Daily Prayer: 2025

A Prayer for Preparing

Father,

I'm finding it so easy to look back at this year and only see what I failed to do.

(I'm so grateful You've never failed me.)

As a new calendar year turns, I'm finding myself hopeful for what is to come.

(I'm so grateful You are where hope comes from.)

The new year will begin, but I will remain my old self. Yet every changing, wanting to be like You.

(I'm so grateful you are the same yesterday, today, and forever.)

Prepare me for what is to come in 2026.

(I"m so grateful You will be with me.)

Prepare my heart for growth, my mind for learning, and my soul for Your peace.

(I'm so grateful You make all things new.)

Prepare me so I am able to surrender to all Your plans.

Amen.

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a prayer as the year changes

Our Father,

As we come to the end of this year help us to:
remember the successes we had and lessons we learned;
grieve the things we lost and celebrate the memories we have;
be thankful for your presence in our lives and our world.
As we stand looking ahead to a new year:
bless us with courage to walk through open doors;
grace us to embrace new opportunities and the chance to start anew;
help us to stay true to the person that you made us to be.

Each day Lord, help us to live lives that honor you.

Amen

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for transformation in the year ahead

Heavenly Father,

As I open my heart and mind to you, help me to think differently.

Transform me and continue to make me like Jesus.

Every part of me wants to be like him.

Release me from my old ways of thinking and acting.

Help me to find new patterns and friends that encourage me in your ways.

Remind me of the inherent worth and dignity that I find in you.

Help me to trust in your timing and fill my mind with your peace.

Guard my heart and mind with your love and mercy.

I dedicate my life to you again. I love you Lord.

Amen

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Remember the love of Jesus

We remember your love, O Jesus, as it was manifested to us in your holy life, from the manger of Bethlehem to the garden of Gethsemane!

We track you from the cradle to the grave, for every word and every deed of yours was love.

Especially, O Jesus, we remember your love to us upon the cross!

We gaze upon you with your hands and your feet nailed to the accursed tree.

We remember your love that you manifested through your poor, bleeding hands, and feet, and side.

We remember this love of yours until it invigorates and cheers us:

the love that you have exercised since your death,

the love of your resurrection,

the love that prompts you continually to intercede before your Father’s throne,

that burning lamp of love that will never let you hold your peace until your chosen ones are all safely housed, and Zion is glorified, and the spiritual Jerusalem is settled on her everlasting foundations.

AMEN

CHARLES SPURGEON (1834–1892)*

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a prayer in dark times

Today is the Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year. I post this meditation (written in 2001 by Rev. Diane Hendricks) every year as a reminder that things are not always as they seem. Darkness eventually gives way to light and night transitions to morning. And we can have hope in the darkest of times.

Longest Night Meditation

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Only it's not.

Not for everyone.

Not when there is an empty chair at the table.
Not when your body is ravaged with illness.
Not when the depression is too much to bear.
Not without her voice joining yours on the Christmas carols.
Not when you feel all alone even in a crowd.
Not when you are not sure you can even afford the rent or mortgage,
let alone the presents.
Not when they are trying their best to get the best of you.
Not when another Christmas party means he will come home drunk again.

It's the most wonderful time of the year?

No, it's not.

And trying to smile and say Merry Christmas is more than difficult.

It's pretty near impossible.

C.S. Lewis once wrote:

"No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning..."

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Only it's not.

Not after he has died.

Not after the doctor gave you the news.
Not after they told you they would be downsizing.
Not after... you fill in the blank.
Not after September 11.
Not when there is so much violence and destruction in the world.

In truth, it has never been the most wonderful time of the year. Certainly not in the days surrounding that first Christmas so long ago. The story of the birth of Jesus is not to be told with a jolly voice and a merry ho-ho-ho.
It is the story of a teenage girl, pregnant with a child that is not her husband's.

