What a glad sound it is when a mother’s heart spills over with thanks to the Lord! You have seen your daughter through another term, watched her bend over her books and face her examinations, and now the results have come, and your first and best impulse is not to boast of her diligence but to bless the God who gave her the grace to succeed. That is the mark of a soul who knows where every good and perfect gift comes from. It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
Do you know what you are doing when you lift up such a thanksgiving? You are crowning the year with His goodness, taking the finished work of this season and laying it as a garland at His feet. And well you may, for from first to last it was His mercy that watched over her. The mind that could comprehend, the memory that held fast, the steady nerves in the testing hour, all these were supplied by the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness. He gave meat to her spirit and strength to her frame; He did not suffer her to faint. And now you have tasted the joy of harvest, and it is sweet.
But I hear another note in your prayer, and it is one the Lord delights to answer best of all. You are asking Him to continue His guiding hand as she enters her third year. You are not grasping at the present blessing as though it were enough; you are looking ahead, as a pilgrim does, to the hill yet to climb. And let me quiet your heart with this: the same God who brought her through the second semester will not drop her hand at the threshold of the third. His compassions do not run dry. They are not like a brook that vanishes in the summer heat, they are a river, always flowing, always swelling just when we need it most. He who began a good work in her will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. You may safely trust her future to Him.
Perhaps you will say, “But the way ahead is unknown, and a mother’s heart is full of tender fears.” I understand. Yet think of the clouds that often hang over our path. We dread them because they are black, but they are black because they are full of mercy, full to bursting with the rain that will water every step she takes. What we call uncertainty is simply the shadow of God’s hand, stretched out to lead her where we cannot see. When the time comes, you will find that the road is strewn with provision, just as the Israelites found the way into the camp of the Syrians littered with gold and garments. Your daughter will not lack any good thing, for the Lord has pledged Himself to be mindful of His covenant to those who fear Him.
So let your thanksgiving be the forerunner of a calm and happy confidence. Go on praising Him, not only with your lips but with your very restfulness. When you sit still and trust, you are saying, “Amen,” to all that God is, His wisdom, His tenderness, His unchangeable love. And as you do, you will see your daughter not as a fragile thing left to chance, but as a soul held fast in the grip of an almighty Shepherd who cannot fail.
And now, lift your heart and let us commend her to Him together.
Lord Jesus, we bless Thee for this mother’s joy and for the mercy Thou hast shown to her child. We bring before Thee now the days that lie ahead, the lectures, the late hours, the hard problems, the unseen trials. Shepherd of Israel, go before her. Give her the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Thee. Make her studies a place where she meets with Thee. And for this dear mother, fill her with such a sweet assurance that she may rest like a weaned child, knowing that Thou who didst crown this year with goodness wilt crown the next, and the next, until the day breaks and the shadows flee away. Amen and Amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. 
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