February 9, 2015

You could have just shrugged, turned away, and started over somewhere else.
You could have said 'I told you so. Serves you right.'
You could have said 'you wouldn't listen, so figure it out on your own.'
You could have invoked your right to be angry.
You could have said 'it's not worth it--you're not worth it.'

But instead You said I was worth it. On every. single. step to Calvary.

Thank You for Your love. It motivates us to love You back, and it teaches us how to love others. At this time when we market all kinds of definitions of love, help us to understand Your love. Maybe we should envision every heart shape around us broken. Tattered, torn hearts. That is more what Your love looks like: loving us so much You were willing to let it break Your heart. Not an ornamental arrow through it, but a spear pierced right through.

Teach us to love like that, Lord Jesus. Teach us that sacrificial love. And not the passive, submissive sacrifice. Teach us to be intentionally, aggressively sacrificial. To pull that cross, and take every step with You. Starting with the ones we love--our husbands. Out of gratitude for how You have treated us, help us to love and show our men and our children that same outpouring.

All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will always serve and trust Him
In His presence daily live

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Him my precious Savior
I surrender all.


All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;Fill me with Thy love and power;Let Thy blessing fall on me.

Lord Jesus we give You our right to be angry. Our need to be respected. Our importance that prohibits patience. Our lack of worth that makes us put down others. Our lack of long-suffering.

Lord, there's planes flying over the Pacific, bringing our soldiers home today. Please keep them safe. There's planes flying over the Atlantic, and the Middle East, be with them now.

Lord we need a flood of Your love in this land, in our world. We pray this mighty tide overtake our hurting warriors, banishing depression and suicide and anger. May these people who have shown such sacrifice for others, be shown that love at home. In this culture where we struggle so to hold our marriages together, may Your grace abound.

And Father, even our enemies: may they see Your true love and desire it. 

We pray for the hostages.

We pray for the pilots.

We pray for the strategists and our leaders.

We pray that out of all this, the world would know what a real Christian is. We pray Your Name will be glorified.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen.