March 31, 2014

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ― Albert Einstein

"How Deep The Father's Love For Us"

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure

Lord God, Almighty One, Father in Heaven, Abba,

We sit in our little houses, surrounded by our little things, encapsulated in our own little lives, and we see no miracles. We pretend we're taking care of everything by ourselves. We lull ourselves to sleep without noticing Your love.

But then the snow geese pass. Flocks like clouds, singing Your praise, white bodies tipped with black and for a moment, our eyes awaken to the miracles.

The miracles of temps rising, of new life growing, of hearts changing. And as we see the miracles, we see the love behind them from You.

Help us to see Lord. Help us to be engulfed in Your love.

That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

And there's the greatest miracle of all--that You would love us enough to create us; and then to die for us. So many times, we wonder how You can forgive us; and yet You already did, 2000 years ago.

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

During this season of Lent, Father don't let us forget the cost. Help us be changed by it. May the cross make us grateful. Humble. And yet overwhelmingly confident in Your love.

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

Lord, we want to confess for our people here on Fort Drum. We understand that all need to individually repent, but we corporately confess too. Forgive us for our pride. Forgive us for our egocentrism. Forgive us for thinking we don't need You. Forgive us for filling our need for You with so many other things like drinking and relationships and greed and busy-ness. So much busy-ness. Forgive us for not protecting the innocent. Forgive our foul, scoffing mouths. Forgive us for not seeking You.

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

It is finished. Lord help us to remember the chains of our sinful lives, without staying in them, without wallowing in them. Without saying 'your sacrifice wasn't enough, I still need to punish myself.'

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Easter is coming! And beyond that You are coming again! Lord, help us shout this out! Help us share the joy. Not the joy in the new dress or the eggs or the spring. The joy in You.

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Great, unending love. And it is because of this we can pray. 

We pray You will guard the hearts of our deployed. May Your resurrection be real to them as never before in this season. We pray against the demonic spirit of suicide in our troops.

We pray for the Afghan elections. Lord, move in that country according to Your will, for the sake of the children. May these hard times be the catalyst for great things. Please give our soldiers wisdom and keep them safe during this process.

I see that Christian missionaries are able to reach Syrian refugees in Iraq. Wow Lord! How amazing the ways You work. Thank You for the sacrifices of our soldiers ten years ago that made this area a safe haven for these people now. May they continue to see Your hand and may they turn to You.

We pray for healing for our friends--for concussions and thyroids and miserable flu bugs and mysterious illnesses and pre-mie babies. We turn to You, our great Physician, recognizing that everything is a miracle.

We ask for Your wisdom Lord. How to help our children. The logistics of another move. How to serve our husbands. How to reach our neighbors. Please give Your words to our teachers this week.

Help us to live as deeply loved daughters this week.

We love You and Your Son's Name, Amen.

http://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/songdetail.aspx?iid=577430

March 24, 2013

"No people--no church--will be stronger than its prayer life."-Pastor Roy Stacey 
So let's get strong and pray! I used the song Hungry (Falling On My Knees) today.

Father in Heaven
Sunset's coming later, sunrise coming earlier in its pastel glory, the animals are finding more dry land, the roads are clearing up, the creeks are running, the birds are flitting about with new songs, the sap drips into the buckets. Thank You Lord God, for spring. Thank You for tangible evidence that what was once dead can be made alive again through Your strength. Thank You that You continue to care for us and provide for us and let us see the fulfillment of Your promises. Your faithful love is everlasting.

And You are God! You are the only one with the power to grant life. You are the source of the heat in the sun, the spark in the seed, the first breath of the newborn. Everything we have comes from You. Every breath is a gift, and with it we breathe "Abba, I belong to You."

Hungry I come to You
For I know You satisfy

Perhaps now is a good time to confess we're hungry for all the wrong things. I crave just the 'desserts' of life, not even realizing I'm starving for You. Instead I let my eyes and heart wander to wanting things. So many things. Forgive me Lord. So many blessings and I cry for more. Make us hungry for You Lord. Curb our appetite for the things that rust and get lost and fade away.

I am empty but I know
Your love does not run dry

Lord Jesus, your love never ends. Your faithfulness never ends. Your patience and strength and wisdom have no bottom. Yet we are so weak. How quickly our endurance fails us. We need You to fill us. Fill us to overflowing, so it is You that boils over on people all around us. You be the One who answers our children's hundredth cry. You be the voice to respond to the hater. You be the One who reaches out to the sick neighbor. 

So I wait for You
So I wait for You

Instead of rushing ahead of You, help us to trust. Instead of giving up hope, help us to be patient and see the signs of You working. 

I'm falling on my knees
Offering all of me
Jesus You're all
This heart is living for

Broken I run to You
For Your arms are open wide

Lord, we weren't made for this. This world isn't the way it's supposed to be. It breaks us over and over again. But You know that. You are a God who understands, because You became one of us. Thank You Lord Jesus. 

