Lord of the Unpredictable

From July 11, 2010


God of our fathers,

You are Lord of the unpredictable, Master of the improbable, the Author of the unlikely, and God of the impossible. Who else but You would have selected David from among all His brothers, and who would have opted to name a Moabite and a prostitute among Your Son’s forebears? You alone would use pagan kings to chastise wayward Israel, and surely You alone would have presided over Satan’s torment of Job. None but You would have singled out Saul of Tarsus as the best man to write half the books of the New Testament, and only You would ordain the blood of the martyrs as the seed of Your church. Truly You have decreed Your eternal purpose according to the council of Your own will, and we can but keep silent. For Your own glory have You foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, and we can but lay our hands to our mouths… because it almost never looks the way we would have anticipated it.

Yet despite Your unpredictability, You assure us that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever; the One Who is and was and Who is to come. You are the First and Last, the God Who faints not and Who has ordained the end from the very beginning!

So grant us a healthy fear of Your sovereignty! But not the sniveling fear of idolaters or the cowardly fear of tyrants. Grant us the dominion-taking, confident fear of the humble; the jubilant, courageous fear of the upright in heart! For these juxtapositions sound very strange in our ears. And You alone, the awe-inspiring God of the impossible, can fill us with the humble confidence that comes from bearing Your name.

Remind us each day, Father, when our circumstances tempt us to fret, that Your ways are not our ways, nor Your thoughts our thoughts. For You have chosen the foolish things of the earth to confound the wise, weak things to defeat the mighty, and the base and despised things of the world to bring the pride of the nations to nothing. Even as was so magnificently demonstrated by an apparently normal Jewish carpenter when He taught His disciples to pray, saying…

Father's Day Prayer

Our Great God and Father,

Thank You for adopting us as Your own; making us truly Your children, and Yourself our true Father. Lest we should doubt our own adoption, like a father You patiently reassure us over and over in Your Word that this is Your plan and our status. Indeed, the same Spirit who makes constant intercession for us bears witness that we are the children of God; joint heirs with Jesus Christ! And just as an earthly father provides a family name and sustenance for his children; You give us baptism to mark us out as separate from the children of darkness, and communion to feed us at Your table.

Help the fathers of Christ Church, and throughout Your church catholic to follow Your divine example. Help each of us to feed and disciple our families as You have commanded in Your Word, and to be willing even to lay down our own life for our bride’s. Endow us with the wisdom to guide and direct our households by word and example, that we may say with Paul; “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Guard us equally from autocratic dictatorship on the one hand and effeminate abdication on the other, and grant that we may exercise our roles of prophet and priest in the home with a balance of authority and humility. Lord we know we are not equal to the task on our own; so we ask that You would help us by Your grace to accurately embody for our children the character of our Father in heaven – never provoking to wrath, but seeking always to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

And even as our little ones never doubt whether we will provide them with food or shelter, help us to trust in You with the same childlike confidence. As their fear of the dark or of bugs turns to bravado when Daddy’s at hand, fill us with the boldness that stems from knowing that our Abba Father will never leave nor forsake us. And just as they run to us with their injuries and injustices, cause us to run to You each time we are tempted to sin or to doubt Your eternal plan; even as Jesus modeled when He taught His disciples to pray, saying…

The Triumph of the Resurrection

God of our Fathers,

On this Resurrection Sunday we find ourselves, once again, overwhelmed and awed by Your majesty. Eloquence and poetry alike fail to even hint at the glory of the conquest You have wrought by the resurrection of Your Eternal Son, Jesus Christ. For He has defeated and humiliated Your enemies, parading them in derision through the streets; He has led captivity captive and triumphed over death itself; He has provided a way of escape for sinners and made us new creatures in Himself; He has marked us as His own in baptism, and in communion He feeds us with His own body and blood; He surely comes to judge all men in righteousness and equity; and He will not fail to prepare for us His promised feast of fat things full of marrow and fine wine on the lees, well refined: truly Your salvation is great!

