My Prayer

I pray
Today
That God will bring you
Peace
Where there’s been pain
Harmony
Where there’s been discord
Love
Where there’s been loneliness

I pray
Today
That God will bring you
Solace
Where there’s been sorrow
Justice
Where there’s been inequality
Clarity
Where there’s been chaos

I pray
Today
That He will heal your human heart
and help you face tomorrow
With a renewed sense of
Courage
Strength
And wisdom.

Ted Hibbard

"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

Matthew 18:19-20

To Forgive Is to Set a Prisoner Free and Discover the Prisoner Was You

Meredith was surprised to find a letter in her mailbox from her brother, Tim.  It had been three years since she had spoken to him, even though they lived in the same town.  In the letter, Tim told her he and his wife were expecting twins and he hoped she would come to visit the babies after they were born.  He expressed his sorrow that they had not communicated more, and apologized for whatever it was he had done to cause them to be estranged.

Meredith's initial reaction was one of anger.  "Whatever it was?"  Didn't he know?  She immediately sat down and wrote a five-page letter detailing all the wrongs Tim had committed that hurt her.  The phone rang, however, before she could put her letter in an envelope, and it was several hours before she returned to her writing desk.  Upon rereading her letter, she was horrified at what she found.

She had thought she was being very matter of fact, but her words were full of anger and pain.  Tears of forgiveness filler her eyes.  Perhaps it wasn't all Tim's fault. 

She called him the next day to say, "I can hardly wait to be the aunt of twins!"

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:14,15