Lets Pray Heavenly Father, protect us as we go about our daily lives. Keep us in touch with You every moment. Lead us away from the evils that tempt us to sin. Defend us from assaults on our faith in what we see or read, in conversations or discussions. Be with us in our homes, in our workplaces, in our classrooms, in our meetings, in our play activities, in all the places we go. Help us to show Your love and compassion in dealing with the people we meet. Bless especially the relationships in our family. Let us be there for each other: listening, loving, caring, supporting, and holding each other up to You. We pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Brother. Amen. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your constant care and support in my life. You created me; You nurture me; You sustain me. Often I choose to be a wayward child, going my own way and sinning against You. Thank You for opening Your arms and welcoming me into Your loving embrace. Please forgive me through Your Son’s redemptive work for me on the cross. Be with me as I relate to my earthly family and friends, that I might share with them Your salvation and faithfulness. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide, direct, and comfort me all the days of my life. In the Name of Jesus, my Savior and Brother, Amen. Reflections Here I am again, God. It’s me, M. I was thinking of my brother today — you know, the special child whose care you gave to my mother. He spent all his life in a wheelchair. Mom never said much — I never heard her complain — but I remember how sad she looked the first time she bathed him. Later, when age made it impossible for my parents to care for him, they took him to Bethesda to live. How hard that decision must have been for them! Yet you had a purpose for him at Bethesda: He became the spokesman for another resident who could not speak for herself. Somehow, you gave him the ability to understand her signals when she needed something; he became her voice. Now my brother is with you. I remember at his funeral how the deaconess reminded all the residents as they passed by his casket that he was “safe in the arms of Jesus.” Those words still ring in my ears. Thank you for the sure hope of eternal life that we have through Jesus.