Father, help us to say no to the world and yes to you.  Help us to hear the true voice of Jesus Christ amid the voices of pressure and successs and power.  We don't really know how, unless you come and help us.

We don't look like we're afraid, Father - calm on the outside.  But Father, we have our hidden fears.  You know them.  We're afraid of being alone.  We're afraid of being jobless.  We're afraid of pain.  Father, we offer these fears to you and ask you to give us more courage as we look at you, the One who knows no fear.

Father, nothing is louder than the silence of our God.  But Father, forgive us for the times we've interpreted your silence as a lack of love.  Give us patience, for we know you'll answer, Father, if only we'll wait.

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.  Psalm 32:7

 Father in heaven, help us as we cope and grapple with yesterday's failures.  They dig at our heels like irritations.  They follow us around.  They cling to our ankles like fifteen-pound ball weights.  Help us to release those regrets in the right way, and keep us close. 

A failure is not someone who has tried and failed; it is someone who has given up trying and resigned himself to failure; it is not a condition, but an attitude!

Sydney J. Harris