Prayer of the Day

Lord, give me patience — and I already know better than to ask You to hurry.

You see where I keep losing it: in traffic, in checkout lines, with the child who asks the same question nine times, with the coworker who talks in circles, with my own slow progress at becoming the person I want to be.

Teach me what You seem to know so well — that almost nothing good grows fast. Not trees, not trust, not character, not me. You are never in a rush, Lord, and You are never late. I would like to live like that.

When the answer to my prayer is "wait," keep me from grabbing the wheel. When people are slow, remind me how patient You have been with me — that usually ends the argument.

And in the small daily delays, the ones too minor to mention but big enough to ruin an hour, give me a longer fuse and a lighter heart.

Grow in me what hurry never could.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Thank You, Father, for this day now ending.

For food on the table and a place to sleep. For work done and rest coming. For the people who love me, and the mercy that met me every hour, seen and unseen.

I didn't earn a minute of it. Receive my thanks — it's all I have to give back tonight, and You've never asked for more.

In Jesus' name, Amen.