed (Ps. 147:11)

And so much more!! I would encourage you to do a word study on this verse in the Old Testament (even if you don’t know Hebrew, blueletterbible.com is an amazing resource for original language and very easy to do a word study on) and meditate on the richness of the amazing hesed of our precious Savior.

Psalm 25:10

All the paths of the LORD are mercy [hesed] and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Psalm 90:14

Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy [hesed],
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!

Psalm 145:8
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy [hesed].

Lam. 3:22

Through the LORD’s mercies [hesed] we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.

Hos. 2:19

“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness [hesed] and mercy;


Micah 7:18

Who is a God like You,
Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?

He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in mercy. [hesed]

New Music OUT NOW!!

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Scripture

Dear friends,

Praise to the Lord Almighty! My new song ​”What a God​” is OUT NOW and available for you to listen to on all streaming services!
​
This song is first and foremost for the glory of my precious Savior, Whose Holy Spirit inspired me. He is both the Subject and the Object of my song–He is Himself both my song and the reason I sing!

​”What a God​” is also available for churches to sing on CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing). If your church would like to sing it, please do!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Links

SPOTIFY   YOUTUBE 

Lyrics:

What a God
Intro
Verse 1:
He flung the stars into space
He is just in all His ways
He is the same from age to age
Oh, what a God!

He knows each little bird that falls
He made all things great and small
He is our faithful All-in-All
Oh, what a God!

Chorus:
Alleluia! Tongue cannot tell
The wonders of God, our Savior and Friend
Three-in-one, our Lord and our King
We will praise You for everything

[Intro repeated]
Verse 2:
He took on flesh and came to earth
He came to redeem and break the curse
He is the living, breathing Word
Oh, what a God!

He died on the cross, bearing our sin
He clothed us in His righteousness
He saved us forever to live with Him
Oh, what a God!

Chorus:
Alleluia! Tongue cannot tell
The wonders of God, our Savior and Friend
Three-in-one, our Lord and our King
We will praise You for everything

[Instrumental]

Bridge: (2x)
Yeshua, our Lord, Risen One
He gives His Spirit to live in us
God Almighty, living One
Oh, what a God!
Oh, what a God! (this line only on the 2nd bridge)

Chorus: (2x)
Alleluia! Tongue cannot tell
The wonders of God, our Savior and Friend
Three-in-one, our Lord and our King
We will praise You for everything

Chorus (with harmonies)

The Path to Degeneracy

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Romans 1:20-23

20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

While reading this passage, I was struck by something interesting. The latter half of Romans 1 describes the path to degeneracy–the downward spiral of inherently depraved humankind as people fall deeper into sin and further from our holy God. It goes from idolatry to gross sexual sin, to an extensive list of sinful practices and attitudes.

But what is the beginning of this dark, awful spiral? “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful.” The root of all these atrocious wicked behaviors? Knowing God, but not glorifying Him, and being unthankful.

That is a sharp rebuke. How many of us as believers in Christ know God but do not glorify Him as such, and further, are unthankful for all His many blessings and benefits that He so graciously bestows on us every day? It is so easy to say “Oh, well those people who are in all that sin act that way.” But from my experience, these are common failings for Christians as well, myself included. If that is the case, we must truly guard against these two sins from which spring a whole multitude and host of evils.

I truly believe that those whom God has sovereignly elected as His children will never be cast out of His presence–that He will keep them safe in the palm of His hand forever. However, as believers, we must, with the help of His Holy Spirit, follow His ways and obey His Word. Let’s dive into the two issues at the root of all other sins that Paul describes in Romans 1.

—although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God… It is fully possible for one to know God and not glorify Him as such. A person can grow up learning all about God, and even reading and studying the Bible, and yet not glorify Him as God in their life. What does it mean to glorify God? It means, for one thing, to honor Him as Lord and God in every single area of our lives, honoring Him as God and King in our hearts, and surrendering control entirely to Him. According to the Strong’s definition of δοξάζω (doxazo–the Greek word used for glorify in the original language of this sentence), glorify means “to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate…to honour, do honour to, hold in honour…to make glorious, adorn with lustre, clothe with splendour…to impart glory to something, render it excellent…to make renowned, render illustrious…to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged.” We do this by praising God, obeying His Word, exalting Him before others…and most of all, by extoling Him as Lord over every aspect and area of our lives. Not doing so is pride, humanism, and in fact, self-exaltation, and the first stronghold of degeneracy in a person’s life.

—…nor were thankful. This one is hard. How many of us struggle to be thankful? Yet Scripture clearly tells us, “in everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18). In fact, how can we struggle to be grateful to the One who “daily loads us with benefits” (Ps. 68:18)? Our amazing God has saved and redeemed us…has sacrificed His own Son, God very God, for our sins…has given us, undeserving sinners, eternal life…He provides for our needs and withholds nothing good from us (Ps. 84:11, Ps. 34:10)…He is good, faithful, trustworthy, gentle, kind, longsuffering, and so much more! He gives us every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Who are we to be discontented and unthankful? Truly, unthankfulness is an insult to our loving Father God.

