March 27, 2017

We know You hold the stars

We know You catch the tears

We know You bring the rain

We know You hear the sparrow

We know You feed the lion

We know You strengthen the horse

We know You own the cattle

We know You can heal

We know You change the hearts of the powerful

We know You protect the innocent

We have heard Your stories from ancient times. And we hear of Your miracles today. And You love, and You love, and You love.

And so Lord, we trust You. 

We commit again to trust You with our warriors, with our children, with our hopes and dreams, with our finances, with our family we can't be near, with our physical pain, with our marriages... with every aspect of our withering-like-grass lives.

Forgive us for our unbelief. Forgive us when we distrust. Worry. When we hold tightly. Manipulate. Control. Or cry because we can't. Forgive us when we doubt Your love.

We ask that You would protect our deployed. Give our leaders wisdom in creating missions. Give our forces success in completing them. May they see Your hand in their lives, and may they be drawn to You.

We pray for the Chief of Chaplains office--and for all of our leaders--for a future and a hope in You. May they be leaders in following You.

We pray for our wounded, in body and heart and soul. Lord please bind them up. May they know they have You with them to face the day.

And we pray for each other: 

for mercy for those with failing elders

for patience and wisdom for those with prodigal children

for endurance for those with chronic pain

for healing in those with illnesses

for faith in those dreading a PCS

for hope in those with houses to sell and rent

for trust in finances

for grace that overflows to all we minister to

for long-suffering and joy in our days' work

And even if You don't answer a single prayer as we would like, still we will trust. Where else could we go, Lord? You hold life. We thank You. 

Click here to hear Mercy Me's Even If

They say sometimes you win some
Sometimes you lose some
And right now, right now I'm losing bad
I've stood on this stage night after night
Reminding the broken it'll be alright
But right now, oh right now I just can't

It's easy to sing
When there's nothing to bring me down
But what will I say
When I'm held to the flame
Like I am right now

I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone

They say it only takes a little faith
To move a mountain
Well good thing
A little faith is all I have, right now
But God, when You choose
To leave mountains unmovable
Oh give me the strength to be able to sing
It is well with my soul

I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt
Would all go away if You'd just say the word
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone

You've been faithful, You've been good
All of my days
Jesus, I will cling to You
Come what may
'Cause I know You're able
I know You can

I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, I know the hurt
Would all go away if You'd just say the word
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone

It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

Read more:  Mercy Me - Even If Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

March 20, 2017

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. Please surround the ships on the seas. Please walk with the soldiers on patrol.

And Father God, there's plans being made for moves. There's kids off to school. There's babies being born. There's houses being sold and rented. There's people off to work. There's leaders making decisions for future generations. All of these things, all of these hopes, all of these hurts, all of these concerns, we surrender them to You. Fill us with Your love and power.

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 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.

March 13, 2017

Mighty Warrior
Great Defender
the One Who Saves
the Victorious One--

it is You we come to. You we rely on.

"My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way,
and my arm will bring justice to the nations."

More than any mission accomplished, more than the homecoming of our warriors, more than any promotion or recognition, we need Your salvation. Your righteousness. Your justice, Lord. We pray for Your Kingdom to come.

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will finish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But My salvation will last forever, My righteousness will never fail."

For our warriors, Lord we pray for their salvation. May a revival sweep through our ranks. May the word of God be boldly spoken by the chaplains. May the lonely seek You. May the frightened feel Your presence. May the decision-makers hear Your voice. May our military be Your tool, used to bring about Your righteousness in this time.

"Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart:
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults."

"I even I am He who comforts you.
Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass,
that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens
and who lays the foundations of the earth...

Lord, we pray for our deployed. May they be getting sufficient rest. Guard their hearts. May they only take courage in You. Please keep them healthy. Please surround them with Your protection. Please grow them up in Your ways. Give them wisdom and perspective that comes when they no longer fear death, but may they always fear You.

"For I am the Lord your God
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar--
the Lord Almighty is His Name.

God, our mightiest ship can make a few ripples near the shore. But You can stir the sea. You can make the wind roar. You can bring the storms, and still them. We are ever reliant on You.

