Author and Ruler of all things, I confess that I am often impatient with the processes of life that force me to cease striving and know that You are God and I am not. My resources, wisdom and power are so bounded that I control very few of the things that happen in my life. I get frustrated and impatient with the challenges and unexpected troubles that crop up so often. But when I think more deeply, I realize that these setbacks and circumstances can accomplish more in my character formation than in having things go my way. It is through such things that patience and forbearance and steadfastness and fortitude are forged by Your wise and loving hands in my life. May I learn to wait on You, to hope in You, to trust in You, to delight myself in You and to unreservedly commit my ways to You.

• Wisdom reminds us that the Lord is God and we are not.

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Dear God, I know that the stories, prophecies and wisdom of the Hebrew Bible are critical for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. You have made it evident that we cannot understand Your great Story without the witness of inspired Scripture prior to the coming of the Lord Jesus. May I regularly expose myself to the full counsel of Your Word and drink deeply from the well of both Testaments. I give thanks for the profound wisdom and marvels of Your revelation through the people You inspired, and ask that I would make the time to read, meditate, pray and rest in Your Word so that I will walk in the path of righteousness, trust and obedience. May the life-giving seed of Your truth bear much fruit in and through me.

• We can have hope through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures.

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Lord God, in this life I can only see in a mirror dimly and I can only know in part. I cannot know fully just as I have been fully known by You, but the time is coming soon when I will see You face to face. In that glorious day when I stand before You by the grace and merit of Christ, my questions will be answered and I will be satisfied. I will fully proclaim that You have done all things well. It is good for me, Lord, to reflect on that future reality so that I can contextualize my circumstances in this present darkness. It is also good for me to review Your faithfulness to Your people in the past in spite of their disobedience, and to review Your many blessings and mercies in my own life’s journey. Then, as I look back on what You have done and look ahead to what You will do, I will grow in confidence in what You are doing today.

• We will fully know that He has done all things well.

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Lord in whom I trust, I freely acknowledge that I am often tempted to question Your ways and to wonder why You allow difficult and grievous things to happen not only in my life, but also in the lives of the people I love. But I must also admit that I simply do not have the knowledge or perspective that I would need to understand Your purposes in these events. When I consider the history of Your people in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, it is remarkable how little of that time they flourished and how many mistakes and enduring consequences dogged their lives and shattered their dreams. But when I see it from the broader perspective of the New Testament, it becomes clear that all of that contributed to a far greater good that will continue into eternity. May I never lose hope in You and Your works.

• We are often tempted to question God’s ways and to wonder why He allows difficult and grievous things to happen in our lives.

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Father of lights, teach me to enjoy You as never before. I want to delight in Your goodness, glory, grace, beauty, perfection, wisdom, justice, holiness, compassion, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, majesty, truth, love, patience, transcendence and immanence. Teach me the wisdom of acknowledging You in all things, including Your often-overlooked tender mercies in the small things of life. May I celebrate Your many gifts and graces and delight in Your will. I affirm that my service to You is perfect freedom and that delighting in You is so much better than delighting in passing things. May I will to do Your will, love the things You love and desire what You desire. Only as I do this will I find the true fulfillment You want for me, because all good things come from You, and in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

• The wisdom of acknowledging God in all things, including His often-overlooked tender mercies in the small things of life.

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God of wisdom, Your plans and purposes are lofty and unattainable by human comprehension. Even though the world is in rebellion against You, all that You have planned in Your perfect wisdom will be fully accomplished. It amazes me that You will do this through the choices both of those who know You and those who have rebelled against You. You have given me the dignity of being a moral agent whose decisions will matter. I pray that the choices I make would be in conformity with Your good and acceptable will, and I ask that You would clarify Your desires for me through the burdens and aspirations that You implant within me. May I seek Your guidance and power in transforming these burdens into plans that You inspire, so that I will honor Your name by accomplishing what You have prepared for me to do.

• The Lord has given us the dignity of being moral agents whose decisions will matter.

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God of glory, in wisdom You have made the heavens and the earth, and nothing is too difficult for You. You rule over the cosmos with its hundreds of billions of galaxies and hold all things together. You created all things for your good pleasure, and the heavens proclaim Your glory, majesty and greatness. Your glory and wisdom are also manifest throughout the manifold flora and fauna of this rich, though bent, world. In spite of the transgression of the Fall and the consequent spread of sin and of death, Your redemptive work will overcome the ravages of sin. Your Word clearly reveals that no amount of human effort could conquer this alienation and bring about peace with You and with humanity. I thank You that You have paid the only price that could bring this about through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

• The heavens proclaim the Creator’s glory, majesty and greatness.

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Lord of all things, Your sovereign will and purposes cannot be thwarted by human or demonic opposition. You revealed to Your prophets the things that were to come, and You have been working in history to bring these things to pass just as You predicted and promised. May I have a growing sense of confidence and assurance in all Your promises and rest in the realization that setbacks and opposition and disappointments will not defeat Your purposes for my life. I ask for a broader perspective that sees things in light of eternity and contextualizes the present in light of the ultimate future. May I have a zeal for the things that You have declared to be important and a desire for that which You want to accomplish through me for Your good pleasure. When I am anxious, I will give my burdens back to You and rest in Your assurances.

• The Lord’s sovereign will and purposes cannot be thwarted by human or demonic opposition.

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Father, may I grow in my desire to love and honor Your name in all things. I want to be faithful to You in this fallen world and not be lured away by cheap substitutes and futile hopes. I will fix my hope completely on the grace that will be brought to Your people at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I want to live in holy anticipation and long for the fullness of Your purposes. The only sure anchor for my hope is in the promises You have made to those who have made You their refuge and confidence. Your lovingkindness and compassion will never diminish, but will go on into eternity. In spite of the adversities and uncertainties of this life, You have offered me a living hope that will never disappoint or fade away. My hope is in Your perfect character and Your steadfast faithfulness, and these will never let me down.

• Living in holy anticipation and longing for the fullness of God’s purposes.

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Lord of history, Your name is to be blessed and exalted forever. Your dominion is everlasting and Your kingdom endures from generation to generation. Wisdom and power belong to You and You rule over all the times and the epochs of human history. It is You who removes kings and establishes kings, and no one can withstand Your will and purposes. Therefore, in spite of all appearances to the contrary in this rebellious time in history, I know that You will bring about Your kingdom of righteousness even upon this earth. I ascribe all glory, majesty, dominion and authority to You and exult in hope of the fullness of Your reign. I will embed my time and my culture in this larger whole as I wait on You to fulfill Your glorious promises. Maranatha—come quickly, Lord Jesus.

• The Lord removes and establishes kings, and no one can withstand His will and purposes.

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