February 17, 2014

You, Lord, the Mighty One, God, the Lord,
You speak and summon the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
From Zion, perfect in beauty, You shine forth.

You have no need of a bull from my stall
or of goats from my pens,
for every animal of the forest is Yours,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
You know every bird in the mountains
and the insects in the fields are Yours. (from Psalm 50)

And You care for every animal. You know when the sparrow falls.

And how You love us. How much more You watch over us like a shepherd, like a father.

We thank You God, for that care. Thank You for providing for us through these wintery days. We need Your protection.

And thank You for forgiving us from our sins, for washing us whiter than the snow. What a beautiful picture of Your overwhelming, complete, perfect forgiveness. All because of Jesus. How beautiful.

Create in us, Your Fort Drum people, a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within us.
Steadfast to do the right thing.
Steadfast to love our families and our neighbors.
Steadfast to sacrifice to serve You.
Steadfast to follow after You.

We thank You today for our chaplains, and we pray for them. May they be seen as gatekeepers to You--not to keep people out, but to open the door and show the way. (I Chr. 26) We pray for their reputation. May all they do be honest and glorifying to You.

We pray for their relationships. This week Lord, may they have significant conversations through 'chance' encounters. Lord, use them in life-saving work. We again pray against the depression that leads to suicide in our soldiers.

We pray for unity Lord. May these brothers and sisters encourage one another.

We pray for strength. Fill them with You, by Your Spirit. We pray for courage.

Lord, may our chaplains be leaders to us all, that we would
watch over Your word
guard Your covenant
teach Your precepts
make offerings.

"Bless all his skills, Lord, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Strike down those who rise against him, his foes till they rise no more." (Deut. 33:9-11)

And may we all fulfill the work You have given us as Your body.

Please keep our children safe through this coming week of vacation. Thank You for this time of rest.
Please be with our deployed soldiers. Bend the heart of the Afghanistan president to Your will, and give our leaders wisdom.
And Lord, please mold us as You wish this week.

Thank You, Mighty One, Thank You!