January 12, 2016 SHARE: Praying time: less than three minutes. This will be the last in our series of prayers around the Lutheran Wellness Wheel. God is so good. Join me in thanks for His every blessing! The earth is Yours, O Lord. I rejoice that You have awakened me to a new day and a new opportunity to walk through Your creation, knowing that I am a child of the Owner of all wealth, and an heir of treasure that will never perish, spoil or fade. “Providence” is such a beautiful word. You, the Owner are also my Provider, and how generous You have been toward me and my family. Just as wise parents know best the needs of their children, You also know best just what I need. My wants often obscure richness of Your provision, so give me faith today to confess that my Father in heaven does indeed daily and richly bless me with all I need to support this body and life.I confess that my eyes often wander to the mountains of wealth dropped in the laps of lottery winners, or to the neighborhood in which I could never afford to live. I dream about all the good I would do for Your kingdom if I were filthy rich, but I also know what a filthy mess my life would be if such an enticement as treasure would be mine. Bills swirl around my head and financial concerns and worries often distract me. I pray for those who are buried in debt, even more than I am. Give to all of Your children the faith of Paul who learned to be content in all circumstances, even in desperate poverty. Give us also the faith of David who wondered, “Who am I that I should be privileged to give so generously?” The fruit of your Spirit is faithfulness. How faithful You have been to me, providing for all my needs, temporal and eternal, and promising me a room in the eternal city where gold becomes merely pavement for our feet compared to the wealth of Your love and blessing. Make me faithful this day, Lord, with eyes of faith to see Your hand of blessing in every material gift, and then to respond with thankfulness for every mouthful of food and drink, the comfort of house and home, the joy of spouse and children. Make me faithful this day, Lord, with eyes of faith to see the needs of others and to know that You have measured Your abundance to me so bountifully so that I might be a sharer of Your good gifts. Here I am, O God, spoiled by your goodness to me over these past years. How my brothers and sisters in heaven will marvel at the wealth that has surrounded me in this earthly life. May my enjoyment of Your blessings this day be a testimony to Your providential care. And as I walk by faith into the future, give me confidence in the promises of my loving Father who knows my need and will always provide for me, so that my prayer to You each morning might be, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Amen. Thanks for praying with me. God’s richest to you this day and always! dz Are you interested in helping bring a Grace Place Wellness Retreat to your region? We’d love to hear from you. Contact our President/CEO Randy Fauser today to begin exploring the possibilities. Let’s have a conversation about bringing our Classic Retreat to your area soon!