March 6, 2017

God who sees,
who sees the little boy in the Chinese orphanage
who sees the little girl hiding under her bed
who sees the inside of the high school locker room
who sees the test-taking struggle
who sees the shun in the lunch room
who sees the PCS car driving away again
who sees tears on the Skype screen

You see, and You love
You love the brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes
You love the bottom of the class
You love the one standing up for right
You love the one too afraid to stand

You see, You love, and You care
You hold the keys to freedom
and You long to set us free.
To unleash us from all of our fears, all of our entanglements

Lord, we pray for our military kids.
Some days it feels like we are again tying them up and throwing them on the altar.
Help us to see it as releasing them into Your hands, the God who sees and loves and sets free.
We will trust You with their schooling
We will trust You with their future
We will trust You with their friends
We will trust You with their hearts.

Lord, may this next generation have an unleashing of Your Spirit like we have never seen before!
Give them the weapons to stand in the spiritual battle.
Give them eyes to see as You see.
May their hearts long for what You do.
Make them fearless!

We pray for Your salvation to come to our children.
We pray for Your protection over those waiting to be adopted.
We pray for our pregnant mommas.
We pray for those dealing with illnesses.
We pray for those struggling in school.
We pray for the lonely. For those with deployed parents.
We pray for the rebellious, who don't even understand why they are acting that way.
We pray for those making life decisions--Lord, may You reign!
We pray for those facing another PCS: Lord, You can make it right!

Heavenly Father, please be with our warriors everywhere, and be very real to all of their families.
We pray for our leaders' families, including the Chief of Chaplains' office.
And we pray for our veterans. Lord, please stop the spirit of suicide.

It's only because of Your love that we can have hope for our children.
Thank You Jesus.

Click here to hear No Longer A Slave by Bethel Music



You unravel me with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance from my enemies
'Til all my fears are gone

[2x]
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

From my mother's womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I've been born again
Into your family
Your blood flows through my veins

I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

I am surrounded
By the arms of the father
I am surrounded
By songs of deliverance

We've been liberated
From our bondage
We're the sons and the daughters
Let us sing our freedom

You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
You drowned my fears in perfect love
You rescued me
And I will stand and sing
I am a child of God

February 27, 2017

I hear the tumult of the raging seas as Your waves and surging tides sweep over me.

Through each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me,

and through each night I sing His songs,

praying to God who gives me life. --Psalm 42:7-8

God who holds the storehouses of the snow

Who swirls the winds in His hands

Who leads the sparrow to a tiny seed

Who rolls the mountains with earthquakes

Who shouts His glory in the stars without even a whisper

Give us a glimpse of Your throne room.

And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it! The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones--jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. And from the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder...

Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty-- the One who always was, who is, and who is still to come. --Rev. 4:2-5, 8

And still, You turn Your attention to us. We see offered before You the finest artists--presentations of beautiful fabrics, dancers of the most graceful movements, singers and musicians with music that immerses the deepest senses, acrobats of incredible skill, painters using colors of the emerald islands.

Then we find out You want our offering. How glorious to watch our meager little gifts--our kindergarten skill, our rags--transformed with Your touch. You make a place for us. You sing over us, with us. 

You. delight. in. me. 

Lord, help us live in this tension:

--resting in Your grace, yet understanding there's so much more to do.

--in the battle, yet under Your light yoke.

--willing to undergo the trials, yet knowing You've already won.

--not shamed about the having, but willing to give more.

Make us joyful, peaceful warriors.

We pray for our sisters:

--in our financial struggles, may we delight in waiting to see how You provide.

--even in our weariness, may we show our children how to turn to You.

--in our sickness, may we be Your witnesses to doctors and nurses and pharmacy technicians.

--that we would take our eyes off our selves--both our triumphs and our failures.

Help us to accept the same grace from You that we would hope heathens would.

Help us to breathe, every hour, 'Abba, I belong to You.'

Overflow us military wives, so we can bless our men, our children, our communities.

Lord, please bring our soldiers home safe:

--from NTC

--from Korea

--from Iraq

--from Afghanistan

--from training

Lord, please, please, please, break our warriors free:

--from the strangling hold of severe depression and the epidemic of suicide.

--from addiction to porn

--from addiction to alcohol

--from the endless anger

--from the constant need to prove their worth

Help us all to come as we are, and be overwhelmed by You.

February 20, 2017

Lord, when our warriors are by our sides, we will trust You.

And when we don’t know where our warriors are, we will trust You.

We will praise You when they walk in the door, and we will praise You when they have to walk away. And we thank You for helping us in both. Through it all, our eyes will be on You.