What happens when people do not glorify God and are unthankful? They become “futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened…and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man…” Those two issues are the first stop on the path to degeneracy–sinners, already depraved from birth, succumbing to sin deeper and darker. If one does not acknowledge, thank, and glorify God, one is close to replacing God with self-worship or other forms of idolatry.

Perhaps this post is not a cheery New Year’s greeting, but I think it is very appropriate to examine our hearts as a new year dawns. Perhaps we should resolve this year to renew our commitments to glorify our amazing, Triune God and practice thankfulness and gratitude to Him. He is so good and so worthy of all our praise! May the Lord bless you this new year, and may you draw closer to Him!

Merry Christmas!

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Christian holidays, Holidays, Scripture, Theology

John 1:14

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

God incarnate became a man, and He died for our sins and rose the third day. Don’t let that ever cease to amaze you! God very God, the Almighty Creator of the universe, humbled Himself and became a human being, clothing Himself in flesh. Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, was born as a baby in Bethlehem, fulfilling hundreds of Old Testament prophecies. The joy of Christmas is that God loves you so much that He Himself came to die on the cross and rescue you from your sin. He is the Holy One–the Messiah! He came to save us, and He died and rose so that we can have eternal life with Him. What a miracle–what a Savior! What a God we serve!

Philippians 2:5-8

5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Merry Christmas to you and your family! May you draw closer to our precious Lord and Savior this new year!

Our Purpose Revealed

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Ephesians 2:8-10

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.“

What is our purpose? Why are we as believers here on this earth? More specifically, FOR WHAT PURPOSE did God choose us in particular among all people–to redeem us by His blood and sanctify us to Himself?

A look at the book of Ephesians, particularly chapter 1, answers this question. Let’s look at the two specific and clearly laid out reasons God chose us to be His.

  • To be holy and without blame before Him in love. Many times, in our modern day, people overemphasize “making a decision for Christ.” “Pray the prayer and you’re saved” is the mentality. But the truth is that the first moment the Holy Spirit leads us to put faith in Christ is only the beginning. WHY did God choose us to be His children? Why did He choose us “in Him before the foundation of the world”? To be holy and blameless in Him. Becoming a Christian means dying. It means dying to our sinful nature and the old man. It means crucifying the flesh and dying with Christ. It means leaving our past and sinful nature. A prayer does not save us. Christ Himself saves us by grace through faith, NOT of ourselves (Eph. 2:8). Faith without works is dead (James 2)! God gives us faith in Him, and He redeems us. Faith is not a one-and-done thing! Faith is living and active! We must LIVE OUT our faith, bearing fruit for Jesus. He saves us not so we can just keep living however we want to. Our old selves have DIED, and we no longer have anything to do with them. The first purpose for our salvation is HOLINESS. We are to be set apart from the world, spotless and blameless, pure and holy, consecrated to His use alone. The Greek word for without blame (ἄμωμος) is translated as a sacrifice without blemish. Going to Romans 12:1-2, we discover what the sacrifice is. It is ourselves–a holy, living sacrifice to the Lord. This is what He chose us for–in Him–before the foundation of the world! He predestined us for HOLINESS and BLAMELESSNESS. We have no place mingling with darkness and the world. We must be completely set apart and consecrated for His service.

  • To the praise of the glory of His grace. The phrase “to the praise of His glory” is repeated three times in Ephesians chapter 1, as relating to the purpose for which God chose us to be His children, predestining us before the foundation of the world to adopt us as His own. The second purpose God has for us in Christ is for His praise and to His glory! All things are of Him and through Him and to Him. He is worthy, always entirely worthy of all our worship and adoration. All that we do should always be for His glory alone. When we praise Him, we bring Him glory. When we live in holiness, fulfilling our purpose, we bring Him glory. When we endure suffering with patience, we bring Him glory. He has called us to bring Him glory. He has saved us for the sake of His glory. Everything He does is for the glory of His name. Strong’s concordance describes the Greek word for glory (δόξα) as a “most glorious condition, most exalted state.” The glory of God should be our end purpose, our chief goal in life. And as we pursue holiness in Christ Jesus, who has purchased us with His precious blood for this very reason, we bring glory, honor, and praise to His name.

Now that we know our purpose in Christ, are we living it out? Let us reevaluate our lives. In what ways do we need to be separate from the world–set apart and consecrated in holiness to our Master? In what ways do we need to rededicate our lives to solely seeking after His glory and praise in all things? This is our calling. This is the reason our Lord and Master chose us to be saved. This is the reason He purchased us on the cross, suffering the ultimate penalty for our sins. He has done so much for us. Can we not fulfill the purpose to which He has called us?

