Praise be to you, O triune God, our Heavenly Father, our Shepherd Lord Jesus and our Teacher Holy Spirit. We thank you for how you watch over us, bringing what is good for growth, helpful for healing, strengthening for our souls and moving us towards maturity.

You are the wise One, knowing every factor in the equation of this day, every possible decision, every impending danger, every good solution, every opportunity for worship and witness. And you will guide us into the best, if we are willing to listen.

You, Lord God, are wonderful in your ways, you are powerful in your provision, you are gracious in your giving and present with your protection. You are worthy of worship, deserving of praise, entitled to obedience.

May we daily live in the light of your presence, wholeheartedly joining you in your great and graceful plans for this day, playing the significant role you have prepared, that we might bring you more glory, see more people prepared to enter the Kingdom and to build up the faith of believers around us.

May we be carriers of hope, springs of faith and rivers of grace to all around us. To you be glory and praise in all, for you, Lord Jesus, are worthy.

The mist is moving this morning on the surface of the pond and the trees are firming up with a myriad of tiny leaves peaking out from their beds. The forest has gone in one day from a red sheen of buds to a green shimmer of awakening leaves. The graceful arrival of Spring is a beautiful process.

Praise be to you, Lord, for the idea of seasons, each with its gifts, its specialties and its beauty. Spring is my favorite: longer days, warming weather, life springing from the earth, flowers showing their little faces and birds busy with their work of building nests.

This is the reminder of the new life we have in Christ: fresh, green, growing, increasing beauty and warmth, moving us on towards greater fruitfulness.

May we cultivate our souls with the same enthusiasm that gardeners have for their plots for veggies and fruit. May our lives produce tasty moral morsels for all those around us: the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of thanksgiving, the fruit of good works and the fruit of seeing people come to Christ.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for calling us to join you in the rich and good privilege of living for you, with you, in you. May you be honored in our lives today and may those around us meet you as the fullness of the Holy Spirit spills over from us onto them.

Today I am in a state emotional grayness, a vague discontent because I failed to meet my perfectionistic standards yesterday instead of resting in you. I thank you, Lord,  for this lack of positive feelings, for it is a chance to live by faith.  I can confess my impatience and anger, forgive myself and relax in the certainty of your forgiveness.

I praise you for the privilege of thinking the truth and finding rest in you, not in my feelings. You have allowed this grayness and its causes in your goodness and grace, power and wisdom, knowledge and understanding , so I can offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and embrace it, knowing you will use it for good. Praise you now, for how you will work things out.

To be the child of God!!! What a wonder when I see I deserve the opposite. It is such a privilege to live in your love, Lord, to rest in your goodness, to remember how much you think of me–always in positive terms–to know that I am secure in your forgiveness, your acceptance, your love; this is wonderful beyond words.

I praise you for your grace and kindness, your absolute faithfulness to your character, your unchangeable perfection. You never give a wrong response: you are never grumpy or impatient, impetuous or short-tempered. You are always gracious, kind, firm and righteous.

In you we can trust always: to you we can submit without fear, with you we can go into the day in confidence and praise. You are Yahweh, the personal God who hates sin and lives the sinner, who punishes sin while providing a shelter from your wrath for all who will enter. You are worthy of worship and praise, honor and obedience. May you be glorified in my life today as I walk in the protection of faith, trusting you in all.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for your greatness, your guidance, your goodness. You are powerful, you are faithful, you are wise. In you I can trust and rest because in you there is hope, direction, purpose, meaning and a certain future.

My days may pass quickly—and more so as I get older—but they are going somewhere, with you, into a future that brings partnership, significant work, progress and deepening. You are taking me onward and upward, and it can only get better as you transform, mature and strengthen me in my soul.

You do this so I may give you more and more honor by walking in your light, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, dwelling in your shelter and resting in the shadow of the Almighty. What more could one ask for? Knowing you, Lord Jesus, is enough for joy and I choose to live today in this shining reality so that you may be lifted up before men and angels.

Praise be to you, Lord, for your gracious, good and faithful heart, which is seen in your bringing Spring each year.

We see this now as life is slowly creeping back into the greyness of winter’s coat: the fresh green of newly sprouting grass; the red sheen of leaf buds on the trees, the bright yellow of forsythia and daffodils punctuating the country side. Those daffodils are especially encouraging, as they lift their laughing little faces to the sun, exuberantly bright, standing tall in the breezes, trumpeting out their challenge to the rest of nature to awaken.

The birds have also announced the arrival of Spring. Ducks and geese are on the pond. Red winged black birds, perching on cattails, chide me as I walk by. Grackles in their glossy feathers, join the winter birds at the bird feeder and robins bob about on the lawn, listening for worms.

The breezes are still chill, but in sheltered spots the warmth of the sun gives hints of summer’s coming power to call forth growth, gardens and harvests.

Spring, clothed in green, red and yellow, delivers God’s message to us: He is faithful, He has a plan and we can trust Him to bring it to pass, no matter how harsh the winter has been, we can trust Him and say in faith, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6).