"My Rock" - 29 November 2020

 


“I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation” (Psalm 18:1-3, 46).

Holy God, we pray for all nations and countries, these United States of America, and for the leaders of the world. O God be gracious to us and bless us and make your face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you (Psalm 67:1-5)!

We give you thanks for the bounty of the rain and showers this year. Help us in this State to be good stewards of all you have bestowed on us. Also, you know the financial situation we are in, our economic future, and all the reasons why; and so correct what needs to be corrected and supply what is (or will be) lacking that we may be sensible, shrewd, and sound-minded in our fiscal responsibilities, both personally and civically.

We pray on behalf of your universal Church; for this congregation; Word of God Church; Deliverance and Praise Church; Eagle’s Crest Fellowship; and First India Pentecostal Church. At whatever point we may have turned away from listening to the truth, restore us and grant us repentance. Fill us all with your Holy Spirit that we may be strengthened for greater service; be guided into all truth; and powerfully testify of your gospel and your reign.

Lord be with our young adults, whether in college, in the military, or exploring new careers, and preserve them from harmful circumstances, hurtful ideologies, and hostile peoples. May they show forth your love and tell forth your good news. Uphold them with your righteous right hand, and may their adventures enrich them, for your honor’s sake.

We bring to you those on our hearts who continue to look away from you, and have turned their back to you; and also those who deny either your existence or your importance (…). Grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and bring them to come to their senses to escape from the snare of the devil, having been captured by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:25-26).

No matter how it all played out, may this Thanksgiving memorably etch into our hearts that you are the One who has given us all things richly to enjoy. And as a result of this recent Thanksgiving, may strained families and friends be reconciled and restored in grateful joy. 

Finally, Lord God, you who are our rock and refuge; be with these who are in need and in hurt (…). May they find your refreshment, renovation and restoration. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“The Shift” - 2023 Movie. A Review

Image
  What do you get when you cross a dark dystopian storyline with sci-fi, alternative dimensions, theological and philosophical questions, and the biblical book of Job? You get The Shift , written and directed by Brock Heasley, produced by Ken Carpenter, and distributed by Angel Studios. This roughly one hour and 45 minute tale swirls around Kevin (Kristoffer Polaha) as he moves from one realm of life, with it’s happiness and heartbreak, to another dimension that is a dismal existence clearly governed by The Benefactor (masterfully played by Neal McDonough). A viewer will be asking questions all the way through, and picking up clues and answers that pull the story together bit-by-bit. The story bumps up against an infinite set of alternative possibilities, of time, space, and versions of one’s self that will likely stoke a viewer’s imagination. But the heart of the narrative - besides love, grief, loss, trust/distrust - is around the place of evil, specifically, personal or human evil.
Read more

"On Getting Out of Bed" by Alan Noble. A Review

Image
  When it comes to family members or friends going through a significant mental crisis, or suffering, we often can feel like we’re fumbling about to help them. Sometimes, we can become like Job’s friends, whom he had to call “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2). But very recently Alan Noble, assistant professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee Oklahoma, and cofounder and editor-in-chief of “Christ and Pop Culture” penned a deeply beautiful 120-page hardback that addresses mental affliction. “On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living” is written for those who struggle with mental affliction, but also pastors, teachers, parents, and loved ones, to “help them understand their loved one’s suffering. It is for anyone who ever struggles to get out of bed” (3). I finished this book earlier this week, and kept finding myself saying, “Finally! Someone gets it!” Eight chapters fill up this handy manual. They run through several subjects, like not sounding like Job’s f
Read more

Community?

Image
  (This is from my letter to my congregation I sent out today, 30 August 2023) As one of my elders was leading us through Carl Trueman’s Strange New World in our adult class , I appreciated Trueman’s emphasis on community. And our discussions, especially the last two Sundays, were very fruitful as we thought out loud together about this subject. Therefore, I thought I would share something from David Brooks, an Op-ed columnist that leans into this discussion.   Brooks published a book in 2019 titled, “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life”. In that work he was taking a gentle punch at destructive trends he has been seeing, and giving some helpful correctives. And so, he notes that “Individualism, taken too far, leads to tribalism” (34). He then shows how the loneliness and spiritual emptiness of individualism taken too far have become more prevalent in our time and the ways that they lead to very dark social consequences. These darker social consequences foster the need t
Read more