It is the story of a child born in a dirty animal stall.
It is the story of a family of refugees who had to flee their homeland so that their child would not be killed.
It is the story of one sent into the world in peace who was condemned to death.
It is the story of a light sent to shine in the darkness, which the world snuffed out.
It is the story of God's never-ending, self-giving mercy which was rejected and condemned.
In the great work the Messiah, Handel quotes the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming that Jesus was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." One great theologian reminds us that we cannot come to the manger without acknowledging that it lays in the shadow of the cross.

It is not the most wonderful time of the year.

Only it is! It is:
If we forget about the tinsel and the trees.
If we forget about the holly jolly tidings.
If we forget about the presents and the ornaments and the trappings.
And remember. Remember the story.
Mary was alone and afraid.
But God was with her and exalted her among women.
Joseph was disgraced.
But God revealed in Joseph's cause for disgrace God's plan to save the world.
The world was in darkness.
But God sent the light of life to shine.
The lowly were imprisoned.
But Jesus set them free.
The blind wandered aimlessly.
But Christ gave them eyes to see.
The lame were rejected.
But through the Holy One they were made to leap and dance.
The deaf were confined to the silence.
But the song of life unstopped their ears.
The sorrowful grieved.
But God wipes away our tears.
We were alone.
But in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God is with us.
The people rejected God.
But God embraces us.
The world crucified Christ.
But God would not allow that to be the last word, and gave us the sure hope of the resurrection.
It is the most wonderful time of the year, not because you have to be cheery and happy and merry.

But because you don't.

You can have heavy spirits and shattered dreams. Broken hearts and deep wounds.

And still God comes to be with you.
To comfort you.
To redeem you.
To save you.
To restore you.
To empower you.
To strengthen you.
To grant you peace.
To be raised for you.
To hold you in the communion of saints with those whom you have loved and lost.
To store your tears in his bottle.
To offer you eternal life.
It is the most wonderful time of the year.
For Christ is born.
Love has come.
God is with us!
Thanks be to the Lord our God.

Amen

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a prayer of seeking

Dear Father in Heaven,

We know that you want us to seek you.

We want to know you more - your heart, your ways and your love.

Bless us with hearts that yearn for the reality of your life and presence.

Help us to see you in our lives and your hand in our affairs.

We ask that you make us like Jesus and help us to love as he loves.

Reveal yourself to us in the large and small matters of our lives.

As Moses prayed, we ask you to reveal your glory to us.

We love you Lord.

Amen.

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O Glorious Light Born of the Father (Thomas A. Kempis)

O glorious Light born of the Father,

O bright Wisdom of God, brought forth of a virgin this night,

grant me devoutly and worthily to tender you thanks;

grant me to sing aloud to your name, reverently bow, humbly kneel, worshipfully adore

and with the holy angels solemnly to chant to you, “Glory in the highest.”

For praise and honor befit you, O Lord, Who did deign to be incarnate for our salvation.

Amen.

THOMAS À KEMPIS (CA. 1380–1471)*

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God of Joy

Lord God,

You surprise us with grace that breaks through despair. Your faithfulness brings joy when we remember all that you have done and will do.

Renew our spirits to lead with joy that flows from gratitude and surrender. Let our joy be a testimony drawing others to the hope of your kingdom.

Through your global church help us to embody joy in the waiting.

Amen.

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Trusting in the Slow Work of God

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—
and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.

Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.

Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.

- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

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a prayer to increase our strength

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Rhythm of Daily Prayer

One of the interesting things that happen when we spend time with God in prayer is that we find out how tired and anxious we are. If we don't fall asleep, we find out how full our head is of worries and concerns and things we need to do. While we are trying to be with God, we are busy thinking about all the plans we have made. A thousand distractions will come our way, like jumping monkeys filling a banana tree. As soon as we enter into solitude, we discover how chaotic our inner life is. Suddenly all sorts of thoughts, feelings, and fantasies come to the surface, and we soon find ourselves thinking about old pains and old rewards, about appointments we forgot to keep and letters we forgot to write, about people we hope to see and people we hope we never see, about a future vacation, a possible promotion, or our approaching retirement. Instead of being prayerful we become restless and can't wait until our half hour is over.