We thank You for giving them courage and strength. We thank You for putting Your fortress around them. 

We thank You for giving us peace that doesn’t make sense to any of the circumstances.

And so, God of the desert, God of the mountain crevasse, God of the blue heavens and the  deeper blue seas, we entrust our deployed to You. You are already where they are going, You are coming behind them, and You have Your hand on their heads.

We pray for the soldier walking through the streets of faraway villages. Please keep them alert, be their sixth sense.

We pray for the pilots flying over hostile territory. God, give them the skills they need and hide them in the cover of Your wings.

We pray for the sailors patrolling foreign waters. May their presence be a calming force, creating peace.

Lord we ask for good sleep for our deployed. We ask that they would be healthy. Please help them be wise and diligent in their work. We ask for the supply lines to be running smoothly. May machinery be working. Lord, don’t let them say they are lucky, but trigger their conscience to know it is You keeping them safe. Don’t let them grow proud, but rather grateful. Please keep them from depression, but give them determination.

For the ones who have just left, we pray for courage in the face of a new reality. For those who have been gone for awhile, we pray for endurance. And for those who are about to come home, we pray long-suffering and focus until the end.

Lord we pray for those who are facing a deployment. Help them through the cloud of impending doom. Help them to grieve well. Help them not to close hearts and push away.

Please help the families of the recently deployed to find their hope in You. May they establish new routines and activities and circles that lead them to You. May their communications be uplifting. Help them through the refining. Help the children not grow callous. 

For those who are awaiting the return, Lord please calm their nerves but not their butterflies. May the joy of the return remind them of Your coming.

And Father God please be with those still fighting wars in their minds. We ask for rest. We ask for good doctors and wise medicine. We ask that You would hold them close.

We pray for the shepherds of our warriors, may they be effective in serving You—from the Chief of Chaplains’ office on down.

And through it all Lord, we trust You. It is so sweet to know the One who has all power also has all love. 

Click here to sing Through It All It IS Well

Verse 1
Grander earth has quaked before
Moved by the sound of His voice
Seas that are shaken and stirred
Can be calmed and broken for my regard

Chorus
And through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
And through it all, through it all
It is well

And through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
It is well with me

Verse 2
Far be it from me to not believe
Even when my eyes can't see

And this mountain that's in front of me
Will be thrown into the midst of the sea

Bridge x3
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name 

Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well with me.

Read more:  Bethel Music - It Is Well Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

February 13, 2017

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

Never abandoned...

Never alone...

Never given up on...

Never screwed up too much...

Never rejected...

Your love is so hard for us in this world to understand. Never earned. Never manipulated. Never reached the end.

A love that could cover all sins--even the basic sin of just being human. Thank You Lord.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

Lord we cannot survive without Your love. Our every breath depends on it. Every day is Your grace. 

And we need this love to try to love each other in this world. Thank You for your example. Draw us closer to You, and then we will be closer in our marriages. 

Lord we pray for unity--in decisions, deployments, in the daily raising of children.

Lord we pray for joy--in spite of the familiarity, the struggles.

Lord we pray for true forgiveness--break our old ways of responding. Give us spiritual amnesia of the past hurts. May we see our own failures in order to extend grace to each other. Melt the bitterness of today Lord. May we turn to You for what our spouses can't give us. May we keep trying.

And Lord Jesus please redeem the broken marriages! Turn the hearts to You! Hold closely those whose spouses are failing. Guard the hearts of the little ones in the homes. 

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

Lord may our homes be havens, peaceful sanctuaries, where our children and our visitors can learn about You. We look for miraculous healing. We ask for hope in spite of hard hearts. We ask that You will help women respect their men, and men be the servant-leaders in their families. 

Please give the spouses of the veterans steadfastness. Use them as a life line. May they come together in You.

We pray for the marriages of our military leaders, the Chief of Chaplains' office, our deployed. May there be trust, fidelity, a solid foundation from which our warriors can operate. Help us deal with the separations, the stress of the high risk jobs, the careers that so infiltrate every aspect of life. 

In a throw-away, give-up culture, Lord, may we be shining lights. May our marriages be unbelievable--only possible because of You.

Thank You Lord, that if it all falls apart, we can still be awash in Your love. Thank You that marriage can be its complete glory because of You.

Click here to sing O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus!