A Prayer for the New Year

"O God, be thou exalted over my possessions. Nothing of earth's treasures shall seem dear unto me if only Thou art glorified in my life. Be Thou exalted over my friendships. I am determined that Thou shalt be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth. Be Thou exalted above my comforts. Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee. Be Thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself. Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase, let me sink that Thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, 'Hosanna in the highest.'"

~ A. W. Tozer
(The Pursuit of God, pg 59)

Tragedies Punctuate Travesties

So, in the last few days many of us have been inundated with all the news about the shooting in a Connecticut school this Friday that followed on the heels of a shooting in Clackamas Town Center right here in Clackamas, Oregon . . . (not to mention that whole nasty business with the Dark Knight Rises a while back).

Though I feel the need to pray and mourn for all those involved in these indeed tragic events, I also find myself wondering why we do not feel this way Every Single Day . . . Think about it. Things like this happen all over the world, especially considering that there are many countries at war with one another right now. And even more blatant than that is the Admitted and Recorded FACT that the United States alone murders children in the tens of thousands every day! (Yes, I am talking about abortion).

Again, I will say that the things that are claiming the attention of much of my family and friends are indeed tragedies. And I pray that the LORD would comfort and reveal His grace and mercy to those who are directly suffering from them. But what about the travesties of how our country (and the rest of the world) look at so many other things? Violence such as is being mourned over in these cases are considered 'cool' and 'entertaining' when it takes place in movies or TV. Life and people are not regarded as they should be. True Hope is lost or obscured under false security that is found in earthly comforts or merely 'humanitarian' acts of kindness.

Regardless of how you(or I) react or think about these things, these are all examples and reminders of one thing: the world is consumed in sin and in rebellion against God, and because of this we are all in need of the Gospel of our Savior and LORD, Jesus the Christ.

May I encourage you to read the following passages of Scripture as we continue to pray about the specific events we are aware of and also seek God's face for His glory, honor, and  praise to be proclaimed to all the earth?

Romans 1-3 . . . . Psalm 23 . . . . Psalm 17-20 . . . . Psalm 27-30 . . . . Matthew 6:25-34 . . . . John 3:16-21 . . . . Hebrews 12-13 . . . . Revelation 4:11 . . . . Isaiah 45:22-23 . . . . Romans 14:7-12 . . . . Philippians 2:8-11 . . . .

LORD, please guide our thoughts and prayers, not only in these things and in the next few days, but in All things and in Every second of the years to come. Make us concerned for Your glorification and praise in this world. Please bless us with confidence and boldness in proclaiming Your love and calling those around us to repent and turn to Your precious Son, Jesus. 
    Please reveal your glory and grace to those affected by the tragedies that have caught the attention of our country in the last few days. Convict those who need to be convicted, and please offer comfort and healing as well. Please work your redemptive glory in those lives.
    We are nothing and worse apart from You, Almighty God, I ask specifically that You pour Your grace upon this country and guide its leaders and citizens to repentance, that You and Your statutes would be held in honor, reverence, and respect.
    Thank you, dear Father, for your patience and faithfulness. Thank you for your Son, and the cross by which you have made salvation and reunion with you possible.
    In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. . .

~ J D White

12/17/2012

Some Thought Provokers

I actually wanted to put this up on the 4th but completely forgot :P . . . . well, here's to considering the great Blessing that is our Country anyway. :)

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.”
― George Washington

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
― John Adams

“If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”
― Daniel Webster 

“If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, then error will be. If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendency. If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will. If the power of the gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of this land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end.”
― Daniel Webster

“Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.”
― John Adams

“I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe . . . Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy.”
― Daniel Webster

“A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government”
― George Washington

“Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.”
― Daniel Webster 

“I regard it (the Constitution) as the work of the purest patriots and wisest statesman that ever existed, aided by the smiles of a benign Providence; it almost appears a "Divine interposition in our behalf... the hand that destroys our Constitution rends our Union asunder forever.”
― Daniel Webster

“The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions”
― Daniel Webster

“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.”
― John Adams

“A disordered currency is one of the greatest political evils.”
― Daniel Webster

“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” (emphasis mine)
― George Washington

I know that's a lot, but I'm trying to get a point across... If we could transport our 'Founding Fathers' into today to see the state of our nation: i.e. the abortion rates (or the fact that abortion(which is murder) is even legal), the people that have been voted into office (*cough*Obama*cough*), or even the state of our economy. . . they would be ripping the hair out of their heads...

Well, I don't want to sound like I'm constantly looking at the negative, so I'll leave you with this....

God established this country, and he has made it a bastion of His Gospel. And despite the corruption of men, I believe He is continuing to work in this nation. Though it may be difficult to see much of the time, I don't think we should throw in the towel for the United States' salvation just yet.

Though I tend to not like it when people pull 'promises' out of Scripture and 'claim' them for themselves or their circumstances, I do think there is a real sense in which 2 Chronicles 7:14 (though out of context) can apply to any nation where God's elect have citizenship: "...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." ~2 Chronicles 7:14

So may we never cease to pray for our nation, its governing body and its citizens, and may we seek to glorify our LORD by preaching the Gospel wherever we walk... (1 Timothy 2:1-4, 2 Timothy 4:1-5)

Hope you had a great 4th of July!   God Bless :)