Help us, Father, to rejoice more and more in Your abundance! Fill our hearts with gladness as we hear Your word preached! Let our joy resound in song and our “Amens” be filled with gusto as we savor Your extravagant provision! May our communion and fellowship overflow with gratitude for Your abundant mercies! And let even our sleep be the sound repose promised to those whom You have called “Beloved”. For these are the fruits of the resurrection! You have arisen mightily and caused Your enemies to be scattered like dust on the wind. Those that hate You must and will flee before Your wrath, and we Your children can but stand still and marvel at the great salvation of our God.

And as we prepare to hear Your Word preached, grow in each of us a zeal for Your truth and a hunger and thirst for Your righteousness! Help us to improve upon our baptisms in the coming week by growing our appreciation for the many effects of the resurrection. For without it we would certainly be the most miserable of men. But with it we have the security of Christ before us, Christ behind, Christ above and beneath us, Christ at our right hand and Christ at our left, Christ in our hearts and our every breath: even as we join our voices in the prayer He taught His disciples, saying…

Confidence in Christ

From 2/28/2010

Phillipians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

God of our fathers,

We are so grateful for the confidence that we have in You! You have assured us that You will never leave nor forsake us, that all things work together for our good who are called according to Your purpose, that no one is able to pluck us out of Your hand, and that Your peace will guide our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. What other ground for confidence could we ever hope for? Where else could we find any sort of security remotely so sure? To whom else could we possibly look for such strong defense? And why would we even bother to look elsewhere for these blessings? Kings and presidents set themselves and the rulers take counsel together; but You, Lord, sit in the heavens and laugh at them! So help us to serve You in fear, and to rejoice with trembling! For truly You are our shelter, our strong tower, and our rock. You are our tabernacle; our dwelling place which can never be moved. You are the One who rescues and saves, and who satisfies our mouth with good things.

You are our Judge and our Lawgiver, our King and Savior. We join with the angels in saying, “Amen! Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever!”

Prepare our hearts now to feed on truth from Your Word, even as we lift our collective voices in the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, saying…

One in Christ

Psalm 28:1-2 To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock; do not be silent to me, lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.


God of our Fathers,

We thank You for Your inspired Word, who took on the form of a man and dwelt among us. Thank You for giving Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And thank You for making us one with Him, even as He is one with You. Grant us diligence to make our calling and election sure, even as David prayed to be kept distinct from those going down to the pit, and hear our requests as we bring them before You.

We thank You for causing Your Word to be preached at Providence Community Church in Pace, Florida, and at Cooper Springs Church in Odenville, Alabama. Bless each of these congregations by Your Word and Sacrament this Sabbath day, and cause them to go out refreshed and energized to serve You in the coming week. Bless also the ministry of our missionaries in Russia, Japan, and Belarus; and especially the work of those continuing to labor for Your kingdom in Haiti. Grant that the aftermath of this earthquake might prove the turning point for that nation, and that the whole world may marvel at Your power as You show Yourself mighty on that island.

...For You, Lord, are our strength and our shield; the saving strength of Your anointed. Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance. Feed us and lift us up forever; even as we lift our united voices in the prayer that Christ taught His disciples, saying…

Prayer for Haiti

Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His Holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Our Father and God,

We know that You govern all things, whatsoever comes to pass; and we know that You work all of these things together for the good of Your servants. We ask that You would remind Your church in Haiti of these promises, and of the assurances we just read from Psalm 103: that You are the One Who heals diseases, redeems life from destruction, crowns us with loving-kindness and tender mercies, and satisfies our mouth with good things! Strengthen them with these assurances, and give the Haitian saints and the missionaries laboring there opportunities to show Your love to others in need. Your Word affirms that You are the One Who executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed, and we ask that You would do so for our brothers in Haiti.

