"This Gives me Strength in My Hope"

Heavenly Father, I praise You today for allowing me to live and enjoy Your creation. I have seen the oceans, the Rocky Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains; I have seen all of the Great Lakes and the beauty of the Upper Peninsula, the fields of corn in Nebraska, the beauty of Arkansas and Oklahoma, among other places. I praise You for the simple things in life, like taking walks, holding a baby, listening to children laugh and play. Help me today to take command of my day and shake the evil from it.

Holy Spirit, help me to grow in wisdom from what Paul wrote in Chapter 15 of 1st Corinthians. Help me to take to heart parts like verses 42 & 43: So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. Verses 51 through 58: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For

this corruptible will put on incorruption, and this mortal will put on immortality. When this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then the saying that is written shall come to pass: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. I praise You for this insight and have found solace there, especially in the times I have faced the reality of possibly dying.

As I prepare to close, I ask for healing and for the guidance of the surgeons who will operate today on my cousin Ann, who is to have 5 lymph nodes removed. She already had surgery for breast cancer and now faces this battle. Be with her, comfort her, and heal her body so she can continue to live and serve You. In Jesus’ name, amen.