Morning Prayer

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,
‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-- Romans 8:36-39, NRSV

or in the language I grew up with as a child
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-- Romans 8:36-39, KJV

Lord of all creation, God who comforts and sustains, God who redeems, thank you. You are indeed the Alpha and the Omega - the beginning and the end. Make that a reality in my life today. In my getting up for the day and my lying down at the end, make it so -- and make the center all about You, the God who indwells, who shepherds, who loves -- the God whose goodness and mercy, whose glory and steadfast love pursues us unto the ends of the earth.

Let me sow love today. Let me reap whatever blessings you give, knowing that it will be enough. In the name of you beloved Son, Amen.