God is the source of our existence. He created us in his own image. God is the goal of our journey. God has been our dwelling place in all generations.

We thank you for loving us, trusting us, and inviting us to preach the gospel. Your blessings are greater than we can number. You have called us and we have answered. Give us the wisdom to know and the knowledge to do your will. You are the solid fortress we lean upon.

You are the bread of life and the light of the world. If we are faithful to follow your example, we shall never walk again in the darkness. You have promised, “As our days, so shall our strength be.”

As the heavens are high above the earth, so are your thoughts higher than our thoughts, and your ways are higher than our ways.

Without God, we can do nothing, but with God there is nothing we cannot do. God demonstrated his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:3)

We are not our own. We were bought with a price. The bloody cross reminds us we belong to him who died for us, and we ought to serve him. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork. Remind us, Lord, that we have the greatest good news in the universe, in that you loved us while we were yet sinners.

Let us live in such a way that others may see the Christ in us. If we are the sheep who have gone astray, forgive and bring us home, so that we may dwell in the house prepared for us, not made with hands. Let us kindle a flame of sacred love in these cold hearts of ours. We pray, Lord, that you will take from our battered souls the strain and stress, and let our troubled lives confess the beauty of thy peace. Teach us to love one another and be kind.

Peter taught us that love covers a multitude of sins. “Love seeketh not her own.” We belong to him who created us and died on the cross to save us from our sins. The memory of the suffering and bloody cross fills our hearts with a love that never dies. We are forever indebted to Him and will be until He calls us home.

Dear Lord, you have given us the greatest good news in all the universe. You loved us while we were yet sinners, and if we confess our sins, you will forgive, and our sins will be cast away. The Lord is gracious and his love never ends.

Job, after losing all his wealth, health and family, said, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” David said, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” It has been suggested that if we paused and took time to thank God for all his blessings, there would be no time left to complain about our hurts and disappointments. In every heartbeat there should be a song of thanksgiving, and in each breath a prayer of praise.

Since my Princess left this earth, life has never been as bright as it used to be. On the other hand, I know that heaven is brighter because she is there.

Robert V. Ozment is a retired United Methodist minister.