Sunday, October 29, 2023

We choose you above all others to be our God. With you as the author and foundation of our lives, we will love you, and encourage others to also grow in their love for you. Sustain us on your Ancient Path. Grant us your grace and faith to step boldly into thresholds that take us to your glory. When fear grips us, empty us of our fears and pull us forward, so we will step into your light and everlasting life.

Loving Yahweh, you are our dwelling place. Thank you, this dwelling place is a divine gift, where we can hide and find refuge in you, where we can find ourselves in you. “In holiness you stand secure through culture’s shifting sands…From everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Brian Doerksen, “Everlasting”).

Give us wisdom to live, act, and teach in ways that please you. Make us holy, and sustain us with your mercy. May we be your image-bearers in this broken world, so others may have hope in times of despair and joy in their suffering.

Your guidance brings wisdom and peace. We are challenged on all sides to follow folly. We feel tempted to defend ourselves and others, to lash out in anger. We feel tempted to force our assumptions and agendas. But with you, in your sacred prayer space, you repair our hurtful attitudes. You protect us from these temptations and provide a path of peace.

As you have been with us, so also will you be our Faithful Shepherd as we step onto new paths with you. We place faith-markers in this place as celebrations and reminders of your faithfulness throughout the ages.