Heavenly Father You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. You formed the mountains by Your power and armed Yourself with mighty strength. You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy. [Psalm 65:5-8]
Holy Spirit I have witnessed people say that as long as you are in the center of God’s will you are safe and He will protect you. There is a problem with this statement that needs to be considered. I am safe as far as my salvation is concerned or reaching heaven, but I am not safe from facing troubles, failing, or being hurt physically or mentally by people or situations that arise in life. Look at Paul and Peter, they were in the center of God’s will but they were stoned, put in jail, in prison, and even martyred. Faith requiring us to take risks sometimes helps me to understand when that is what is expected of me. Help me to understand that failure may happen because I need to allow God to train me for something more or to have him work on other people’s hearts. Let my faith grow because I step forward and step out trusting and believing in You to have Your way. Help me to be like the three Hebrews cast into the fire and say and believe that no matter what I know You can save me but even if You don’t I will believe and continue to trust. Let my faith grow even when my ego, reputation, or heart takes a beating.
I thank my God always concerning the grace of God which was given to me by Christ Jesus, that I am enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in me, so that I come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm me to the end, that I may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom I am called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [1Corinthians 1:4-9]