I will exalt You, my God and King, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unfathomable. One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honor of Your Majesty and Your wondrous works. They shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall abundantly declare the fame of Your great goodness and shall sing of Your righteousness. For You are gracious and full of compassion and slow to anger and great in mercy. You are good to all, and Your compassion is over all Your works. All Your works shall praise You, O Lord and Your godly ones shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power, to make known to people His mighty acts and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord upholds who fall, and raises all who are bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. You are righteous in all Your ways and loving in all Your works. You are near to all who call upon You, to all who call upon You in truth. You will fulfill the desire of those who fear You; You also will hear their cry and will save them. You preserve all who love You, but You will destroy the wicked. My mouth shall speak the praise of You, and let all people bless Your Holy Name forever and ever. [Psalm 145]
Holy Spirit, Your word records Jesus telling His disciples and all of us that would come afterward: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” [John 16:33] I have faced my troubles: cancer twice, knee replacement, blood clots, hernia surgery, truck accident breaking my wrist, losing a son, losing over five pregnancies, loss of loved ones, problems with the house and many more in life, yet through all of it the only rock or foundation I could stand on that kept me from giving up or just dying was the fact You were with me, still with me and You will lead me through this valley again and again.
Therefore, let me not sleep as others do. But let me be alert and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But let me, who is of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not appointed me to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for me, so that whether I am awake or asleep, I will live together with Him. So, I will comfort myself, and edify my brothers and sisters. I will acknowledge those who labor around me, and/or are appointed over me in the Lord, and instruct me. I will esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among the members of the body of Christ. I have been exhorted, to warn those who are unruly, comfort the faint-hearted, support the weak, and be patient toward everyone. I will not render evil for evil to anyone. But always seek to do good to others. I will rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me. I will not quench the Spirit. Nor will I despise prophecies. I will examine all things. Firmly hold onto what is good. Abstain from all appearances of evil. May the very God of peace sanctify me completely. And I pray to God that my whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. For I know that faithful is He who calls me, for He also will do it. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 5:6-24