And on a larger scale, use this catastrophe to draw men all over the world to Yourself! Let them see the awe-inspiring images of destruction and recognize that all flesh is, indeed, as grass; and cause them to cry out to You for salvation! Grow in Your international church a spirit of generosity, and a renewed constancy in prayer for those impacted by the quake. You have blessed us, the seed of Abraham, very greatly; and we ask now that You would help us be a blessing to Haiti, and to all those of other nations who witness our compassion.

Grow in each of us a sense of the true unity that You have designed for Your body catholic. For we all partake of one communion, all share in one baptism, and all worship one risen Savior Who now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit; one God, most blessed forever. Help us to manifest that oneness even now as we lift our united voices in the prayer that Christ taught His disciples, saying…

Humble Thanksgiving

From 11/22/2009

Father of all Grace,

We come before You with hearts full of gratitude for Your many blessings and Your mighty deeds. While this week of Thanksgiving often causes us to pause and reflect on the good gifts that You give to Your children, it also serves to remind us of our tendency toward ingratitude at other times of the Year. Help us to be grateful for the small things, that we may be better prepared to savor Your great blessings; and guard us from the temptation to get this principle backwards. Just as children learn first to “Thank You for this day” and “Thank You for this food”, teach us to say “Thank You, Lord, for turkey and dressing, and for wine to gladden our hearts”. And give us the humility to take Your Word seriously enough to give thanks in all things; like, “Thank You for my kids’ runny noses and need for frequent spankings.” For only then can we begin to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of Christ’s love. And of course we do thank You for these great gifts as well; for Your grace which is poured out on us abundantly in every spiritual blessing, for the certainty of Your promise to work all things together for the good of Your people, and for the joy and fellowship of the communion table You have laid out before us. Truly You are good all the time!

Oh, to Eat Meat!

Our God and Father,

We come before You once again with the profound humility of our position as Your creatures. Not only because we are undeserving of Your gifts in the first place, but because we daily show ourselves ungrateful servants who fail to improve upon our baptisms as we ought. We desire knowledge, but are often negligent in our pursuit of Your truth. We would have understanding as the sons of Issachar, but lack the diligence of the Bereans to search Your word daily. We long to do precisely that which You would have us do, but frequently lack the wisdom needed to discern our proper course of action. In many ways, we are like a toddler who refuses solid food because we’re quite content to maintain our comfortable lot as nursing babies indefinitely. But of course, this is not the life to which You have called us.

You have created us to wield dominion over the works of Your fingers! You have made us joint heirs together with Your Son! Indeed You have entrusted us with the task of subjugating the entire world for Your glory! Ours is seldom the path of gingerbread houses or peppermint bays; but often the inglorious way of late nights and long hours of study, of sick children and the inevitable death of loved ones. But for all its lack of glamour, we have confidence that ours is the way of life despite the death all around us; of glory in the midst of every mundane task or duty. For You have ordained not only the end of Your divine story, but all of the means through which You will accomplish that end. Not only the major characters, but every minor walk-on as well. And not only the triumph, but every defeat behind which it is concealed. Help us to see Your hand at work in these apparent setbacks, thereby making it easy for us to give You thanks and praise in all things.

Help us, Father, to eat meat!

Be Not Silent

From 9/20/2009

To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock; do not be silent to me, lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. Psalm 28:1-2

God of our Fathers,

We thank You for answering the prayer of the Psalmist when he asked You not to be silent towards him. For You spoke Your eternal Word into this world, caused Him to become flesh and dwell among us, and sent Him to a violent death on the cross to atone for our sins. You spoke to us triumphantly through His mighty resurrection, through His ascension, and through the written words of Your servants; blown by the wind of the Holy Spirit. You speak to us even now through this written word, reminding us of the gifts that are ours through that same Spirit – of Your lordship over the Sabbath, of Your sovereignty over all time and events, and of Your certain victory over all who would oppose You. And as if that weren’t enough, You eloquently speak to us through the sacraments; welcoming us into the covenant in baptism, and nurturing us with the bread and wine of communion.

