“Like a rose trampled on the ground…”

Lord, we thank You for the gift of waking up to another sunrise and the privilege of coming into Your presence one more time.   As we hear Your story today, we pray that Your glory would be revealed to us because freedom is more than just a word. It is an experience.

Don’t let us forget You.  Don’t let us forget those who followed You and led us to this moment. We can’t forget that we stand on the shoulders of those believers who have gone before us and sacrificed so much so that generations after them would be able to know God.

Life has always been and will always be about connecting with God, but the miracle that we all share is that God chose to connect with us.  He connects with us through His Son, on the cross, as He paid the price by becoming guilty for our crimes and redeemed us in His resurrection and glory.

Lord, empty us of our ego and fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we can stop pretending that we can handle this life on our own because we can’t. We cannot rely solely on our own strength or the strength of others because we will grow weary, but the Word of the Lord shall endure forever and shall eternally be the source of our strength and the strength of our life.   Love is patient and love is kind. Love is Jesus, the living Son of God.