Praise you, Lord, for your good and gracious work in our lives. Your faithfulness, unyielding goodness, wide ranging wisdom and persistent power, all coordinated and motivated by your love, ensure us that we live in the mighty shadow of your persistent protection. You are the trustable One, the encouraging One, the empowering One, especially when things look and feel bad.

I praise you, O God, for your wonderful care and provision, which we have seen so clearly, especially over the last few weeks as we prepared to leave Europe and return to the States: the way you guided int the clearing out of my mother-in-law’s house (and so much going to others to be used further); for the sale of it at the last minute for the amount we wanted, to a believer who was positive, helpful, faithful, willing to clear out the remaining furniture and send it to poor believers in other countries;  for the great help that several friends gave; for the loan of a van the last week; for another friend taking us to the airport; for the airline accepting all the luggage; for it all arriving safely; for a friend picking us up.

We praise you, too, for the time we will have to rest here, for the things that awaited us, for the good things you have given us and for how you will watch over us in the future. It is wonderful to be your child, Lord, to walk with you, to serve you.

Yesterday when a neighbor came to visit there was quite a barrage of negatives about others and worry about the future.  Thank you that in this, too, we can turn to you, be in your light and shrug off this darkness and fear, refusing to allow it to envelop us, instead putting on the sweet smelling garments of praise and be refreshed in the warm and assuring strength of your love.

I praise you, Lord, for the perfection of your being, the marvelous, majestic, magnificent grandure of you multifaceted character, shining in holiness, goodness, love, light and life. In you is all that is positive, all that we desire, all that we need, for you made us to be in rich relationship with you, our heavenly Father.  To you be glory, praise, honor and worship, today, forever, for all eternity, for you are worthy of all the love, obedience and delight we can give you! May our contentment in you give you ever growing glory. Amen.