Lamentations 3:40

Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD.

Ephesians 1:4-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…

7 Key Reasons American Christians Should Support Israel

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

“I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3

  1. The Bible tells us to. In Genesis chapter 12, God promised Abraham that those who blessed his descendants would be blessed, and vice versa. This was never a conditional promise, and God never set a time limit for the “expiration” of this verse.
  2. Jesus Christ came to the earth as a Jew. Jesus Christ was born of the seed of David according to the Law (Gal. 4:4, Matthew 1). He came as a Jew, and His main earthly ministry was to the Jews. (Matthew 15:24) Salvation is of the Jews since the Savior came from the Jews. (John 4:22)
  3. Israel is God’s special people. We are to be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1-2). God has numerous times declared that Israel is His special chosen nation. Scripture clearly states that even in New Testament times, God has not cast away His people. (Romans 11:1-2: “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.”) Even though the Jewish people as a whole have rejected their Messiah, God has not rejected them, and the nation of Israel still plays an essential role in God’s plan for history.
  4. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, loves Israel. As previously mentioned, Christ’s earthly ministry was nearly entirely focused on the Jewish people. Salvation came first to the Jews who spread the Gospel to the Gentiles.
  5. Israel will play a key role in God’s plan for the future of the world. There are many prophecies in Scripture concerning Israel’s future salvation and her role in end-time events. In fact, these events will center around Israel.

Even if you take these most important factors out of the equation, there are significant practical reasons for the US to support Israel.

  1. Israel is America’s strong ally. Historically, Israel and America have worked side by side. This is no different from the present! The leaders of both countries have great relationships and work closely together.
  2. Israel is very smart and up-to-date on technology, making them a valuable country to have a good relationship with.
  3. Israel’s location in the Middle East gives the US an ally in that turbulent area of the world.

God has made it abundantly clear that His children in Christ must support and bless His chosen nation, Israel. That fact alone ought to convince us that we must do so and stand boldly for the Jewish people.

I hope this post equips you to better understand and defend your position on Israel!

Psalms 122:6 (NKJV)
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.” For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.”

Or in Hebrew: Shaalu Shlom Yerushalayim! (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!)

Humble Yourself

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Literature, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

1 Peter 5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

A little booklet by John MacArthur, Found: God’s Peace, casts these famous verses in an entirely new light. As Christians, we’ve probably all heard them a time or two, and thus, they can easily be overlooked due to how well we know them. But the question stands: how often do we actually put these verses into practice?

MacArthur explains what it means to humble ourselves under God’s hand: “The key is never to contest God’s wisdom but instead to accept humbly whatever God brings into your life as coming from His hand.”

Humbling ourselves under the hand of God equals accepting everything, even trials and pain, as coming from His perfect plan. Instead of getting angry or bitter, it means trusting and submitting. Instead of continually questioning “why?” it means saying “Lord, I do not understand what You are doing. But I trust that it is good–in fact, it is best for me–and it is for Your glory and my good, ultimately.”

Of course, we all struggle, and there are times we face doubt and questions. That is common; go to the psalms and you will find that other men of God struggled with the same things. But at the end of most lamenting psalms, you will find declarations of praise and trust. Even in the book of Lamentations, which is a declaration of mourning and sorrow, we find some of the most beautiful verses in Scripture: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

That is what truly makes a person of God–not someone who never struggles with their faith, but someone who does not stay there but always comes out victorious, humbly and joyfully submitting to God’s will in all things.

It is most certainly not an easy practice. But may we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us peacefully and joyfully submit to His will! What a God we serve, that we can trust Him wholeheartedly, for He always does what is best for us, for our good and more importantly, for His glory.

*Note: I wanted to mention that Dr. MacArthur’s recent passing is deeply sorrowful for those of us on earth who have been impacted by his life and ministry. I have been so blessed by his materials and am thankful for the man of God he was. Praise the Lord for his life and legacy, and may the Lord help his ministry to continue going strong!

Reflections

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Current Events, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk

Psalm 46:1

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”

The events of the past few days have left me speechless. Many of us feel deep grief and pain at so much loss, from the terrorist attacks in Israel to the brutal murder of a dear young man who loved Jesus and his country–Charlie Kirk.

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to view the latter tragedy through the eyes of several different people from various walks of life. The assassination impacted each differently, yet the feelings seemed to be the same. “I never met Charlie, but I cried all day yesterday,” is the same message I heard from many. Why? Because Charlie Kirk was a young man who was passionate about his faith. Nothing impacts this dark world more than a light that shines radiantly, unashamedly, courageously. Nothing is as powerful as believers who live out their faith in all their actions, not just claiming to be Christians but bearing fruit and proving it with their deeds.