Don't be surprised at this. You can't just suddenly shut the door of a house that was always open to strangers and expect no one to knock on the door. It will take a while for these countless distractions to disappear, but eventually they will, especially when they realize that you refuse to open the door to them for at least half an hour. If we faithfully keep our time of prayer, every single day, then slowly the distractions diminish and our mind and body join in a rhythm of daily prayer.

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

- Psalm 119: 130

----

Lord, help me to develop a daily rhythm of prayer that I may find true rest in you and be able to cast aside the many unfruitful distractions of my life.

In Jesus' Name

Amen

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His name is Wonderful

LORD,

As this beautiful season of Christmas is upon us, help us to keep our eyes focused on You. Help us to remember that long ago HOLY night when SALVATION descended to the earth in the form of a baby. Help us to keep our gaze toward the GIFT of Jesus. And let our hearts forever be filled to overflowing with the WONDER of Christ.

May we spread the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ all the days of our lives…

“For a child will be born for us….He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace…” (Isaiah 9:6)

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a prayer for the unsettled

Heavenly Father,

In this second week of Advent, I know the focus is on the word "Peace" but honestly, my heart doesn't feel very peaceful right now. I'm being pulled in many directions, and my heart feels very unsettled.

I know that the peace the angels spoke of (“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”- Luke 2:14) isn't about horizontal earthy peace, but about the vertical peace we have with you... but I really wish there was horizontal earthy peace right now.

Lord, help me rest in the peace Jesus brought when he came as a baby, a peace in my relationship with you. I am so thankful that I am no longer at war with you because Jesus has covered all my sin. May this peace sink down so deep in my heart that I become an agent of peace in this world.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Amen.

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A Prayer to Celebrate the Miracle of Christmas

Dear Father,

Christmas began with the miracle of the Incarnation.

It seems that it is a time of hope, possibilities and optimism.

We thank you so much for giving us Jesus.

As we celebrate his miraculous birth, turn our hearts toward heaven.

Cause us to see you anew with hearts transformed by your Spirit.

Bless us to reflect your love and goodness to all around us.

You, O blessed Savior, are worthy of all honor and praise.

In this season we celebrate and glory in your Son.

To him belongs all praise.

In love we say amen. And amen.

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a prayer to help others this holiday season

Dearest Lord,

During this season of Christmas we ask you to open our eyes.

Help us to see those who are hurting, sad and lonely.

We pray for those around us who need your touch and ministry.

Extend your hand of compassion and provision through us to them.

Help us to be vessels of Your love and support.

Bless us as we offer helping hands and listening ears.

We thank you, Father, for the privilege of prayer and ministry.

To you belongs all praise and honor.

We love you Lord.

Amen.

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A prayer for Advent to help restore our focus

Come, Lord Christ,

to restore all that has been lost

through struggle and fear,

in sorrow and in pain.

Come, Lord Christ,

to restore the balance of hope

for those oppressed and hungry for justice,

overlooked and counted of little worth.

Come, Lord Christ,

to restore to wholeness

the image that is tarnished

with sin and shame,

neglect and distraction.

Come, Lord Christ,

in poverty and humility

to raise us to your eternal glory. Amen.

Source: Black, Ian. 2011. Prayers for All Occasions. London: SPCK.

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a prayer of hope

Father,

Hope.

It's the first word we often ponder during the Advent season and yet this year it feels strange to even think about hope with so much despair and conflict all around us.

So we lament. We cry out to You.

But in this, there is hope.

Because we wouldn't cry out to You if we didn't hope You would hear us. If we didn't hope You would fix what was broken and right what was wrong.

Lord help us see hope in a new way this Advent and Christmas season. Remind us to find hope in what You have done and what You are doing, and to find hope in the promises You have made for our future. Remind us that we are secure in our place as Your children and that our union with You is at Your gracious and loving hand.

Remind us that our hope is not in the things of this world, but in the person of Jesus Christ who will come again. For this, we wait and hope.

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a prayer for clarity

Lord of Light and Clarity,

As we begin this season of Advent, fill our hearts with your beautiful light.

As seasonal candles are lit, bring the warmth of the time to our hearts.

In the darkness of uncertainty, remind us that your love never fails.

