father, we gather this morning as your children, seeking truth. lead us into your truth.
god, you are a refuge and you are strength. you are ever near to us, and you are gentle with our aching hearts. let us not forget, though, that you are also mighty and powerful beyond comprehension.
though the ways of this world often lead us to believe otherwise, we are a weak and broken people, so deeply in need of a powerful and perfect god.
lord, we are grateful that, in all your might and glory, you choose to fight for us. you are with us in the dangerous and dark and painful seasons of our lives, when the only hope we find in this world is that you, jesus, are coming back for us. and you call us into those places where we can learn of your power and learn to be still within it.
gracious god, we pray this morning that, in light of this knowledge, we would become the people who not only do your will, but who want to do your will. we pray that we would become the people who crave your kingdom and seek to bring it near. let the truth we find this morning linger throughout the coming days, so that we may be a part of your force in this stormy and lovely world.
