God,
You are the Author of every season—
the gentle ones where the sun feels close and kindness flows easily,
and the hard ones, where the heat rises and the world feels like it’s burning down around us.
We come to You today, hearts exposed, carrying both wonder and weariness.
Some of us are walking through the fire right now—
unexpected loss, strained relationships, financial strain, fear of the unknown, or the ache of dreams that haven’t yet come to life.
And yet, Lord, You promise You’ll never leave us there.
Not for a moment.
You are with us in the fire.
The One who walks beside us when the flames roar and the ground shakes.
So we hold tightly to Your hand, and we ask—boldly and humbly—
that You would teach us how to stay curious, even here.
Help us not to shut down our hearts or close our eyes.
Help us not to numb or run or harden in self-protection.
Instead, open us up.
Let the fire refine us, not ruin us.
Let us ask not, “Why is this happening to me?”
but, “Lord, where are You in this—and what are You doing through it?”
Give us the courage to see the hidden beauty.
The kind that only glows in the dark.
Teach us to marvel at how You make gardens grow in ashes.
To notice how even in grief, there can be grace.
To feel the flickers of joy that still rise, uninvited but welcome,
in the middle of ordinary pain.
May we be like children—
not naïve, but brave—
who dare to believe that something good could still come from this.
Who dare to ask, “What if God is still at work?”
Even here.
Especially here.
God, make us creators who create from the fire, not despite it.
Makers who use the heat to forge something holy.
Storytellers who write about the redemption we’ve seen with our own eyes.
Artists who carry light into the smoke-filled places.
Thank You, Lord, that joy is not a fragile thing.
That curiosity can survive the furnace.
That faith isn’t destroyed by the fire—it’s deepened in it.
We trust You, even when we don’t understand.
We praise You, even when the pieces don’t yet make sense.
And we choose, with trembling hands and hearts wide open,
to keep walking forward—
curious, courageous, and held by You.
In Jesus’ holy and faithful name,
Amen.