Whenever we see or hear of these gifts Father, stir our hearts to sing Your praise. Make us ever more mindful of Your abundance toward us, and of the debt of gratitude we owe You. Open our ears to hear when You speak, and grant us the faith to obey Your voice.

Be Anxious for Nothing

Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

God of our Fathers,

The world around us seems replete with reasons to be anxious. We and our children fail to honor You as we ought, vast portions of the church persist in flippant disregard for Your Word, so-called “rogue nations” feverishly seek to develop nuclear weapons, and our own government seems hell bent on swamping America in her own materialistic decadence and imperialist debauchery.

How can we look at a pregnant teenager and tell her she need not fear? Or how can we toss around terms like “hyperinflation” and “socialized medicine”, and not be filled with consternation?

Yet You tell us to be anxious for nothing; like a patient father explaining to his toddler that there is no need to worry about where his next meal is coming from, You assure us that we have no need to fear or worry. You who wrote the opening chapters of history and who knows the end from the beginning will infallibly bring about Your intended conclusion to the story. Why then should we fear? You have guarded Your servants through flaming furnaces, foreign captivities, shipwrecks, plagues, and lions’ dens. Of what should we be afraid? Over and over You have shown Yourself mighty to strike down Your enemies at the appointed time. Who then can hope to stand against us?

Teach us, Father, to glory in the confidence that You teach us through history and Your Word. As You delight to bring about blessing and success in dramatic fashion, help us to glory in that drama! The taller the giant, the more spectacular his fall; the larger the crowd, the more compelling do we find the loaves and fish; and the fewer the men in our army, the greater share of honor due Your holy name when You grant us the victory!

Teach us not to fret when we perceive a setback in the work of dominion, but rather to lean forward in eager anticipation of seeing how You will work all things together for the good of Your people. And guard our hearts and minds with Your peace, which passes all possible human understanding.

Measured Patriotism

1 Timothy 2:1-2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

God of our Fathers,

In this season of patriotic fervor and celebration, we are rightly mindful of and deeply grateful for the rich heritage left us by our forebears in this land. We thank You for the examples You have set before us in the courage and humility of George Washington, the brilliance and decisiveness of John Adams, and for the farsighted wisdom and discernment of Patrick Henry. Help us to follow them as they followed You, while, of course, bearing in mind that they were, inevitably, imperfect men. Guard us from the temptation to put our heroes, or as is far more common, our nation on an unlawful pedestal. Remind us that while “we” are indeed Your chosen nation; the “we” is New Israel, the Church, and not these United States of America. And yet we pray for our nation, Lord God. We cry out to You to turn America and our leaders away from our wicked ways! Continue to expose the misdeeds of unscrupulous senators and cavorting congressmen for what they are, and visit the unrepentant with Your judgment! Visit our president with the terror of Your holiness, and cause him to turn from his socialistic and totalitarian policies. Teach us, as a nation, to kiss the Son lest He be angry… preferably before His wrath is kindled against us. And renew in us a love of history; Your story, giving us discernment as we seek to profit from the lessons You have taught through the centuries.

We ask that You teach us to understand our times, as the Sons of Issachar, and strengthen our fingers to fight the good fight. We thank You for giving us such powerful weapons as prayer and Your word, and ask that You would help us to wield them with skill, authority, confidence, and devastating effect. Even as Your Son Jesus did when He modeled so poignant a prayer for His disciples, saying…

Pentecost Sunday

God of our Fathers,

On this Pentecost Sunday we thank You most heartily for giving us Your Holy Spirit! Some 2,000 years ago You Yourself walked this earth in human flesh, ate of our food, lived in our homes, willingly died a tortuous death on our behalf, and rose again in triumph over the grave. Then, as if that were not magnanimity enough, You promised that You would be with us even to the end of the world; and a few short weeks later You demonstrated the intensity of Your continued commitment to the race of men by sending Your Spirit down to rest upon the disciples.

