I do need you, Lord. I need you now. I know that I can do without many of the things that I once thought were necessities, but without you I cannot live, and I dare not die.

I needed you when sorrow came, when shadows were thrown across the threshold of my life, and you did not fail me then. I needed you when sickness laid a clammy hand upon my family, and I cried to you, and you did hear me. I needed you when perplexity brought me to a parting of the ways, and I knew not how to turn. You did not fail me then, but in many ways, big and little, you indicated the better way. And though the sun is shining around me today, I know I need you even in the sunshine, and will need you tomorrow.

I give you my gratitude for that constant sense of need that keeps me close to your side. Help me to keep my hand in yours and my ears open to the wisdom of your voice. Speak to me, that I may hear you giving me courage for hard times and strength for difficult places; giving me determination for challenging tasks. I ask you for no easy way; but just grace that is sufficient for every need, so that no matter how hard the way, how challenging the hour, how dark the sky, I may be enabled to overcome. In your strength, who has overcome the world, I make this prayer. Amen.

—The Prayers of Peter Marshall

If you ever want to know what Christian humility, faith, and trust look like, read this prayer and make it your own. Marshall knows who is God and who is not, and desires God’s will over his own. You cannot pray like this without being humble and having a faith that allows you to see the manifold ways in which God answers your prayers. This, in turn, allows you to build experience of God’s gracious love for you, which in turn helps build your faith. Cool.