I am weary but I know Your touch
Restores my life

Lord, instead of praying to take all these troubles off our back, help us to pray like some of our brothers and sisters: Strengthen our backs to carry the cross You've set before us. Help us to grow this week. Show us the way to the life abundant.

So I wait for You
So I wait for You

I'm falling on my knees
Offering all of me
Jesus You're all
This heart is living for

God may we stay on our knees this week! Offering everything--our hopes, our talents, our rights, our comfort, our resources--everything to You Lord! Please use us in the harvest on Fort Drum. The world seems pretty messed up, but that must mean more people are hurting and looking for You. 

For the wives, and husbands, on Fort Drum who are missing their deployed loved ones, we pray comfort and true peace--the kind that comes from knowing You. We pray for courage from You for their children. Lord be the shelter for mothers and fathers of the deployed.

We ask for safety for our men and women in Afghanistan. May the incoming miss its mark. May the soldiers sleep peaceably.  May Your heavenly armies surround the helicopters and the FOBs. Give wisdom to the commanders. And may the Afghan people find their place in You.

And Lord may we all have success in the missions You have put before us; many of those missions supporting those troops. To Your glory Lord.

We love You, because You first loved us. In precious Jesus' name, Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvnbfypZ4wY&feature=kp

March 17

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Let's follow the man's example and pray for the salvation of our country today. From the prophet Isaiah, a man also dedicated to praying for his country, chapter 40 today:


Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten Him and who taught Him the right way? Who was it that taught Him knowledge, or showed Him the path of understanding?
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; He weighs the islands as though they were dust.

Almighty Father God, we fall to our face in the light of who You are.

Before Him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by Him as worthless and less than nothing.

All our huffing and puffing, our drawing lines and building walls and conquering and claiming--meaningless before You.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

God who sees all and is all powerful, please help us with Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, a North Korean man set to martyr your people, Afghanistan, Iraq, a lost American pastor in Iran, with an airplane lost in the vast ocean, with people around the world who hate us simply because we claim Your name.

To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

When we focus on You, Lord, we cannot be afraid of man. Help us to trust in You. Remind us God that our warriors in Your hands are as safe in a helicopter in Afghanistan as they are on I-81 or in their own bedrooms. Grow our faith.

(from 41:8-13) God, You have chosen us to be Your people, Your royal priesthood, Your prophet and witness to our people. We cling to Your promise:
I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant;' I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

For those of us taken to the ends of the world, and those of us serving You at home, may we be bold in our faith today. Use us in the harvest, Lord!

And for those of us just hanging on, thank You for this whisper in our ear:

He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.

To the Lord, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, we give praise. You will not grow tired or weary. We can never fathom Your wisdom. You give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak. When we grow faint and stumble and fall, we hope in You, the Lord who renews strength. Thank You for letting us soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint.

Amen!

March 10, 2014

Pray Psalm 99 with me today!

The Lord reigns,
let the nations tremble;
He sits enthroned between the cherubim,
let the earth shake.

Hallelujah! There is not a military on this earth that can't be brought to their knees before the one true God, even with just an earthquake. How marvelous to be trusting in You Lord. As people rattle their sabers and shake their fists, hurting the innocent and spreading fear, we look up. Up and up, to the God of the heavenly armies. The One who holds the whole earth in His hands. May others see our confidence in You and nothing else.

Great is the Lord in Zion;
He is exalted over all the nations.
Let them praise Your great and awesome name--
He is holy.

Holy, holy, holy are You our Lord God Almighty. No injustice. No bribery. No spun story. No great coverup or masking lies. No corruption. No selfish acts. You are everything pure, everything true, everything good. Unfailing love. The power of the universe, and beyond, restrained to ever-patient love.

The King is mighty, He loves justice--
you have established equity;
in Jacob You have done what is just and right.
Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool
He is holy.

Your footstool is the Milky Way. Distances we can't travel, You fill. Absolute power that is absolutely uncorrupted. Lord, we cry for justice and truth, yet this world continually fails. Even for our soldiers, our country's intentions, we can't control how we are perceived. But You are always just and right.

Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
Samuel was among those who called on His name;
they called on the Lord and He answered them.
He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
they kept His statutes and the decrees He gave them.

And now, God, You have seen fit to make us all Your holy priesthood. Thank You for answering us when we call. Thank You for speaking to us. Thank You for forgiving us when we don't keep Your statutes. And Lord, make us miserable if we don't this week. Turn our hearts to You. Give us a love for Your Word, our bread of life.

And we pray for our leaders: for wisdom, patience, courage.
We pray for our chaplains and pastors and spiritual leaders: for integrity, boldness, that they would be used mightily, that they would love You more than attention.

