Heavenly father
give us grace to ask for wisdom in faith without doubting

⁵ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 
⁶ But let him ask in faith, without any doubting,
for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. 
⁷ For that man shouldn’t think that he…

⁷ But God will shoot at them.
    They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow.
⁸ Their own tongues shall ruin them.
    All who see them will shake their heads.
⁹ All mankind shall be afraid.
    They shall declare the work of God,
    and shall wisely ponder what he has done.
¹⁰ The righteous shall be glad in…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to know and trust your nature which permeates everything, both light and darkness

¹ Yahweh says to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him,
and strip kings of their armour;
to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut:

² “I will go before you
    and make the rough places smooth.
I will break the doors of bronze…

Heavenly father
give us grace to see you at work, particularly in bad circumstances (such as slavery)

¹Joseph was brought down to Egypt by the Ishmaelites and sold as a slave to an officer of Pharaoh called Potiphar. 
² Yahweh was with Joseph, who then prospered in the house of the Egyptian. 
³ His master saw that Yahweh was with him, and that Yahweh made all that…

Living as Those Made Alive in Christ

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore,…

Heavenly father
give us grace to be joyful and faithful when various temptations come our way 

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, 
³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 
⁴ Let endurance have its…

¹ Hear my voice, God, in my complaint.
    Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
² Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
    from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil;
³ who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
    and aim their arrows, deadly words,
⁴    …

Heavenly Father
give us grace to trust in you, our creator -our source of knowledge and hope

²⁴ Yahweh, your Redeemer,
    and he who formed you from the womb says:
“I am Yahweh, who makes all things;
    who alone stretches out the heavens;
    who spreads out the earth by myself;
²⁵ who frustrates the signs of the liars,
    …

Heavenly father
give us grace to do the right thing, particularly when we may be embarrassed to do so.

¹² After Judah’s wife died, Judah went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah. 
¹³ Tamar was told this. ¹⁴ She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and sat on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife. 
^15…

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Heavenly father
give us grace to do your will and be well pleasing in your sight.

²⁰ Now may the God of peace,
who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep
with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus, 
²¹ make you complete in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

^22…

⁵ My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food.
    My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips,
⁶     when I remember you on my bed,
    and think about you in the night watches.
⁷ For you have been my help.
    I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ My soul stays close to you.
…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to rejoice in forgiveness today (both ours and others’)

²¹ Remember these things, Jacob and Israel;
    for you are my servant.
    I have formed you.
    You are my servant.
    Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
²² I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions,
…

Heavenly father
give us grace to see your glory of your love today and for your love to be in us. 

²⁴ Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am,
that they may see my glory, which you have given me,
for you loved me before the foundation of the world. 
²⁵ Righteous Father, the world hasn’t known you,
but I knew you; and these knew that you sent me. …

Heavenly father
give us grace to live life in all its fullness, and not be led into temptation of doing anything which is the opposite of life.

²  Judah took a Canaanite woman as his wife, . ³ who bore him sons named Er, ⁴  Onan. ⁵  and Shelah. ⁶ Judah took a wife for Er, and her name was Tamar. 
⁷ Er was wicked in Yahweh’s sight. So Yahweh killed him. …

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives & is arrested

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from…

Heavenly father
give us grace to desire to live honourably in all things, to care for those entrusted to us with joy, and to submit to those in authority over us.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch on behalf of your souls, as those who will give account,
that they may do this with joy, and not with groaning, for that would be unprofitable for you.

¹⁸ Pray for us, for we are…

¹ God, you are my God.
    I will earnestly seek you.
My soul thirsts for you.
    My flesh longs for you,
    in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.
² So I have seen you in the sanctuary,
    watching your power and your glory.
³ Because your loving kindness is better than life,
    my lips shall praise…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to see in perspective all that we have made and all that we hold dear, so that they may not take your place. 

⁹ Everyone who makes a carved image is vain.
    The things that they delight in will not profit.
 ¹¹ Behold, all his fellows will be disappointed;
    and the workmen are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together.
 …

Heavenly father
give us grace so to live in you that we may be one with our brothers and sisters in you. 

²⁰ Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word, 
²¹ that they may all be one;
even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you,
that they also may be one in us;
that the world may believe that you sent me. 
²² The glory which you have given me, I have…

Heavenly father
give us grace not to lose hope in grief and mourning, thanking you that you are working your purposes out. 

²⁹ Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 
³⁰ He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?” 
³¹ They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 
…

27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 

Heavenly father
give us grace to live with our eyes fixed on heaven, giving allegiance to you through being generous.

¹⁰ We have an altar from which those who serve the holy tabernacle have no right to eat. 
¹¹ For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin,
are burned outside of the camp.
¹² Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the…

⁹ Surely men of low degree are just a breath,
    and men of high degree are a lie.
In the balances they will go up.
    They are together lighter than a breath.
¹⁰ Don’t trust in oppression.
    Don’t become vain in robbery.
If riches increase,
    don’t set your heart on them.
¹¹ God has spoken once;
 …

Heavenly Father
give us grace to stand firm on you as our Rock so that we will not be afraid of anything today

⁶ This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel,
    and his Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies, says:
“I am the first, and I am the last;
    and besides me there is no God.
⁷ Who is like me?
    Who will call,
    and will declare it,
 …