You are truly our fortress, our strong tower, the only God that can deliver us from our sin and keep us close when we fail. Everything is under your control. No one can take anything from your hand or stop you from doing whatever you desire. You accomplish your will in us, through us, in spite of us. You do just as you please. 

Our faith in you, though, is inconsistent. Sometimes our faith is great, like Abraham when he believed your promise of uncountable descendants. Other times, our faith is weak, like when Abraham lied about Sarah. Trials and troubles come to us and we are tempted to turn away. 

Some of us are fainthearted or timid in our faith, often discouraged or despairing at events that happen in our lives.  

Some of us are weak in our faith, spiritually immature, unable to let go of something in our past and so we remain in a small faith. 

Some of us are unsteady or disorderly in our faith, either doing nothing and not growing in our faith or stubbornly resisting the work of your spirit in our lives.  

But when we remember who you are, then our faith is sure. When sorrow or trouble or grief or pain come to us, we remember that you are our hope, our faith confident that you know us and hear us and encourage us and keep us. 

When doubts and fears shake to our faith, remind us of Peter’s words to Jesus – where else will we go, for you have the words of life.  

When despair threatens to undo us, remind us of the psalmist’s words – why are you in despair, o my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him for the help of his presence.  

When our circumstances tempt us to doubt your love for us, remind us that we are not to regard lightly your discipline, nor faint when we are reproved by you, for those whom you love you discipline and that you scourge every child whom you receive. 

Remind us that you are working all things for our good, including building and maturing our faith in you in all things. 

Build our small faith, give confidence to our weak faith, anchor our unsteady faith in the word you have given us, which is sure; and in your son, who always keeps those you have given to him; and in your spirit, who is our seal and guarantee that you will never leave us or forsake us.  

Amen.