Though our world is often in turmoil and we fret about the troubles of the day, we have Your blessed assurance that You are with us. You are, indeed, our Protector, our Consolation, and our Hope. As the well-known song of our childhood tells us, we are weak but You are strong. We are constantly aware that we fall short of Your expectations, O Lord, and we thank You for Your forgiveness and forbearance. Teach us, Lord. Chastise us and mold us into the persons You would have us be. Take our lives, flawed though they be, and use them for Your purposes and to Your glory.
Father, our President is beseiged by an enemy who is relentlessly aiming fiery darts his way. Let his faith grow ever stronger that it may shield him from such attack. We are grateful that he wears the helmet of Your salvation and arms himself with the sword of Your Word. Help him to stay girded with Your Truth, O Lord, and remain steadfast in the face of those obstacles others put in his way. Hold him and his family in the palm of Your hand, keeping them close to You in mind and body and spirit.
Lord, we stand amazed at the courage of our military and are saddened that some in our country wish to diminish them and their mission. Watch over them, Father, and guard their morale as You protect and defend them from harm. Be a Balm to the wounds of those who are wounded in body or spirit. Wrap Your loving arms around the families of our troops and encourage them.
Lord, it seems more than ever that we are indeed wrestling not "against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." We have never seen the likes of the political bitterness and division that is taking place in our nation today. We know that such enmity and hatred is not of You and Your Holy Spirit. Lord, bind the hands of satan as he strives to destroy all that is precious and good in our country. Thwart his efforts to turn our people against You and to diminish the love of Your commandments in our hearts. Renew in our land a desire to seek after You and to desire the fruits of the Spirit. We ask these things in the Name of Your beloved Son and our Savior, Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
Let us pray without ceasing for our President, our military, and our nation.
I am praying in agreement with you tonight, kayak. Your prayer accurately expresses the thoughts of my heart. Thank you so much.
Jeremias 20:10-11 (Douay-Rheims version)
10 For I heard the reproaches of many, and terror on every side: Persecute him, and let us persecute him: from all the men that were my familiars, and continued at my side: if by any means he may be deceived, and we may prevail against him, and be revenged on him.
11 But the Lord is with me as a strong warrior: therefore they that persecute me shall fall, and shall be weak: they shall be greatly confounded, because they have not understood the everlasting reproach, which never shall be effaced.
This is just what I needed to read tonight for my nephew is serving in Ramadi, and those who would put petty politics above his well being has worn on me this past week. Thank you for reminding me that we all wrestle against the powers of darkness and, as a community of like-minded souls, we can all strive together for a more perfect reconciliation with our Creator.