Tag: thanks

Day 16 of prayer for our nation, 24 to go.

heal-our-land-v5-600x300Appoint the leader to bring us back to our roots as a Christian nation.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man… And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-16, 19)

Let us pray. Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Wellspring of all that is. You are the sea on which we float, You are the wind that fills our sails, You are the storm that buffets us, You are the calm that brings us peace. You are the Almighty King.  We adore you, Lord.

Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Our nation has turned from you Lord.  We have pushed you out of public life in the USA.  Forgive us O’God.

Lord, we bow before You in humble thanks.  We thank you, as a nation, for your gifts of power and strength.  We thank you, Lord for all of our blessings.  For our freedoms, for our families, for our incomes and for our life.  We acknowledge your presence and all you have done for us in the past.  Father we know that all power, grace and wealth comes from you.  We claim the riches of Your glory and the fullness of Your grace that come through the indwelling of Your Spirit within us. Lord, we praise and thank you today.

We pray for the election in 24 days, we pray for your guidance and protection and we pray You will appoint the leader to bring us back to our roots as a Christian nation.  Father, set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image.  We pray today for our nation to remain firm and steadfast in the knowledge of Your truth and the promise of the victory that is ours through Christ, who loves us. Heal our land, Lord.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen

 

A Storm Is Coming

Warning: A severe storm is on the horizon and it is headed your way!  0aStorm

Have you experienced a really bad storm in the past?  The warnings come from the weather center showing a cold front coming in that will produce high winds, damaging hail, torrential rain and possible tornado.  Along with it we generally see a posting for flash floods.  For those of us in the Northeast we last experienced a major storm when Hurricane Irene released her fury such as we have not seen in this area before.  Many within 2 miles of me lost their homes, entire farms, businesses and some lost their lives.   The power of nature is awesome and the power of God is awesome. 

There are two kinds of storms we must often endure.  There are storms of the weather (nature) and there are storms of life.  I have experienced both many times.  I am a survivor of many storms of life and have come out the other side of the storm with not only victory but as an improved individual.  Some of those storms lasted years and others quickly passed.  Each one has an indelible stamp on my mind.

There are three kinds of people in the world when we are relating to storms.  If you are reading this you fall into one of the three categories.  If you are in the first category you “recently endured a storm”.  Those in category two are “currently in the midst of a storm”.  Lastly the third category holds those who will find themselves “going through a storm in the future”.

Let’s look at a time when the disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee and a storm came up that they thought would sink the boat.  Jesus was with them and He had fallen asleep.  In fear they cried out, “Lord, save us from drowning”.   We can see what Jesus did in this account by Mark, “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still, and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39)  Many bible scholars believe this vicious storm was caused by satanic activity in an attempt to drown Jesus.   The account can be found in Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-37 and Luke 8:22-25.

Is there a storm in your life right now?  If you are a Christian and you are trying to weather a storm you may want to ask yourself three questions:

  1. Is the storm you are going through a punishment or is it purification?  Could it be that you are being chastened for sin? (Remember the story of Jonah and the whale.)  In another violent storm Jonah found himself swallowed and in his case he was being chastened.  Could this storm you are enduring be a trial that God has allowed to purify you as it was in this case with the disciples?
  2. Have you made room for God?  Are you totally aware of His presence always?  Or did you forget Him?  God wants you to recognize Him in your life.
  3. What does God want you to do in this time of weathering a storm? 

First, God wants your thanks.  You should thank Him for the storm.  I know that may sound crazy to you, however, it is true.  “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Second, He wants you to be fellowshipping with Him and reading His word during the storm. “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Third, He wants us all to trust Him in our storms.  “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Please understand that Christ knows about the storm and if Christ allows you to experience the storm He has good reason.  Jesus Christ is watching over you throughout the storm and is interceding with the Father.  He will come to you at the proper time in the storm.  No one knows His time and it will be sooner or later.  During the storm He will help your faith grow.  He will see you safely through the storm and will enable you to help others.  ” Blessed [be] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”  (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Don’t face the storm alone.  Be sure Christ is your shipmate.

God bless you as you man the oars.

 “The Tubthumper” – FJ Casler