A Powerful Prayer

Greetings,

Last Thursday President Trump attended the Armed Forces Full Honors Review at the Pentagon.  Before he took the podium, U.S. Air Force Brigadier General, Ronald M. Harvell, deputy chief of chaplains of the U.S. Air Force, prayed such a powerful prayer that I took the time to rewind the program and type it up.  May the Lord bless us all as we pray it over ourselves today:

“Lord, we come to You in this moment, and we seek Your blessings upon the United States of America. Thank You for Your presence with us.  As lovers of peace, we pray for this time that requires peacekeepers and peace makers.  Therefore, grant the President and Vice President [and us] Your divine wisdom, Your divine strength and Your divine knowledge that leads to increased power and brings increased peace. Now King eternal, as You continue to bless the United States of America, we continue to trust in You and Your power, for Your glory, now and forever, amen.”

Do Not Delay~

 “…I can never stop praising You; I declare Your glory all day long” (Psalm 71:8 NLT Version).

Greetings,

This past Sunday I was in church and the worship leader introduced a new song: Do Not Delay.  As soon as the music started, I knew I would love this new tune. I mean, I am pretty good at asking, begging, and pleading with God to send help quickly. How about you? Plus, I cannot possibly be the only one who wants her prayers answered ASAP.

And then the lyrics went like this – “Do not delay your praise to God…”

Immediately I thought “OUCH!”  This wasn’t about God doing something for me but about me worshipping Him for a change.  About me being quick to let Him know how wonderful He is.  About me not waiting around to praise His high and holy name.

I had a tremendous moment of clarity at church on Sunday, and I hope we will all think about how even though prayer is important, it is just as important to let God know how much we love Him!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we praise You and thank You for the strength, joy, love, peace, hope, provision, health, wisdom, and protection You give to us every day. You are amazing, and we bless You! AMEN.

Oblivious of Storks

"The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, though they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork” (Job 39:13). 

Greetings,

May it be said of me that I am a bit of an ostrich.  That I flap joyfully even though there are others who are skinnier, prettier, and more successful. That I am content to shine in my corner of the world even though there are others whose light is brighter. That I am happy to be me even though there are others with fancier feathers.

And may the same be said of you.  That you are oblivious of storks. That you are joy filled because you are God’s precious, unique, blessed child and that’s your focus – not anyone or anything else.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for reminding us that we can have joy being exactly who You created us to be.  Help us to flap joyfully every day! In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Taste and See~

"Taste and see that the LORD is good! How blessed is the person who trusts in Him” (Psalm 34:8)!

Greetings,

When each of my children was getting married, part of the preparations was tasting the food and wedding cake.  There were so many choices, and even though we could have easily taken the wedding planner’s word for it – that the dishes were all yummy – ultimately, we wanted to check it out for ourselves. We didn’t want to rely on anyone else’s preferences or palate.   

This is exactly what the verse above is saying.  Don’t go by what anyone else has experienced. Get it on the action; take God at His Word for yourself.  You taste, you see, you trust, and you reap the blessings!

Did you also happen to notice the two exclamations in this scripture?  These well-placed punctuation marks are meant to excite us – to encourage and motivate us to give God a try. 

Ask yourself, “Where could I use a heaping helping of God's goodness right now? His provision, His blessings, His protection, His guidance, His healing, His peace, His joy, His hope, His wisdom, HIS ALL?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we want to see it for ourselves - Your goodness running rampant in our lives. We are hungry and can never experience fullness because someone else ate a big meal. We want a taste of Your power - especially in this area (fill in the blank). Thank You that we trust in You and are blessed. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Don't Miss a Thing

"...I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness" (John 10:10 Good News Translation).

Greetings,

This past weekend my little granddaughter went to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for the first time.  She knows all the characters – Minnie is her favorite – and her mother meticulously planned every minute.  She researched all the rides and options for skipping lines, and promptly put my husband in charge of the map so we could take full advantage of every corner of the park. I know because I was there, and it was so important for her that her baby really have fun and not miss a thing.  It truly was beyond wonderful watching my daughter watching her daughter experience all the madness for the first time and LOVING it! 

Plus, I will forever cherish the expression on Ellie’s face when she saw life-size Minnie. She squealed with joy and only cried when she had to leave. And, of course, her dad couldn’t say no when Ellie asked for a stuffed animal, or rather, crawled into a pile of Mickeys and Minnies and just assumed they were for her.  

We all enjoyed a partly-sunny, not-too-hot day filled with meet and greets, junk food, rides, shopping, and even found a cool corner in a restaurant so the baby could nap.  My daughter was so happy that we all had a great time – especially Ellie.

Later that night as I thought about the wonderful day I had just shared with my family, I thought about God and how much He doesn’t want us to miss a thing either.  He too wants us to live our lives taking advantage of all that He has to offer. He wants us to experience a beautiful life filled with blessings, and it all starts with…

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for wanting us to live full, rich, blessed lives.  Your Word, the Holy Bible, is our map, which guides us where to go, what to avoid, and how to have joy, peace, faith, and hope.  We receive the wisdom, love, and protection You offer, and we are grateful for Your goodness.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.