^“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
 How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!
 Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? 
 Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? 
 For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things.
 To Him be the glory forever! Amen.” Romans 11:33-36 (NIV)

“You, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture, it says…the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” 1 Pt. 2:5-6 (NIV) 

Dear Master Builder, 

The world is still trying to build the Tower of Babel. They fail to understand You see their deeds and know the motives of their hearts. People are still seeking to make a great name for themselves, apart from You. Just as You dispersed and thwarted the ancients, we ask that You would be pleased to disable the evil rising today. We see nations, who have been sworn enemies, working together for the mutual desire of power and control. Seeking to raise themselves to an imagined god-like status, they don’t know they are but dust. Everything they create is made of dust and will return to dust as You have said. In Your mercy, would You: minimize their effect; confound and confuse their ability to work together; estrange them from one another; create distrust and misinformation in their planning; let them be deceived by their own thoughts of grandeur; and let them go the way of all the earth. Their work will be their shame. 

But You, oh, God, rule from on high! Your Kingdom is not of this world. It descends from the heavens and comes down to mere mortals that You have chosen as Your sons and daughters! We did not create You out of our need to escape the terrors of life. No! You created us and the world with Your wisdom. You created the “dust” from which all things are made! You control the outcome! You came down to us and told us Who You are. For we never could have found or imagined such a God as You. Now we never have to be afraid nor put to shame. For to us has been given the God of Glory, the Master Builder, the Salvation of the World!  We are Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which You have prepared in advance for us. (Eph. 2:10) Would You: maximize Your effects through us; unite us in Your purposes; bring step by step guidance; knit our hearts to Yours and to one another; increase our trust in You; let Your truths lead the way; as we see, by faith, the construction of the House not made by human hands (2 Cor. 5:1, Heb. 11:10)!  How blessed are we, to be the Living Stones in such a House—the House our God builds!

In Jesus Name Forever

Photo Credit: Phillip Mandler https://unsplash.com/photos/yWkeQZ_-IdU