"Almighty and Everliving God" - 15 January 2017


Almighty and Everliving God, you who are more ready to hear than we are to pray, and are willing to give far more than either we desire or deserve, hear us and for Christ‘s sake answer us.

Most loving Father, who has called us into your family by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and by the working of your Holy Spirit, give us strength and desire to walk worthy of our calling, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity produced by the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4.1-3).

We ask you to aid and support Dan and Carol Iverson in Japan; the Pardigons; Mark and Lori Berry in Peru; Dan and Becky Young in North Mexico; Shane Hatfield RUF-OSU, Scott Morris RUF-OU, and Brent Corbin at RUF-TU. Grant to them goodwill, safety, reliable co-laborers and all the financial resources they need in their mission work; and may their labor produce more than they could humanly concoct.

Look upon your Church throughout the world, along with these congregations in the greater OKC area; Hillcrest Christian Church; Hillcrest Presbyterian; Holy Ascension Orthodox Church; Holy Temple Church of God in Christ; Holy Trinity Lutheran; Hope Adventists Fellowship and House of Prayer. Give your approval and aid to their endeavors at being honorable in your service, pouring out on them your unstoppable peace and provision; and grant them to stand firm as faithful witnesses whatever squalls and storms they may face.

O Sovereign, majestic Lord, who stands above all principalities, dominions, thrones, presidencies and powers; manifest your might and glory in our country by turning the citizens of this nation toward compassionate, fair-minded, industrious, virtuous, honorable living. Please take our governmental leaders in hand – Including our State Senators like Greg McCortney; Brett Marlatt; Kevin Matthews; Dan Newberry; and Joe Newhouse – to restrain what is vile, vicious and illegitimate, and raise up among them what is good, ethical, godly and legitimate.

We implore your kindest care and compassion on the nations of our world, especially where there is so much carnage and chaos. We pray for your direction, tranquility, stability and harmony for all nations, and specifically for the European Union; Israel; Palestine; Jordon; Lebanon; Kazakhstan; and Armenia.  We ask you to take all the world leaders, such as Taur Matan Ruak; Rafael Correa; Abdel Fattah el-Sisi; Salvador Sánchez Cerén; Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo; Isaias Afwerki; Kersti Kaljulaid; and Mulatu Teshome; Give the wisdom and ethical fiber to do what is morally sound, monetarily solid, and socially stabilizing for the good of all.

O God Most High, giver of all good gifts, who provides our daily sustenance and wellbeing, we ask you to give supporting and satisfying health and strength to the weak and wearied…But we also ask you to lift up those who are downhearted, depressed and disconsolate, troubled with dread and disquietude…grant your Spirit to freshly blow into their lives filling them up with hope and love that they may smile again; laughing and rejoicing with us once more.

All of these requests we have mentioned, and those that have remained silently on our hearts…we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son and our Saving Lord. 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