This is our generation’s 9/11. (Quite literally.) This is our wake-up call. Will we carry on Charlie’s work? Will we stand for Christ and for His truth–which is THE Truth? Will we seek righteousness?

If you are like me, you may be feeling discouraged and somewhat defeated this week. But I have good news for you–we as Christians are not defeated! Christ is not defeated–He is victorious, and we are victorious in Him! Although it may seem like darkness has prevailed at this moment, it has not. The Light of the world always overcomes the darkness. God is perfectly sovereign. His plan is perfect, and the darkness cannot thwart His purpose. He does whatever He pleases, and His ways are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:8-9) Psalm 21:11 stood out to me today: “For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot which they are not able to perform.” (emphasis added)

Charlie’s work on this earth is done, but ours has just begun. We must step out and stand up. We must live for Christ wholeheartedly–the time for a lukewarm faith is past. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer, another Christian martyr declared, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” In order to live fully for Christ on this earth, we must die to sin and to self. Once one becomes a Christian, he simply can no longer live the same way he always used to. Instead, we as believers must become living sacrifices for Jesus (Romans 12:1), surrendering everything to Him and committing to obey Him in whatever He calls us to do, no matter the cost. He may not call each of us to speak before millions, but He may call us to tell one family member about Jesus. And that is worth it.

It is not wrong to feel a sense of intense grief at losing Charlie, a fellow believer. We all mourn together. Jesus understands our sorrow; He wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Yet, we do not mourn as those who have no hope. (1 Thess. 4:13) We know Charlie is with Jesus, and we have our marching orders to carry on his work, fearlessly speaking the truth in love and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Charlie was a Christian martyr who died for his faith. May we live fully for our Savior and be willing to lay down our lives for Him, if He calls us to. May we boldly speak out for truth and for righteousness.

And most of all, let us pray. Pray for Charlie’s family. Pray for our leaders. Pray for protection. Pray for our country. Pray for the light of Christ to shine and to mightily overwhelm the darkness.

And if you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, there is no time to wait! He died so that we can live with Him. He willingly shed His blood on the cross so that we can be with Him forever, in eternal life. We are all totally depraved sinners–anyone who denies that fact is thoroughly deceived–and we could never earn eternal life. BUT GOD stepped in and sent His Son to take the penalty on our behalf. He bore the wrath of God so that YOU don’t have to. Believe in Him. Jesus Christ is the Lord–God incarnate–and He is the ONLY Way to salvation. I pray you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior today! For more information, visit the Gospel tab.

John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.“

Proverbs 31:8-9

“Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.“

Psalm 10:13-14

Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
“You will not require an account.”
But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
To repay it by Your hand.
The helpless commits himself to You;
You are the helper of the fatherless.

Prisoner’s Prayer

by Anastasia Irene, posted in Literature, Praise and Worship, Prayer, Scripture, The Christian Walk, Theology

Recently, I read some writings by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of my personal heroes. If you do not know much about him, I hardly know where to begin in describing his life to you. Rather, I will have to refer you to one of my favorite books ever: Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. Once you start digging into the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, you will find yourself challenged, inspired, and encouraged in your walk with Christ.

Bonhoeffer wrote a prayer to encourage his fellow prisoners at Christmastime in 1943. It ministered to me greatly, and I thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy!

MORNING PRAYERS

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.

Help me to pray

And to concentrate my thoughts on you;

I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,

But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,

But you know the way for me.

O heavenly Father,

I praise and thank you

For the peace of the night;

I praise and thank you for this new day;

I paise and thank you for all your goodness

and faithfulness throughout my life.

You have granted me many blessings;

Now let me also accept what is hard

from your hand,

You will lay on me no more

than I can bear.

You make all things work together for good

for your children.

Lord Jesus Christ,

You were poor

and in distress, a captive and forsaken as I am.

You know all man’s troubles;

You abide with me

when all men fail me;

You remember and seek me;

It is your will that I should know you

and turn to you.

Lord, I hear your call and follow;

Help me.

O Holy Spirit,

Give me faith that will protect me

from despair, from passions, and from vice;

Give me such love for God and men

as will blot out all hatred and bitterness;

Give me the hope that will deliver me

from fear and faint-heartedness.

O holy and merciful God,

my Creator and Redeemer,

my Judge and Saviour,

You know me and all that I do.

You hate and punish evil without respect of persons

in this world and the next;

You forgive the sins of those

who sincerely pray for forgiveness;

You love goodness, and reward it on this earth

with a clear conscience,

and, in the world to come,

with a crown of righteousness.

I remember in your presence all my loved ones,

my fellow-prisoners, and all who in this house

perform their hard service;

Lord, have mercy.

Restore me to liberty,

and enable me so to live now

that I may answer before you and before men.

Lord, whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised.

Amen.