How can we even begin to thank You for such an exorbitant gift!? For without the movement of the Spirit there would be no scriptures to teach us Your law! Without the indwelling of the Spirit there would be no conviction of sin, no response of faith, and no salvation! Without the Spirit working in us to will and to do Your good pleasure, we would have no hope of growing into Your likeness! And without the Spirit’s constant intercession on our behalf we would often be at a loss even for words with which to pray to You! So help us more and more to see the work of the Spirit for what it is; to discern His cues from our own self-righteousness and bull-headedness. By that same Spirit, cause us to follow Your example of humility and sacrifice, and to respond to Your blessings with generosity and service all over again.

You Gave Even the Sacrifice

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16

God of our Fathers,

We stand still and marvel at Your mighty hand of provision and the wonder of all Your ways! Who else could have orchestrated a way for the second person of the Trinity to be found in fashion as a man, and be tempted in all points that we are? Who could have ordained that He should then become both our great High Priest, and the spotless lamb sacrificed for our sins? Who but You could have made us kings and priests with Your eternal Son, allowing us to come boldly before Your throne as a royal priesthood rather than mere mortals clad in the rags of our own righteousness? What wisdom of man could have concocted a scheme that would allow a Holy God to remove those rags and clothe us instead in the righteousness of His eternal Son? Only You can cause mercy and truth to commune together, and righteousness and peace to kiss. Only You hold the heart of every king and president in the palm of Your hand, and only You can turn them at Your good pleasure. You alone hear the prayers of Your people, and answer without fail. And only You can take our stammering praise and turn it into an acceptable sacrifice!

As assuredly as You made the wicked for the day of judgment, for Your own glory; so You have also made the very sacrifices that we offer back to You... for Your own glory. Guard us from the temptation to think that we, on our own, have anything worthy to present to You; and remind us constantly that we can't even bring You a sacrifice of praise without the tongues You have created, the thoughts You have implanted, the scriptures You have inspired, the hearts You have made new, and the identity You have provided us through Your eternal Son, Jesus Christ.

The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever!

March 15, 2009

God of our Fathers,

You are the same yesterday, today, and forever; the only true constant in the universe. You are the God who brought Your people safely out of Israel, making a mockery of Egypt and her false gods in the process. You are the God Who stayed the sun while Joshua thrashed the Amorites, and the God who gave David victory over Goliath. It was You who spoke to Elijah, not in the mighty wind or the earthquake, but in a still small voice that both convicted and encouraged him. And it was You who allowed Israel and Judah to be carried into captivity when they forgot all Your mighty acts. Yet Your perfect justice in no way denigrates Your perfect mercy, because You are the God who forgives and provides escape – as You did through Daniel and Zerubbabel and Nehemiah; and ultimately through Your Son Jesus, the penultimate way of escape. You sent Him to redeem us, and He fully accomplished that task. You sat Him down at Your right hand while His and our enemies are subdued, and You are inexorably accomplishing that task as well. Deliver us from the temptation to think of You as just “the one in the stories” or “the one who used to do miracles”. For You are the one who sets up kings and tears them down, the God who holds the world in the palm of His hand, and Who alone does wonderous things: yesterday, today, and forever!!

...We give thanks in all things, Father. Even when those “things” don’t turn out the way we would have chosen. But when that happens remind us that You are the God who rains bread, parts rivers, calms storms, confounds princes, and raises the very dead! Help us to spurn mere cognitive assent for true confidence in Your perfect will, even now as we lift our hearts and voices in the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, saying…

The Power of the Son

January 18, 2009

God of our Fathers, strong to save, we thank You for Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, and the freedom that we have in Him to approach Your throne with boldness and confidence. We thank You for giving Him all power in heaven and on earth, and for giving us daily reminders of His eternal authority over creation. Help us to see these reminders for what they are, and prompt us to give You thanks for all of them. So often we are at a loss to explain the wisdom that you conceal in what seems foolishness to us, but help us to praise, thank, and trust You even in those times… indeed especially in those times!