Lord our God, You answered them;
You were to Israel a forgiving God,
Though You punished their misdeeds.
Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.

So much of this world threatens to overwhelm us, works to lull us to sleep or at least get us off course. We have so much spiritual ADD. Remind us to worship today. Make our eyes see all there is to be grateful for. For You are worthy, so worthy of our praise.

Thank You for being with us through the daily-ness. We pray for continued healing from surgeries, car accidents, illnesses. Please continue to heal broken hearts, and hold them in Your hand. Help us with wisdom and intentionality in raising children. Help us to be meaningful in our conversations with the lost world. Thank You for Your provision--may we not get too comfortable or hungry.

And please protect our soldiers. Be with them in the dark valleys. May their just causes succeed.

We need You Lord
We love You
Amen

March 3, 2014

Love love Love this song! Will you pray it with me today?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m_sWJQm2fs

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail

Lord God,

They say without a vision, the people perish. How many of us are walking around in an un-dead state, not alive with vision? And how many will drown in the waters of hopelessness? Yet you have sent your people into the world. God help us this week to pursue the vision you have given each of us, to bring life to a dead world.

And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

Oh God fill us with You! Don't let us sit back and say it's too hard, the need is too big. Fill us with You so we overflow into our neighborhoods, into all of Fort Drum. Make us stand. We remember the times You have worked wonders. We look forward to seeing it again and again.

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Lord the phone will ring soon. A child will cry. The bills will come. The meetings will stack up. Meals will need to be made. Laundry will keep multiplying. More snow is going to need shoveling. Again we need to ask You to calm the storm. But if You choose not to, we need You to lift our chin, to turn our eyes to You. Help us hit our knees in prayer. Make us find time to sit with You, to crawl up in Your lap and be held.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

Sometimes we wonder how You can ever forgive. Yet You already forgave 2,000 years ago. How can we say thank You? Thank You for grace that never lets go.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Oh God the borders we put on our trust! Help us to trust whether it's America or Afghanistan. Fort Drum or Fort Benning or Fort Polk or Fort Wainwright. Everyday life or unusual challenges or unfulfilled dreams. Speaking out. Sending out our children. Wherever You call us, help us with the faith.

We want to go deeper Lord. We want to be stronger. We want to see You work mighty deeds through us.  We want more faith. We want to be closer to You. We want to know You. For this we pray...

Fill our leaders this week Lord. May the chaplains have the right words. May our commanders have wisdom. May You reign at PWOC. May we lead our homes into deeper faith in You.

For I am Yours, and You are mine!
Amen

February 24, 2014

Thanks for joining us again sisters! We've got to pray, because He told us to pray! Add in your requests and praises in the comments, remembering this is a public site. Let's pray with Psalm 33 and I Cor 9:24-27 today:


Almighty God,

star breather,

sea gatherer,
Watcher of all mankind,
Maker of hearts,
my Help,
my Shield,

Father, all others fail us. We cannot hope or trust in any of them, for their love fails.

The might of a horse, the strength of our warriors, the shelter of an army base--none of these could save us--all strength fails.

So we rejoice in You! We trust and hope in You, for there is no end to Your strength. No bottom to Your unfailing love. Thank You Lord!

You have given us our mission. You have set the race course out before us. Fort Drum needs us to be Your people.

Lord don't let us fall, this late in the game, when the prize is right in front of our eyes. Even as the world seems rougher, the stakes have always been high. Remind us constantly this week Lord of what contest is the most important. Fix our eyes on Jesus.

Help us to stay in the training, even when that means bruises and fatigue. Renew our vision of mission. Make us not run aimlessly, or fight things that don't matter.

And Lord don't let us disqualify ourselves. Our names are connected to Yours. May there be integrity when people consider our chaplains, our Christian warriors, our children and most of all ourselves.

Remembering Your unfailing love, we pray for our deployed soldiers. Be their strength when they are bone-weary. Be their shield and defense and help. Fill them with encouragement for their courage.

Lord, we beg You to stop the epidemic of the suicidal soldier. Turn their eyes to You. Fill their days with 'coincidental' meetings with believers. Only You can save.

We pray for all of our soldiers. May their work bring them fulfillment, and safety to our nation.

We pray for our little warriors, our children, going out to continue the spiritual battle of this world. Thank You for them. Go before them, come behind them, and keep Your hand on their heads. May they also stay on the race course.

And Lord we pray for us. Every day, our strength fails us. Forgive us when we forget what's important. Forgive us when we lose our trust. Forgive us when we worry only about our own glory. And our love fails. Help us to be more like You. Bring us closer to You today.

Our prize is Jesus! Thank You Lord for such a beautiful gift. To You we give all the honor, all the glory. All of our efforts are piles of rags, yet You can make them beautiful.

Until that day we can see You, face to face....and hold our prize....
Amen.

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!