2023-04-01 A Prayer: Courage

O Lord, who couches things in success, see us misled but not permanently, chasing dreams but not without reward, encountering bedrock Purpose and Striving in certainty, undistracted, helped and encouraged, to dispel the lies of demons and begin—just begin—to chip away at the edifice, called Calling, called Holiness, called Purpose, Discovery, a self acquainted with impossibility, with failure, but thereby only the more encouraged while it is still day, to labor on.

Grant simply panoramic possibilities, O Lord, for we love You, to direct and remain in good estate, good favor, preserved from the downward tug of mistaken purposes. The hours are panoramic, dwelling on a dream, abiding on a dutiful and determined Calling, yet not lingering but making the best use of the time. So equip us to reckon rightly with our selves that are selves flawed permanently to the minds of some pundits, distracted, head-cases, neither here nor there, to reckon instead with the sharp goodness we can effect, when properly employed in Your service. So see us humored by the doubts leveled our way, but submitted and responsive to the matters before us. To our hope and calling. To our “return” to first principles, not derivatives of derivatives, but first principles, the single span of time or education sufficient for a lifetime of good Kingdom work.

O we pray, grant real foundations, simple tasks to bide the onslaught of boredom or distraction, an opposite thought to the thoughts of career steps and accomplishments. See us called to study our own walk of faith, and therein to be brave to spend time in prayer, brave to share with others, brave to plead for yet more Resurrection truth and strength in our feeble days. Simple things, yet any one of which has the strength to engage our flailing mind, persecuted mind, our God-given mind, our heart for belonging, all told in Your tent making and reasoning ministry.

We pray all this in Your Name, Amen.