With that in mind, we pray for Barack Obama, that You would cause him to fear You and govern according to Your precepts as he takes office this week. We dare to ask that You would cause him to repent of his sins, worship You in spirit and in truth, and guide this nation with Your wisdom.

Grant, Almighty God, since we so pass through this world that our attention is easily diverted, and our judgment darkened… that we may raise our eyes upwards, and consider just how much power You have conferred upon Your only begotten Son. Grant, also, that He may rule and govern us by the light of His Spirit, protect us by His faithfulness and guardianship, and compel the whole world to promote our salvation; thus may we rest calmly under his protection, and fight with that boldness and patience which He both commands and commends, until at length we enjoy the fruit of the victory which You have infallibly promised, and which You will provide for us in Your heavenly kingdom.

Unanticipated (Divine) Fingerprints

"Likewise the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27

God of our Fathers,

We are in continual awe of Your marvelous creativity and provision!

You ordained the rise and recession of the tides, and decreed that they should be governed by the moon's gravity. You designed plant life to rely on an annoying black and yellow bug with a stinger for pollination, and for good measure gave that same bug the ability to make honey! Only You would have thought to hide such amazing potential in fermented grape juice, and only You would have chosen this as the metaphor by which we remember Your Son's death. -- All these things You have done according to Your perfect, eternal plan, and all for Your own glory.

And yet despite all these amazing demonstrations of Your control over the universe, we still balk at giving thanks in all things! We persist in worrying over trifling matters like the latest shenanigans of the Supreme Court and whether our 401(k) numbers appear in black or red, forgetting that You are the Alpha and Omega Who has ordained the end from the very beginning. When we find ourselves surrounded by hand-wringers and brow-furrowers, help us to trust You more and more! When we are tempted to worry or doubt, remind us that You are infallibly working all things together for our good, and teach us to spot Your fingerprints as they appear in what seem the most unlikely places... elections and recessions included.

The Eternal Unchangeable

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:3-4

God of our Fathers,

You are the eternal Unchangeable, the point of reference from which all rational thought is derived. Without Your continual sustenance atoms would break down, the solar system would implode, the changing tides would wash away entire coastlines, and we would indeed be of all men most miserable. But having made this world, You did not give it up to destruction after Adam’s sin. You promised instead to send a Redeemer to crush the head of the serpent and restore Your people to a position of covenant familiarity. Then, as You always do, You made good on your promise; adopting us as sons and setting us on the path of righteousness.

Help us more and more to trust in You, and do good! After all, when You have given us so much, how could we dare to follow the example of the ungrateful servant by refusing to pass Your gifts on to those around us? Help us to do good! First to the household of faith, and then to the world at large; spreading the fame of Your greatness throughout the globe, and making disciples of every creature. This is the desire of our heart.

And as we bring our requests before You, keep us mindful of Your faithfulness: for You are the God who keeps covenant to a thousand generations, and Who works all things together for the good of those whom You have called.

The Great and Mighty One

God of our Fathers,

You are the great and mighty One, the Judge over all. You have made even the wicked for the day of judgment, and the devil for Your glory. You alone are Lord of the universe, the three times holy God, and we tremble at Your righteousness.

You are the Guardian of the fatherless, the Comforter of the widow, the Strong Tower of the defenseless, the Safeguard of all eternity, and we shelter in Your mercy.

You are the master Craftsman, the Creator of the ends of the earth, Maker of all things visible and invisible, Designer of rose petals and spider webs, mountains and oceans, and we revel in the majesty of Your handiwork.

You are the Giver of life, the Ordainer of marital bliss and parental nurture, the Fountainhead of all joy, and we marvel at Your generosity.

In You we live and move and have our being. You sustain the planets in their orbits, cause sunshine and rain to fall on the just and the unjust, and You alone set kings on their thrones or abase them at Your pleasure. You are the Amen and Amen before Whom even the angels cover their faces, and we give You all praise.