Friday, March 11, 2011

Please Pray For The Earthquake/Tsunami Victims




This morning, my husband woke me around 4:30. "Turn on the TV. CNN has breaking news."  I could tell by his tone he meant what he said. What I saw was the horror of the earthquake in Japan. I also watched the devastation of the Tsunami. This evening Hubby called me to come see something on the news about the aftermath of the night in Japan.

Only after daylight did the authorities find out a complete town had been destroyed by the wall of water. This is from CNN.com:
In the city of Minamisoma in Fukushima Prefecture, all that was left of many structures were their foundations. Only concrete and steel buildings appeared to have withstood the wash. No people were visible in the streets of the town, whose population on Friday had been 70,000.
As I heard this on the TV, the news commentator said they didn't know if anyone survived.

PLEASE PRAY WITH ME FOR THE VICTIMS AND ALL THOSE WHO ARE WORKING IN THE AFTERMATH OF THIS DISASTER.

Wait Quietly





“I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’

The Lord is good to those, whose hope is in him,

To the one who seeks him;

It is good for those who wait quietly

For the salvation of the Lord.”

Lamentations 3:24-26 (NIV)



God is our inheritance; we willingly wait for Him to act. God smiles on those who place their confidence in Him, those who seek Him and obey His rules. Jeremiah, the author, tells us it benefits us to patiently wait for the Lord’s saving grace to be imparted to those of us who seek Him.

When we have doubts and issues confronting us, we can remember that God is our Savior-He will save us from our sins, if we ask Him that God is our healer-He heals all our diseases, and that God is our friend-He is always with us. We can place our confidence in Him.


The key to having our trials and travails resolved is we have to learn to wait for God to take care of the particulars of the situation. He is in charge of our lives and knows what is best for us.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Restore Us Again




“Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.

Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing

love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.” Psalm 85:4-7 (NIV)



The sons of Korah plead with the Lord to restore the people of Israel. They ask some penetrating questions. Will God be angry with the nation forever? Will He prolong His displeasure for future lifetimes? Won’t God revive His people so they can rejoice in Him?

I heard a story that illustrates the life-giving freedom of God. A dear friend happened to see the father of one of her daughter’s old boyfriends. The father told my friend that his son was no longer incarcerated.

The son had been sentenced for multiple lifetimes for confinement and a statutory violation. The sentence was harsh. In recent years the judge has been removed from the bench. A lot of his decisions have been reconsidered; this case may have been one of those. This fairly young man’s mother never got to see her son’s release. The father joyfully shared the news with my friend.

When we seek God’s forgiveness, He erases His disappointment in us. When we ask Him to revive us, we seek peace with Him. When He restores us, He, once more, grants us His salvation. For this act of mercy, we should rejoice.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Prayers for Revival and Unity




Dear Lord:



Please pour your Holy Spirit out on all our world. Let the people of each nation feel your presence as they go through these traumatic times. Enter into the hearts of the people who inhabit Your lands. Allow your children to petition you with their needs and desires before they make any decision especially if it affects the life of another.

Let your Holy Spirit be felt in your houses of worship. Enter into each service with those in attendance. Strengthen us who call on Your name. Guide us as we walk with You. Comfort those of us who grieve. Direct us who seek our way. Help us as we sometimes fall short and miss the mark.

Allow Your Spirit to be present in each marriage and family in our lands. Speak to each heart, tell them of Your love for them and of Your plans for their lives.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen



Prayer for Unity

Dear Lord:

We see a lot of heartache and sadness around us. We see people hurting others, people not enjoying one another's company, senseless acts of violence. We don't always understand the reasons for this dysfunction but You do. Please help us to put away our differences and learn to work together in this world, so we may work with one another and with You in the next one.

Please restore unity and peace to our world.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen

“Abide in Me”

  Read John 15:4-10 Abide in me and I in you. As th e branch cannot b ear fr u it of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither c...