Lord, I need you now

I need you Lord, I need you now.

I know that I can do without many of the things

that I once thought were necessities,

but without you I cannot live, and dare not die.

I needed you when sorrow came,

when shadows were thrown across the threshold of my life,

and you did not fail me then.

I needed you when sickness laid a clammy hand on my family,

and I cried to you, and you did hear.

I needed you when perplexity brought me to a parting of the ways,

and I knew not how to turn.

You directed me toward a better way.

And though the sun is shining around me today,

I know that I need you even in the sunshine,

and will still need you tomorrow.

I give you my gratitude for that constant sense of need

that keeps me close to your side.

Help me to keep my hand in yours

and my ears open to the wisdom of your voice.

Speak to me, that I may hear you

giving me courage for hard times and strength for difficult places;

giving me determination for challenging tasks.

I do not ask for the easy way,

but just for your grace that is sufficient for every hour,

and no matter how dark the sky,

I may be enabled to overcome.

Peter Marshall, 1902 – 1949, Chaplain of the US Senate

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2 Corinthians 4:8-10

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.

We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.

We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.

We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus

so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

prayer & verse