Pray for President Bush

Heavenly Father,

We come before Your throne of grace, thankful for Your majesty and Your mercy, praising Your hallowed Name. Lord, we confess our sin to You: our frustrations, our lack of forgiveness of those who wrong us, our anger, the way that we try to take things into our own hands rather than entrusting them to You, our lack of faith even as we rely on You. The list goes on and on -- sins of both commission and omission. Lord, we are grateful for Your everlasting love and mercy for without them we would pay the price for our sinful ways. And yet You, knowing of our trangressions, sent Your own beloved Son to show us how to live and to die to atone for our sins. We can never repay that debt, O Lord, but we can offer our lives to You, asking that You mold them according to Your will. We pray that You would find our humble praise pleasing and acceptable in Your sight.

President Bush is perhaps the most God-fearing president our nation has known. He is imperfect, as are we all, but he proclaims Your Name and acknowledges You as his Lord and Savior. Honor his faith in You by blessing him and endowing him with those gifts he needs to carry out his duties. Let him daily put on Your whole armor that he may withstand the wiles of the minions of darkness; and keep him safe from all harm.

Lord, we especially lift up to You our First Lady as she prepares to journey to the mid-East. Let her gentle demeanor and her quiet faith be a witness to those she encounters. Father, because of the passions that have been aroused by the media in our nation against Americans, we are concerned for the safety of Laura Bush. Added to our worries is the report that it was indeed a live grenade tossed towards the President last week as he traveled in a nation that welcomed his presence. Lord, send a host of angels to watch over Laura Bush and keep her safe. Sharpen the eyes of her security detail and be their Fortress. Let no harm come to any of the First Lady's entourage or those with whom she meets in her travels.

Because of the lack of integrity and the deceitfulness of some in our media, some in our military are in greater danger than before. Lord, give our troops wisdom and courage, holding them in the palm of Your hand; be a Comfort to their families back home; and be a Solace to the families who have lost loved ones who gave their lives in defense of freedom.

Father, it grieves us to see what is happening in our beloved America. Many have turned their back on You; they are comfortable with telling lies, with a culture of death, with a licentiousness that is appalling to Your children. They are motivated by greed and power and hatred and love of self. We pray for their souls, O Lord, knowing that only through the touch of the Holy Spirit can they change their ways and learn to seek You. Rekindle in our nation a love of those values that You hold dear that we may be that city on a hill, shining as a beacon to all the world. In the Name of our precious Savior, Jesus. Amen.

AMEN KAYAK AND AMEN ALL!

GRACE TO ALL BRETHREN!

O Supreme Moving Cause,

May I always be subordinate to thee,

be dependent upon thee,

be found in the path where thou dost walk,

and where thy Spirit moves,

take heed of estrangement from thee,

of becoming insensible to thy love.

Thou dost not move men like stones,

but dost endue them with life,

not to enable them to move without thee,

but in submission to thee, the first mover.

O Lord, I am astonished at the difference

between my receivings and my deservings,

between the state I am now in and my past

gracelessness,

between the heaven I am bound for and

the hell I merit.

Who made me to differ, but thee?

for I was no more ready to receive Christ

than were others;

I could not have begun to love thee hadst thou not

first loved me,

or been willing unless thou hadst first made me so.

O that such a crown should fit the head of such

a sinner!

such high advancement be for an unfruitful

person!

such joys for so vile a rebel!

Infinite wisdom cast the design of salvation

into the mould of purchase and freedom;

Let wrath deserved be written on the door of hell,

But the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven.

I know that my sufferings are the result of my

sinning,

but in heaven both shall cease;

Grant me to attain this haven and be done

with sailing,

and may the gales of thy mercy blow me safely

into harbour.

Let thy love draw me nearer to thyself,

wean me from sin, mortify me to this world,

and make me ready for my departure hence.

Secure me by thy grace as I sail across this

stormy sea.

A PURITANS PRAYER!

"Afterward."
- Hebrews 12:11

How happy are tried Christians, afterwards. No calm more deep than that
which succeeds a storm. Who has not rejoiced in clear shinings after rain?
Victorious banquets are for well-exercised soldiers. After killing the
lion we eat the honey; after climbing the Hill Difficulty, we sit down in
the arbour to rest; after traversing the Valley of Humiliation, after
fighting with Apollyon, the shining one appears, with the healing branch
from the tree of life. Our sorrows, like the passing keels of the vessels
upon the sea, leave a silver line of holy light behind them "afterwards."
It is peace, sweet, deep peace, which follows the horrible turmoil which
once reigned in our tormented, guilty souls. See, then, the happy estate
of a Christian! He has his best things last, and he therefore in this
world receives his worst things first. But even his worst things are
"afterward" good things, harsh ploughings yielding joyful harvests.
Even now he grows rich by his losses, he rises by his falls, he lives by
dying, and becomes full by being emptied; if, then, his grievous
afflictions yield him so much peaceable fruit in this life, what shall be
the full vintage of joy "afterwards" in heaven? If his dark nights are as
bright as the world's days, what shall his days be? If even his starlight
is more splendid than the sun, what must his sunlight be? If he can sing
in a dungeon, how sweetly will he sing in heaven! If he can praise the
Lord in the fires, how will he extol him before the eternal throne! If
evil be good to him now, what will the overflowing goodness of God be to
him then? Oh, blessed "afterward!" Who would not be a Christian? Who would
not bear the present cross for the crown which cometh afterwards? But
herein is work for patience, for the rest is not for to-day, nor the
triumph for the present, but "afterward.
" Wait, O soul, and let patience have her perfect work.

C.H.SPURGEON

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

Lord, send a host of angels to watch over Laura Bush and keep her safe. Sharpen the eyes of her security detail and be their Fortress. Let no harm come to any of the First Lady's entourage or those with whom she meets in her travels.

Holy Father, it seems there is never any rest from the constant schemes of the wicked. We confess that You are our Strength and Stronghold---our sure Defense. We confess that You have given Your angels charge over Laura Bush to keep her in all her ways. We acknowledge that You are the Source of everything that we need in our personal lives, in our nation, and in this world. Precious Lord, hear the prayers of Your Remnant as we cry out to You, seeking Your justice, Your protection, and Your righteousness. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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