Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Isaiah 32:2 Each will be like a refuge from the wind and a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry country, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.

John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

When circumstances look their worst, may you still recall that God is working His will in your life. He has not forsaken or abandoned you, and He will remain beside you every step of the way. You can turn to Him each moment, expressing your trust in His will and allowing Him to lighten your load, even as Jacob had the option to do when he feared his children were lost to him. Genesis 42

When you feel abandoned and cannot see any changes, and your prayers seem to bounce off the stone walls, may you understand that God is working in many lives to allow the fullness of time to bring His will to pass. Wait on the Lord in prayer and praise as Simeon had to while waiting for his brothers to return to Egypt. Genesis 42

When you see your dreams coming to pass and your heart leaps with joy and enthusiasm, may you have the patience to continue walking in God's timing, allowing Him to work all things together, even though you are ready to jump in and make it all happen. Step by step, the Lord works with all those involved, preparing hearts and readying minds to make the choices He brings them to, much as Joseph had to be content with being occupied by day-to-day business even after he recognized his brothers bowing before him. Genesis 43

May Almighty God Himself grant you mercy before those He raises to authority as you obey their command. Genesis 43

May you regard your brother's good fortune as a blessing from God and rejoice with him rather than envy him, though his portion be five times greater than yours. The Lord tries your heart to let you see what is in it, and to let you be encouraged as you see growth and progress made from one occasion to another. Genesis 43

May you be as indiscriminate in your reach to other people, sharing the truth and reality of God's love by expressing His accepting grace to all, as a fishing net when it sweeps through the water, constraining the diversity of lives together, trusting God to sort it all out. Matthew 13

May you understand when those who know you best in the natural take offense when you are used in the spiritual, for unless they have faith to come in need, God can do nothing for them. Matthew 13

My child, I weep for longing after you. My heart's desire is to embrace you and comfort you, making known to you the depth and strength of My passion for you. But you need preparation; your eyes are still on the world  and your thoughts are still on yourself. 

I restrain Myself from being your lover so that I may be your trainer, your teacher. Do not think that I am against you, for I am your strongest advocate; though you experience light and temporary affliction, I am working in you to produce an exceeding great eternal weight of glory, far beyond all comparison to what you go through. 

You must learn the discipline of self, of emotion, of spirit. As you learn to cast down every high thought which exalts itself against Me, so you must grow strong enough, by practice, to do it continually. 

As you learn to turn to Me in the midst of a storm, so you must learn to be confident enough in Me to sleep through the storm, for that is when, just as I demonstrated, you can speak to the storm. Though I rebuked My disciples in the boat for having little faith, I looked forward with eagerness to the time I could relax with them in enjoyment. 

Just as Joseph, because he knew his brothers' hearts, did not immediately reveal himself as their loving brother, grateful to provide for the needs of his family from his abundance, and joyful to exercise his authority on behalf of those he loved and held most dear, even so I must at times be firm and stern to bring you to see the needs in your life that I can meet. Imagine the longing in Joseph's heart to spend time with his brother, Simeon, during all the time he was near, but having to wait until his brothers returned for more grain. 

I am eager to fellowship with you, My loved one, more eager than you can comprehend. Trust Me, and obey My leading, My prompting, My guidance, My direction. Seek in My Word for what I have to teach you, and receive from My Spirit all that you will need to grow strong and mature, cleansed and pure through sorrow and repentance, so that we may rejoice together in sweet fellowship in My righteousness and the beauty of My holiness. 

The price you pay for gaining wisdom and understanding from Me will be returned bountifully as you come to know Me even as you are known.

May God give you His shield of victory, sustaining you with His right hand as He stoops down to make you victorious by broadening the path beneath you so that your ankles do not turn. Psalm 18

May the Lord, Who is your God and your Rock, arm you with strength and make your way perfect, giving you feet like a deer, allowing you to stand on the heights, and training your hands for battle, so that your arms can bend a bow of bronze. Psalm 18

May God be a shield for you when you take refuge in Him, for His way is perfect and the word of the Lord is flawless. Psalm 18

May you advance against a troop with the help of God, and may He strengthen you to scale a wall. Psalm 18

May the Lord show Himself faithful to the faithful, blameless to the blameless, pure to the pure, but shrewd to the crooked, saving the humble but bringing low the haughty, and rewarding those who run from evil. Psalm 18

May the Lord bless you according to your conscious integrity and sincerity with Him, rewarding you as you keep the ways of the Lord and not turning from God. All His laws are before you and you have kept yourself from sin; this He knows, for He watches your every step. Psalm 18

May God rescue you and bring you out into a spacious place because He delights in you and is pleased with you. Psalm 18

May God reach down from on high and take hold of you to draw you out of deep waters, supporting you and rescuing you from powerful enemies who are too strong for you when they confront you in the day of your disaster, when you are the weakest. Psalm 18

May you get from God wisdom, common sense and sound judgment, esteeming them and embracing them, though it cost all you have. They will exalt you and honor you, setting a garland of grace on your head and presenting you with a crown of splendor. Proverbs 4:7-9