
Psalm 63:7-8 “Because You are my Helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings, I cling to You; Your strong, right hand holds me securely.”
Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth and all they contain,
We adore You and praise You for Your ever-present love and guidance through the ages. You shield us from danger, lead us with wisdom, grow us in faith and continue to extend grace and forgiveness, patience and mercy to us as we live into all that You’ve called us. Thank you for pursuing us like you do!
We confess, Father, that we often prefer our way over Your will for us. Forgive us! The language of “letting go” is not our native tongue. You have placed eternity in our hearts and we long to HOLD ON…to our people, our things, our illusions of control, our schedules, our titles, our strong wills and stubborn ways. However, in LETTING GO, You are teaching us to TRUST. In LETTING GO, we can find REST for our weary souls as You shoulder the burdens we were never meant to bear. If we must hold on, let us CLING TO YOU…and You alone…our anchor.
Thank You, Father, for the blessing of children! They are such a gift and we continue to be so grateful for the opportunity to raise them! Thank you for their compassion for others, their ingenuity, their observant nature and their exuberance for life! Thank you for their confident and creative problem-solving, their hope for the future, their refusal to tolerate intolerance and their strong sense of justice! Thank you that you’ve made each one unique and given them different gifts to use for good! Help them to step fully into those giftings and to steward them with diligence and care as You prepare them for the special duty you have planned for each one of them.
As our sweet baby birds are leaving the nest, show them how TRUSTWORTHY You are! Let us lead by example in trusting You! As they stretch their wings, capture their hearts with Your WONDER! DRAW THEM CLOSE to You and FILL THE LONGINGS OF THEIR HEARTS with Your HOLY SPIRIT! Give them DISCERNMENT as they traverse these new university landscapes…show them Your nourishing oasis of communion wherever they go! You are our stream in the desert, our thirst-quenching water…ALWAYS WITH US…never leaving our side for a moment! PROTECT them from the sway of the world that tempts to fill those longings with anything less than You. Keep them from stumbling into the vices of substance-abuse, immorality, self-gratification, accolades, pride and consumerism. Fill them, instead, with a DEFIANT JOY that is the hallmark of trusting You and Your promise to bring good from any circumstance. Fill them with STUBBORN FAITH that refuses lies and acknowledges your goodness and watch-care over them! Fill them with SATISFACTION in Your perfect timing and guidance, as doors open and close to opportunity. Let them know and trust Your WORD, remember that YOU are their HELPER, ABLE to strengthen them for any task. Give them BOLD CONFIDENCE to follow You and the call you’ve placed on their hearts…even if it looks very different than what others have expected from them. Let them walk in the light of your glory and grace…shining Your RADIANT LOVE into the aching crevices of this broken world with gratitude and humility, hope and healing. Help us, their parents, to continue to Trust You…with growing them up, protecting them, being present with them and guiding them with your wisdom. Fill us up to overflowing in all of the places where our loved one’s absence leaves gaping holes in us. Show us how to reach out to the college students or their parents around us who need that family connection, a home-cooked meal or a shoulder for support. Grant us grace, Father, to be patient with each other as this new normal leaves us a bit edgy, lonely, unsure of ourselves and grasping for comfort in the midst of so much transition. Let us always reach for You first! You are eternally our home base. We Trust You. Thank you for Your steady and loving presence as we navigate these new waters. With Jesus in the boat, we can smile in the storm.
In His name we pray,
Amen