Father, we are reminded this Mother’s Day morning to thank you for adopting us into your family through Your ruling grace, and for calling us to be brothers and sisters to each other. We thank you for our mothers, who cared for us when we were helpless, comforted us when we were hurt, whose love and care we often took for granted.

Lord, we have also been confronted this past week and will face, in the days ahead, many challenges, yet you are our light and our salvation. And as a result, clarity and hope is settled and in You. There is nothing that we will be unnerved or panicked by. You are the fortification of our life. There is nothing to dismay or terrify us.

Cause us to quickly turn to you? And to recognize that you are gracious to us and will answer us? For you have said, “Seek my face.” And we gladly reply , “Your face we will seek.” Although we deserve nothing, we know that even if all may desert us, You have firmly and undeniably stated, “I will take you in.”

So, with confidence and assurance from You, we will be strong and our hearts will take courage; we will wait and we will boldly declare, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do and speak and love and bless.” You are both the Giver and the Gift. And apart from You we understand we can do nothing.

Help us to be the first to return after any encounter with gratefulness to You and You alone. Humbly we present this prayer in the name of the Gift, Your Son and our Savior, in Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen