Evening Prayer for Saturday, July 19, 2025

 

Praying the Scriptures

Saturday Evening Prayer

July 19, 2025

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)

Gracious Lord,

The sun has slipped behind Red Mountain, and with it, the weight of this day begins to settle. The last light glows faint and golden across the quiet desert floor, while shadows stretch long and gentle across the creosote and stone. The air is warm and still—so still that it seems to hold its breath with me. And above, one by one, the stars begin to speak.

I come to You tonight not with strength, but with surrender. I feel the weariness in my bones, the limits of my understanding, the ache of questions that remain unanswered. And yet, in the hush of this holy twilight, I hear again Your words: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Lord, I do not need to be strong for You to be near. You are drawn to my need, not repelled by it.

So here I am—imperfect, tired, vulnerable—but resting in You. The desert wind brushes softly across my skin like the hem of Your robe, and I remember that You are close. Your grace has carried me through another day, and Your mercy has not run dry. Even now, in the shadows, I find You faithful.

I praise You—not in the strength I don’t have, but in the peace I do. Because You are enough. Because Christ dwells in me, not in spite of my weakness, but through it. The very things I wish to escape—my frailty, my sorrow, my limits—have become the places where Your power shines.

As the stars continue to gather above this desert sanctuary, I offer You my thanks. Thank You for holding me when I could not stand on my own. Thank You for the stillness that reminds me of Your unshakable presence. Thank You for a grace that does not falter with the setting sun.

Now, Lord, as night deepens, receive my spirit into Your rest. Wrap me in the quiet strength of Your love. And as I sleep beneath this vast, starlit sky, teach my heart once more: When I am weak, then I am strong.

Amen.

May the quiet strength of Christ dwell within you tonight, and may His grace be your peace beneath the stars.

---

The Bible passages come from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyrighted © 1989, 1993 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America and are used by permission. All rights reserved. Praying the Scriptures is penned daily by Kenny Sallee, ThM.