September 28, 2015

Praying with help from Jeremiah 29:4-14 today:

The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, sends this message to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:

Lord Almighty, God of the world
You hold all the nations in Your hand.
You know the hearts of the leaders, and You can turn it.
You rule the skies
and You rule the streets
You move the winds and the storms
and the powerful and the weak.
You see all, You know all, You control all.

Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens and eat the food you produce. Marry and have children.

Lord, we thank You for our food--
elaborate systems that bring us pineapples and grapes and shrimp and curry.
We thank You for our homes.
We thank You for our families--for our husbands, our children, our parents and siblings.
Thank You for this place where You have established us for Your glory.

And work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon. Pray to the Lord for that city where you are held captive...

Thank You Lord for our country. Thank You for this wonderful land You have given us. Help us to share the blessing. Give our leaders wisdom on how to help others. We do ask for the continued peace and prosperity of this place for Your glory. We pray You will unleash the winds of Your Spirit and breathe revival amongst our neighborhoods.

The truth is that you will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you.

Lord, we ask for Your strength when You have us in Babylon--a place where we don't want to be. May we learn from our trials and grow...grow up. Don't take our troubles off our backs, but strengthen our backs to carry them.

We pray for our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted.

We pray for those facing a PCS. We pray for those wishing for a PCS.

We pray for our husbands: Lord, may they be spiritual leaders, alive in You.
We pray for us: may we be good helpmates in all senses of the word. Help us to see and value and fulfill the missions You have given us.
We pray for our children: Lord, may this generation know Your true joy. May it overflow into all the world.
We pray for our military families and all the extras we have to deal with. Teach us Lord. Through the difficulties, draw us closer to each other.
We pray for those in command; for those with struggling marriages; for those with difficult children; for those with illnesses (including Ansley and Hayden and Gracie and another little girl missing school); for those who are separated from loved ones.
We pray for those who have recently lost loved ones.

We pray for the Chief of Chaplains' office and our husbands' commanders.

Thank You Lord for being right here with us--no matter where 'here' is.
We love You... You first loved us. How marvelous! How wonderful!