My God, I believe so firmly that Thou watchest over all who hope in Thee, and that we can want for nothing when we fully rely on Thee in all things, that I am resolved no longer to have any anxieties, and to cast all my cares upon Thee. ‘In peace and in the self-same I shall sleep and I shall rest; for Thou, O Lord, has singularly settled me in hope!’
I may lose all my material things; sickness may take from me my strength to do Your work; I may even lose Thy grace by sin; but my trust shall never leave me and I shall preserve it to the last moment of my life and no power shall wrest that from me. ‘In peace and in the self-same I shall sleep and I shall rest!’
Let other seeks peace and happiness in their money and their talent; let them trust in the purity of their lives, the severity of their sacrifices, the number of their works, the many whom they have brought to a knowledge of the truth, the calls they have made, the talks they have given, the number whom they have helped, yes, the length of their prayers; as for me, O my God, in my confidence itself lies all of my hopes and my trust. ‘For Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.’ And I know beyond any doubt that my confidence can never be in vain. ‘No one has ever hoped in the Lord and been confounded.’
I know, alas, I know but too well that I am weak and changeable and helpless, that my life, all of it, has been unmanageable. I know the power of temptation against the strongest virtue. I have seen the strong fall and the pillars totter; but these things alarm me not. For it is precisely because I am so absolutely powerless that I become so strong in You and this trust in You shall endure, because Thou Thyself will sustain it in me.
Finally I know that my confidence in Thee cannot exceed Thy bounty; therefore I shall always expect from Thy goodness alone and because of no merit of mine, strength in every struggle; grace in every temptation; victory in spite of my weakness; and peace of soul in every disturbance.
Dear God, our Father, my will and my life I consecrate entirely to Thee this day; my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve-wherefore, dear Father, as I am Thine own keep me and guard me as Thy property and possession, always and in all things. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.