It is the beauty of Your nearness that invites my heart to patient endurance through life’s many afflictions, Lord. It is the strength of Your encompassing sovereignty which becomes my refuge in the midst of the storm. Grant me the patience necessary to see the battle to the end, Lord Jesus. Steady my wobbly knees to stand firm in my faith which is not misplaced because it abides in You. God, define every fiber of my being as Your child. Nothing else matters. No other human identifier holds the weight of the importance of being Yours. Take me to the brink of all that I think I am; and reflect Yourself in and through me. Only You can lead me in the wonderful way. Only You can take my hand and never let go. When the world pushes against me, Lord Jesus, pull me deeper into Yourself where peace resides and serenity marks the hope You have given all who believe. Unwrap all my faults. Unravel all my failures. Restore the bearer of Your image to that which You originally designed me to be until Your likeness is no longer marred by my personal preferences. In You, I have new life. Under the mighty Word given in 1 John 3:1 and the authority of Christ Jesus, I bow in grateful prayer.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
1 John 3:1, NIV