And Samuel

    prayed to the LORD.

              1 Samuel 8. 6

(First response,

   not last resort.

Prayer marked his life.

And through

   his seeking God in all things,

God changed the

      trajectory of his life

and the welfare of many people.

In prayer,

   God aligns our hearts

                    with His,

and alters the course

                    of history.)

O LORD,

Help us to seek You first.

Help us to realize

that panic and fear

             and anxiety

are only reminders that we

    have not come to You

and laid our concerns

                 before You.

Align our hearts, O LORD,

        with Yours.