Almighty and merciful God,

    you are the strength of the weak,

    the refreshment of the weary,

    the comfort of the sad,

    the help of the tempted,

    the life of the dying,

    the God of patience and of all consolation;

You know full well the inner weakness of our nature,

    how we tremble and quiver before pain,

    and cannot bear the cross without your divine help and support.

Help me, then, O eternal and pitying God,

    help me to possess my soul in patience,

    to maintain unshaken hope in you,

    to keep that childlike trust

        which feels a Father’s heart hidden beneath the cross;

then will I be strengthened with power according to your glorious might,

    in all patience and longsuffering;

    I shall be enabled to endure pain and temptation, and,

    in the very depth of my suffering, to praise you with a joyful heart.

Johann Habermann, 1516-1590, German Lutheran theologian

Encyclopedia of Prayer and Praise slightly modified

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May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.