Bring clarity to our lives as we confess our trust in Your presence.

Help us to recognize the still small voice of your Spirit.

Bring grace to our lives as we lean into your presence in us.

Strengthen our hearts and minds for the days ahead.

Help us to carry your light and hope into the world.

Amen

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A Prayer as we Prepare for Christmas

Lord Jesus, master of both the light and the darkness,

Send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.

We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.

To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!'

Amen.

- Henri J.M. Nouwen

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as we navigate holiday grief

Dear Father,

We come to you with heavy hearts as we navigate this holiday season.

We know that you are with us in our sadness.

We pray for Your comfort and peace in the midst of our sorrow and loss.

Wrap us in Your love and strength, and remind us that we are not alone.

Please bring us courage to face each day with hope.

Grant us grace that we might find hope and healing, even through the pain.

For we who mourn, let your presence be our solace.

And let our memories of our loved ones be a source of peace.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Deliver Me from Slothfulness, Lukewarmness and Dejection (John Wesley)

Deliver me, O God, from a slothful mind, from all lukewarmness, and all dejection of spirit. I know these cannot but deaden my love to you; mercifully free my heart from them, and give me a lively, zealous, active, and cheerful spirit; that I may vigorously perform whatever you command, thankfully suffer whatever you choose for me, and be ever ardent to obey in all things your holy love.

John Wesley

Romans 12:11 (ESV)

11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Revelation 3:16 (ESV)

16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

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Confidence in Jesus

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on forgiving others

Father,

This week many of us will come to the table for holiday celebrations. And sometimes, Lord, it's hard for us to come to this table without hurt, baggage, and trauma around other at the table who've hurt us. It's hard to forgive those who haven't asked for forgiveness, or to forgive those who don't think they've done anything wrong.

May we be reminded that refusing to forgiving others is hard on our own hearts.

You've established forgiveness as a command, but a command for our good. When our sense of justice gets in the way, Lord remind us that release is good for our body, hearts, and souls.

We come with open hearts and open hands. Give us the grace to forgive all who have offended us. Give us the grace to let go.

Help us to walk in the forgiveness you have given us. Encourage unconditional love.

Teach us to forgive as we are forgiven.

Amen.

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giving thanks in every season

Heavenly Father,

You are the God of all seasons.

You are with me in my joys and in my sorrows.

I thank you for your unconditional love.

I am blessed to have you in my life in every season.

I am so thankful that you are working all things for my good.

I pray for the strength and faith to walk through every season.

I praise you in both glad times and in painful times.

I am trusting in you as I become more and more like your Son.

In every season, I give thanks to you and for you.

Amen.

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a prayer of thanks in rough times

There is something healing about the giving of thanks. We acknowledge God's goodness when we give thanks to him in the midst of struggle and pain. We seemingly reach back to times of divine blessings when we remember what God has done in our lives. Such memories can be an anchor in the storm.

I can relate to times of pain when all I had was a memory of the goodness of God. There is something about a memory that can cause me to be thankful. When my parents passed on my memories of them caused me to be thankful for their lives. I think that it is helpful to give thanks to God in rough times.

With that in mind, I ask you to pray with me.

We remember what you have done in our lives Lord. And we give thanks.

For your presence in good times and bad. We give thanks.

For the people that you have placed in our lives. We give thanks.

For the ways that you work all things together for our good. We give thanks.

For the gift of your Son. Our hearts are filled with Thanksgiving.

Amen

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May the Words We Have Heard Be Grafted in Our Hearts (George Whitefield)

Grant, we ask you, Almighty God, that the words which we have heard this day with our outward ears, may through your grace be so grafted inwardly in our hearts, that they may bring forth in us the fruit of good living, to the honor and praise of your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

George Whitefield

Matthew 13:23 (ESV)

23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

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a prayer for mental peace

O God, the One who has set us free - the One who is our peace:

We seek the strength of your Spirit, that we may live in a more deep and powerful union with you.

