A Prayerful Resolve

Forming resolutions and goals can renew our spirits and define the horizon in front of us.  We find vision in crafting the next step, which leads us forward to the final goal.  We need the practical counsel of resolutions as we begin again, seeking depth from the surface of life, but if we are not careful, our goals can simply anticipate frustration.  In addition to our concrete resolutions, we need the language of prayer, where we find a holy resolve to begin again and again and again, relying on the mercies of God, which are always new and everlasting.

Eternal and Loving God, our Alpha and Omega,

With the passing of time as well as the embracing of time, align our lives with the rhythm of your grace.  Along the journey of faith, widen our reach and narrow our focus, as we seek your goodness in the gift of this life, bringing to bear the faithfulness and the compassion of the cross in each day.

We count the days not in minutes, but in gratitude and in beauty, unable to foresee the hope to come, while able to trust in its arrival.  Let us remember the quiet blessings of the past, while never clinging to the despair behind us.

We give thanks for your undeniable goodness, for words of kindness and healing that bring us joy, for songs that lift our hearts and souls out of the mire of anguish, for surprises of mercy that we cannot anticipate, for strength to persevere when the road is steep.

We are grateful for your goodness that is everlasting.  In the coming days, empower us to look at the leanness of our character and the timidity of our conviction with honesty and remorse.  Fill each day with the knowledge of you, with glimmers of your steadfast love, and with the whispers of your Spirit, leading us to know what we have not yet known.

As the dawn of the morning interrupts the darkness of the night, reveal your mercies ever new, your hope everlasting, and your love calling us to more.  Embolden and encourage us in the faith, hope, and love of the cross, where the despair of yesterday is no more and the hope of tomorrow has arrived.

Through the strength and grace of Jesus Christ our Lord, which are everlasting and new each day, Amen.