Lord of the heavenly hosts, you have triumphed over the evil one and brought peace to those who seek it. Make us like yourself, peacemakers, willing to step in and promote harmony in every place, in every group, in every way.

Make us part of the solution, and may we not be part of the problem. Keep us from harping, from criticism, from harshness.

Make our hearts pure for this task, steady our hands in the heat of battle, keep us from flinching at the front lines. Make us ready to fight for peace, but always in love, humility, and kindness, aware that every soul is precious in your sight. Because for every one Jesus went to Golgotha. Amen.

Lord of all pleasure and pleasant sensations, it seems like the pagans have all the fun. They can do anything they want. Every experience is theirs to enjoy. But I know the end of such indiscriminate pleasure-seeking is destruction.

You made us for yourself. And we find our greatest enjoyment, our maximum pleasure in knowing you. So let us seek your face and hide ourselves under your wing.

My happiness is in being near you. And I give thanks that Jesus, the Promised One, makes that possible. Amen.

[pertinent passage: Psa. 73:28]

Heavenly Father, my heart runs the gamut of emotions and feelings. Let them point me to what my thoughts are telling me, to what my reactions to others reveal about my interactions, to what my experiences tell me about myself and my deepest beliefs, fears, anxieties, concerns, and values.

Let me not negate my feelings or deny them, but acknowledge that you have given them to me, so that I might become a whole person. Let them not have reign over me, and so live a roller-coaster life. Let me not pour them out indiscriminately, with the damage to relationships such a habit causes.

Rather, let me consider them as signposts, to gauge how well I am coping through faith, or whether I am reacting from a human point of view. Because I want to go more like you. Amen.

God of truth and faithfulness, at every turn Satan would allure me away from Jesus. His temptations attract me at my weakest point. His whispers make every lie seem true. His offerings appear only what I deserve to possess, to experience, to enjoy.

Let me see the hook behind the bait, O Lord, that I might recognize temptation for what it is. Keep me near your Word, that I might distinguish between right and wrong, clear and dubious, edification and destruction.

Because I never want to be separated from you, O Father, I ask this. Amen.

[pertinent passages: 1 Cor. 10:12-13; 2 Cor. 11:3; Gal. 6:7; Jas. 1:13-15]

Lord, you have made our lives on this Earth to feel the constant change characteristic of human existence. The weather changes from one hour to the next. The economy and job situation can surprise us suddenly. War breaks out without warning. Accidents and tragedies occur and shake up our lethargy. One day we wake up and we have wrinkles, bald heads, spreading paunches.

In the midst of all this flux, O God who changes not, we search for an island of stability. And we find it only in you and your Son, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, He who is, and was, and yet will be. Thank you, Father, for your constancy and permanence, Rock of all the ages. Amen.

[pertinent passages: Num 23:19; Psa. 46; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; Rev. 1:8]