2 Cor. 4

Thank you, father, for your presence in me like a treasure in an earthen vessel. It is your power dwelling in me and no power of my own. Sometimes there are troubles and tests, but by your grace and power I am not distressed; sometimes I am perplexed but I do not despair.  Jesus is always present in my body and I am dead and buried with him, and now his eternal life is manifest in me.  Your spirit, father, who raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise me up also and present me to you for your honor and glory.

Therefore, I do not give up. Though my outward man perishes, inwardly I am renewed day by day. For these light afflictions which last but a moment work for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.  So I do not look at the things that are seen, but at the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are temporary but the things that are not seen are eternal.

Psalms 33&34

I shout for joy to you, heavenly father. I give you praise and honor. I sing and play the strings for you. I sing to you new songs.

Your word is upright; all your work is done in faithfulness. The earth is full of your steadfast love. I fear you, Lord, and I stand in awe of you. You bring the council of the nations to nothing; you frustrate the plans of the peoples. Your counsel, oh Lord, stands forever. Blessed are the people whose God is you, my Lord.

I bless you, Lord, at all times. My soul makes its boast in you, Lord. I sought you and you answered me and delivered me. I cried out to you and you heard me.  Your angels encamp around me and deliver me. I have tasted your love and presence and perfection, and I know you are good. I take refuge in you and your Messiah, father.  By your grace, I lack no good thing.

John Piper, me, and a paraphrase of a quote from Katie Majors

I do not put my happiness above God’s glory, rather I find my happiness in God’s glory. I am amazed by who he is and I trust his mercy and his perfection in every detail. I humble myself like a child and see my desperate need and run to God, my father’s, loving embrace. I sit, at peace, at his feet and enjoy wave after wave of the love and joy of his steadfast presence

In times of grief and loss God’s presence gives me a joy and peace and poignancy that surpasses human understanding. His reality is better than my optimism, and I learn that human positivity is just a temporal substitute for true hope, eternal hope, divine hope.  In the darkness and trouble God is my hiding place and my intimate friend and comforter. In the midst of the turmoil I can know a peace and a comfort that is divine. It is undeniably the presence of the Lord Jesus. My Lord is near; he is here.

I Cor. 6

In the past, I was unrighteous, but God brought me to my senses. I confessed and repented, and he washed me, sanctified me and justified me in the name and power of my Lord Jesus, and by the presence and person of his Holy Spirit dwelling in me.   In Christ all things are lawful to me but not all are helpful; all things may be allowed but I will not be brought into bondage of anything. My body is for my Lord, and my Lord is for my body.

God, my father, has raised up the Lord Jesus, and he will raise me up, as well by his own power. My body is a member of Christ’s body. I am joined to the lord Jesus and am one spirit with him. I flee fornication and every sin, for my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who I have from God. I am not my own. I have been bought with a price, therefore, I glorify God in my body and spirit which are God’s.

Deut. 32, Heb. 1, John 14, Heb. 4, I Peter 1

Good morning, heavenly father, you are my rock; all your work is perfect. You are truth. You have bought me. You have made me, and you establish me.  You found me when I was lost and you led me out. You instructed me and you have made me the apple of your eye. You have made me ride on the high places of the earth.  I set my heart upon all your words which you have given to me. Your word is life.

Lord Jesus, you are the word of God. You uphold all things by the power of the word of God. You are the way, the truth and the life. In you and your word, Lord Jesus, is life.  The word is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword. It pierces to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow. It discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  The word is the good news that is preached to me. I have been born again by the living and abiding word of God; by the very word and person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I Corin. 1

Father, you are faithful. You have called me into the fellowship of your son, Jesus Christ, my Lord. I thank you for your grace which is given to me by Jesus Christ.  You have confirmed me to the end, that I am blameless in the day of my Lord Jesus, the Christ.

In everything I am enriched by Jesus. In all utterance and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ is confirmed in me, so that I am behind in no gift, as I wait on the coming of my Lord, Jesus.

In the meantime, I listen to the preaching of the cross, which is a foolishness to those that are perishing, but to me, a child of God, the message of the cross is the power of God.  For God has said, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  For since, in its wisdom the world knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believed.

Romans 16, I Cor. 1, Romans 14

Thank you, father, for the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but is now made manifest by the Scriptures of the prophets (and the apostles)according to your command, and now made known to all people for the obedience of faith.  You are a faithful, father, and have called me into fellowship with your son, my Lord Jesus, the Christ. Your grace has been given to me by Jesus Christ and I am sanctified in Christ Jesus.

You, the God of hope, fill me with all joy and peace in believing so that I abound in hope through the power of your Holy Spirit who dwells in me.  Your kingdom is not about food and drink (religious rules and regulations), but instead, your kingdom is about righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  I serve Jesus, my Lord, in these things, and I am acceptable to God and approved by man. In Christ, I am blameless until the day of the Lord.

Romans 11&12

Oh, God, the depth of the riches both of your wisdom and your knowledge; how unsearchable are your judgments, and your ways are past finding out. All things are of you and through you and to you; to you be the glory forever.

Thank you, father, that by your grace I am elected by you to be justified and adopted as your son, forever. Your care for me humbles me in awestruck fear and thankfulness.

In view of your mercies, I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice; holy and acceptable to you, which is my reasonable service. I am not conformed to this world, but instead, I am transformed by the renewing of my mind that I may live in your good and pleasing and perfect will.  This is all given to me by your grace, father, so I do not think too highly of myself, instead I think soberly, thankful that you, father, have given me a measure of faith.  I rejoice in hope. I am patient in tribulation and continue instant in prayer.

By your grace and power, father, all things that make up my life will work together for good to me. For you foreknew me and you predestined me to be conformed to the image of your son, my Lord and elder brother, Jesus, the Christ.  By Christ and in Christ I am predestined, called, justified and glorified. You are for me, father, so no one can prevail against me.  You love me so much that you delivered up Jesus to be my propitiation, so I could come to you justified. Christ took the condemnation that should’ve been mine. He died for me and is risen again and at your right hand, father, where he daily makes intercession for me.

So now, nothing can separate me from the love of Christ; not tribulation or distress; nor peril or sword. No, in all these things I am more than a conqueror through Jesus who loves me.  I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is mine in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 27,42&30

You, oh Lord, are my light and my salvation. You are the stronghold of my life; my heart shall not fear. I believe that I shall dwell in your house, father, all the days of my life; that I will gaze upon your beauty and inquire in your temple.  You hide me in your shelter. Thank you, oh Lord.

I am strong and take courage in you, Lord.  I wait upon you with reverence and trust. As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs for you, God, my father.   I sing praises to you, Lord, and give thanks to you for who you are and for your steadfast love for me.

Sometimes, in this fleshly era there may be hard times and sorrow; weeping may tarry for the night but joy comes with the morning. Thank you, father, for your mercy and for your divine help.  You turn my mourning into dancing; you loose me from sack cloth and clothe me with gladness.  You are my glory, and I sing your praises. You, oh Lord, are my God and, in Christ, I give thanks to you forever.