Almighty and most merciful God, the protector of all who trust in You, strengthen our faith and give us courage to believe that in Your love You will rescue us from all adversities; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one god, now and forever.
Some time ago, we were sitting on our patio in the evening when suddenly our cat sat up and growled. My back yard is long and narrow. The rear boundary is some distance from the patio. We turned and followed the cat’s attention. We saw a coyote loping along the edge of our yard. Now, you also need to know something else about my cat. She was an absolute coward. The bunnies graze at will within my garden if I do not fence them out. The squirrels romp across the yard with impunity in their quest for whatever it is that squirrels search for. She watches this all happen, but she is afraid to do anything about it. She was especially afraid of the coyote, with good reason.
What then about this sudden, growling ferocity? She was safe. She was sitting on the patio with us. She knew that we were right there. We would not let anything happen to her. This prayer asks God to strengthen our faith. In faith we trust that God is right there in our lives. It also asks God to give us courage to believe that God will rescue us from all adversity. We can bare our teeth and face whatever the world or Satan may throw at us. God will rescue us. He may rescue us in this life; He will certainly rescue us onthe day of the resurrection of the dead. Have courage. Go ahead and growl at Satan. You are always in God’s hands.