Good morning all-
I spent some time this morning in the Psalms and as usual it ministered to my soul. I love the Psalms, every word is written with such thought and emotion. I can almost feel the Psalmist as pen was going to paper. Picking up the Psalms is like taking a looking glass right into my heart and seeing the hand of God. If you don't often hit that part of your Bible, I suggest you go there today. It reminds all of us of the hardship our forefathers faced and of the birth place of our Lord. The Psalms are an accumulation of trials, hardships, peace, prosperity and a true need for God to be present. David is the author of many of them and when you take that into consideration you truly understand why he was a man after God's own heart.
If you wish to get closer to God, read a Psalm a day and then in your journal, write a prayer to God. If you do that for a whole year, you will be able to see the trials, the triumphs and the peace God brought to your life. There is no greater place to be than at the feet of Jesus.
So with that being said, I am enjoying my coffee and just finished a couple days of "Stepping Up," by Beth Moore while preparing for a week full of stress and knowledge. What more could you ask for? Well, I can think of many more things but nothing worthwhile in God's kingdom. So, as I was thinking about everything I have to do this week and reading and looking up Scripture, it came to me that the theme God has been putting on my heart is prayer for our cities and our countries. It's almost been overwhelming, especially since we just commemorated 911 in the US. If you look around the globe so much is happening with Korea, Syria, the Middle East and in many of our cities throughout the world. Massive terrorism, intimidation, drugs, fighting, and death are occurring by the hour. We think we live in a peaceful nation but turn on the news and you'll see that another wife has been killed, a college girl is missing, or someone killed themselves from bullying, really? My point is there is no peace, not really. People have become fascinated in the here and now and want everything for nothing. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We don't even take care of our elderly the way we should. Some countries already decide whether your worthy of living or dying and the US is slowly drawing nearer to socialized medicine too. Man is making poor decisions and instead of praying, we are using our own wisdom, which really isn't wisdom, to decide the future of our nations. Scary right?
So how are we to approach the world and all its chaos then? We can pray! We have the ability to pray for our cities and our countries but more importantly we must pray for the hearts of the men and women living in those cities. If a true change is ever going to occur, it must begin in our hearts for God to prosper our cities or our nations. The people, not the government, are in charge of praying and believing that Christ is who He said He was and that He has the power to restore. If you don't believe me, turn on your television, go to the Internet or get on your phone, it's people that change their environment and since we aren't God, how do we exactly do that? God calls us to our knees of course!
We all live where Christ landed us. You might like where you live or like me, you might yearn for a more exciting place but eventually, you have to realize that God put you where you live for a reason and it's our responsibility to invest and pray for our city. Also, we must be praying for Israel. It is our Father's nation and if we abandon them, God will surely abandon us. Pray for all the leaders in every nation too. They need our prayers. Men can't make good decisions on war or peace if they don't have the power of the cross behind them, so pray. You can make a difference without ever stepping out of your house by getting on your knees and asking the Lord to intercede on the behalf of your nation. It takes about five minutes to really go before the Lord and ask for His will to be done on your house, in your city and for your nation. So make the commitment today to pray for that and also don't forget your sisters in other lands, they need your prayers too!
Jeremiah 29:7 NKJV:
Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
Psalm 13:5-6 NKJV:
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me.
It's Sunday so go sing to the Lord and keep those songs close all week. Rejoice if you live in a place that you can worship Christ openly. There are many of our brothers and sisters in Christ that can't for fear of death. If you live where God can be spoken, you are more blessed than you know. So speak, rejoice and sing! We have nothing to be ashamed of, as a matter of fact, we have everything to give thanks for, don't you agree?
My prayer today:
O, Lord, I come before You as a humble servant to the cross. You have placed on my heart a great need to pray for Your people, not just in the US, but all over the globe. You are mighty in power and majesty, for You formed the oceans and the sky and we should all bow down to our Maker. As I read the Psalms, I am overwhelmed by the emotion and thought I hear in each one. And I know as I pray and sing them how powerful they truly are. To have a heart that yearns for You is a mighty blessing and I hope I carry it all my days. This world continues to bring hardship on the house of our Lord but You are mightier than our enemy and one day You will come and destroy the beast that lurks in the hearts of man. Please Lord, protect Your servants and place on their hearts the needs of Your people. All we ask is that You come be with us and that You will protect and prosper our cities. We don't deserve Your hand Lord but we are asking for it today. Please unite the women on this blog and all women that love You, wherever they live, to pray for one another and build upon the tapestry that You have created. We seek You by day and by night and today, we pour out our hearts to You. We are at the gates of Jerusalem, in our spirits, praising and worshiping our Lord and Savior. Bring Your Holiness to our lands and fortify Your people to be the men and women You need today. We love You Lord and there is no place we would rather be then in Your house, sitting at Your table, worshiping You! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
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