May Your faithfulness be a source of comfort for us as we live in the reality of a world, a community - and even our own hearts - that struggle to thrive in the midst of loneliness, political upheaval, financial battles, health concerns, broken relationships, and the continued deep divide between people with different beliefs.

Teach us to give grace when we don't understand.

Give us eyes to see those who are drowning in despair.

Give us hearts to help, and feet that are ready and able.

May Your hope overcome despair, may Your love be felt by those who feel far away from it, and may Your provision come to those who need it. Grant that we may gain courage to love and understand each other, and live with mercy toward those that need Your help and our help. May the Great Comforter - the Holy Spirit - wash over each one of us this day and every day forward.

Amen

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a prayer to be flexible

Dear Lord,

Grant me flexibility, the ability to bend without breaking.

Enable me to find the grace to adapt to change with a peaceful heart.

Help me to be less stubborn and more open to new experiences.

Bless me that I might trust you when my plans go sideways.

Open my heart that I might find joy in unexpected moments.

And guide me to release rigidness and be more responsive to You.

In all things I will praise you and seek your will.

Amen.

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a prayer of hope and praise

O Lord,

For a long time you have been my hope and my trust.

Upon you my heart has leaned for many many years.

You have watched over me from childhood.

Help me to be a reflection of your grace and mercy.

I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

My mouth will tell of your righteousness and testify to your love.

I praise you with my whole being and I will hope in your name.

Amen.

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A prayer to be of use in my generation (by William Wilberforce)

‘That I really may be of use in my generation’

‘Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.’ Psalm 71:18

I have a vast multiplicity of objects soliciting my attention and I seem to myself to be failing in the discharge of the duties of my several relations, as Member of Parliament, as father, and as a master [of household servants]. To thee, O God, I fly, through the Saviour; enable me to live more worthy of my holy calling; to be more useful and efficient, that my time may not be frittered away unprofitably to myself and others, but that I really may be of use in my generation, and adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour. I am a poor, helpless creature, Lord, strengthen me.

FOR MEDITATION:

To be more useful and efficient. Wilberforce learned early in his career as a reformer from the writings of Philip Doddridge, who wrote: ‘nothing conduces more to the advancement of grace than the lively exercise of love to God, and a holy joy in him. I would remind the real Christian of those mercies which tend to excite that love and joy; and in the view of them to animate him to those vigorous efforts of usefulness in life, which so well become his character.’

Doddridge then concluded with the following prayer:

‘Nor would I forget to acknowledge thy favour in rendering me capable of serving others, and giving me in any instance to know how much “more blessed it is to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). I thank thee for a heart which feels the sorrows of the necessitous, and a mind which can make it my early care and refreshment to contrive, according to my little ability, for their relief; for “this also cometh forth from thee, O Lord!” (Isaiah 28:29) the great Author of every benevolent inclination, of every prudent scheme, of every successful attempt to spread happiness around us, or in any instance to lessen distress.’

Adapted from: Wilberforce, William, and Kevin Belmonte. 2006. 365 Days with Wilberforce.

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NOTHING!

LORD, we are so thankful that there is NOTHING impossible with You!! You are the AUTHOR of all things. The CREATOR of the world. And we are grateful beyond measure for Your Hand of MERCY and GRACE upon Your Children.

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prayer for joy in dark times

Dear Lord,

I pray for the power to rejoice amid my trials, my pains and my sufferings.

Fill my heart with your peace, and let that peace guard my heart and mind.

Today I will choose to walk in the light that you have shone on my path.

Though the darkness is real, I will place my hope in the coming joy.

May my life be a testimony of joy as others see your light shining through me.

In Your name, I will trust.

Amen. And amen.

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a prayer to release control

Dear Lord,

I kneel before you and ask for wisdom and guidance.

I am having difficulty releasing control and trusting you.

Some days it seems impossible to let go of control.

In your mercy and kindness, please help me to know how to let go.

Teach me how to trust you with all of my heart and not with my head.

Bless me that my approach to life might be from my heart and not my head.

Cause me to let go of all the fears and worries that grip me.

Please fill my heart and soul with your love and peace.

In all my ways I commit to following you.

You are worthy.

Amen.

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