May 29, 2017

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

Thank You Lord Jesus! Nothing else is needed than what You have already done.

And thank You for the foundation You have given this country. Thank You for the blessings through the decades. Thank You for the courageous ones who went before--bravely fighting in Your Name.

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Father God please strengthen our deployed. No matter their situation, may they find their foundation in You.

Please be with the families of the fallen through their days. Help them with their finances. May they be surrounded with support. Comfort the hearts of the children. May the parents not despair. Bring them beauty from their ashes. 

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

Story after story of Your goodness in our ranks. Thank You Lord!

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

Lord, please comfort--come along side--our veterans. May the deep waters not overwhelm. May they feel Your presence, and turn to You. May there be peace in their homes. 

Please help our veterans to forgive

and to accept forgiveness.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

We pray for our new soldiers--the baby-faced at boot camp, the young ones thousands of miles from home. May they see You in every corner of the world. May they be grounded in this foundation.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

Lord, may the Christian warrior be faithful to the end. Help them stay strong in the every day. Help them resist temptations. Help them to know the right thing to do.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

Because of You, we have hope.

Because of You, it is not meaningless, 

these lives of our fallen are not a waste,

and it is not the end.

Thank You Lord Jesus!

Click here to sing with Chelsea Moon

May 22, 2017

Praying Psalm 100 today:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into His presence with singing!

Thank You Lord, today, for the sound of little voices. For laughter in the halls. For coos and smiles, and yes, for teenagers learning through debate. May they all learn to worship You. May they learn to serve You with gladness.

Know that the Lord, He is God!

Lord we pray more than anything that our children will know that You are God. Speak to the little ones' hearts this summer through VBS, camp, Sunday School, talks with parents, quiet time. May this 'Ordinary Time' be extraordinary in their lives.

It is He who made us and we are His;
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

May Your Lordship be very real to all of us this day. Please hold close the children at risk, the ones whose parents are deployed, the ones whose parents have failed them, the ones who are lost.

Lord we pray for the children who are PCSing and those who are being left behind. Heal their hearts and may they move into new situations unafraid because they know You go before. We pray for safe travel, and for houses to be found and bought/sold/rented.

We pray for the children of our hurting veterans. Lord, guard their hearts. Use them for healing in their parents' lives.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise!
Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

Thank You Lord, for the potential locked up in these young lives. Thank You for hope, expressed in another generation receiving grace. Thank You for resiliency, and that You can heal. Thank You that You love them more than we ever could and You are always with them.

We pray for our deployed. Lord keep them safe and draw them to You.
We pray for our world and the many issues involved. May Your Name be glorified. May all have a chance at choosing You. May this generation shine Your light.

For the Lord is good; 
His steadfast love endures forever,
and His faithfulness to all generations.

For goodness--for love--for faithfulness
Thank You!

May 15, 2017

Lord,

The messes can seem so big

the to-do lists so endless

the world so huge, us so helpless

But You

You are the I Am

You were here before this world,

and You will be after

All good, all power, all knowing, all loving

You Are the I Am

Forgive us when we look to other places for help, 

for control

for love

Turn our hearts to the great I Am

Lord we pray for Your daughters:

for the one who doesn't know how it could all have gone so wrong

for the one who may lose everything precious to her

for the one who can't get off the wrong roller coaster in her marriage

for the one who is grieving

for the one who feels so desperately alone

for the one who needs healing

for the one who just needs to be ok with life as it is

for the one whose arms ache to hold a child

for the one whose tasks for the day are impossible

for the one packing boxes

for the one sending love through electronic digits to the other side of the world

for the one whose child's heart is far away

Lord, be their I Am

When there isn't enough money, may we turn to You who owns it all

When there isn't enough time, may we seek You who holds all time

When there isn't enough patience, may we be filled with Your everlasting love

When there isn't enough strength, may we lean on You who gives the power

When there isn't enough wisdom, may we learn from You whose ways are higher

When there just isn't enough, may we find You whose grace is sufficient

To the great I Am we pray:

please be very real in military wives' lives

please keep all our deployed safe, and guard the momma-warriors' hearts

please be with the soldiers in South Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and other places of danger

please spread revival through the ranks of our hurting veterans. May they see Your relentless love.

We can ask these things because You are God, the I Am.

Thank You.

David Crowder's I Am:

There's no space that His love can't reach
There's no place where we can't find peace
There's no end to Amazing Grace
Take me in with your arms spread wide
Take me in like an orphan child
Never let go, never leave my side.

I am,
Holding on to You.
I am,
Holding on to You.
In the middle of the storm,
I am Holding on,
I am

Love like this, Oh my God to find!
I am overwhelmed what a joy divine!
Love like this sets our hearts on fire!

This is my Resurrection Song
This is my Hallelujah Come
This is why it's to You I run

Read more:  David Crowder - I Am Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Click here for David Crowder's I Am

May 8, 2017

Praying with Ephesians 6 today:

To You, the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, 

You are the only God

to You be honor and glory for ever and ever!

You hold life and death and eternity in Your hands.

You are outside of time, and always on time.

And You are the One who is mighty in power beyond our comprehension.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Lord, may our military--which bears Your Name in this world--be strong in You and Your power. May the next generation of the Iraqis, the Afghans, have a good impression of the Americans in their midst. May the troops be a light shining in the darkness. May they conduct themselves with integrity, kindness.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Lord we pray for the salvation of our warriors. Protect them from the devil's schemes, including suicide, depression, pride, addiction. We pray for our veterans. Lord, protect them and draw them to You.

God of the Heavenly Armies we ask for protection over them--whether in the battle zones, in training, or resting in their quarters. Lord, so many world issues seem overwhelming. We cannot figure a way out of the many messes. We pray for the people in the turmoil; we pray for us. 

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Lord, we pray for all it takes to make this military function. We pray for Your wisdom to be with the leaders, for Your presence to be in the offices, for Your strength to be with the warriors. May we stand for what is right as a country. Thank You for those willing to make the sacrifices.

We pray for those in PCS mode and transition to retiring. We pray for new jobs, new homes, new friends. We pray for the children as they are re-planted.

Thank You for going before us, coming behind us. It is only in Your strength we can continue to stand. So with our face turned up to You, we stand.

May 1, 2017

This is my story! This is my song! Praising my Savior all the day long...

Good Morning Lord!
As we start our new day, our new May, another page in the story of our lives,
Thank You for being with us! Thank You for so many things given to us simply for our joy.
Thank You for delighting in us! And we delight in You.

And thank You Lord for our little ones.
From tiny ones who smell of innocence
to the 6' tall ones who smell a bit funny
We thank You for every day of their lives, every entry in their great adventures
And we pray for them
Lord, may today bring praise to their Savior.
May their lives be filled with hope
and grace
and love
because of You.

As the military child moves again, may he find You at this new place.
When their mom or dad deploys, may they learn dependence on You.
When they start to choose their own course, may they follow You.
When they begin their own families, may You be the center of those homes.

We pray for the child of the hurting veteran, Lord. Give them a peace and strength that can only come from You. God please defeat all thoughts of suicide in our ranks.
We pray for the military child who doesn't know You. May VBS, Sunday School, friends point the way. May the military community have revival amongst the children!
We pray for safety for our deployed, and for the children of our deployed.
We pray for protection of our military kids--Lord guard their hearts. May we be good stewards of the young people among us. Raise up willing volunteers, good teachers, caring neighbors. We pray for good mentors, shining examples in our children's lives.
We pray for those struggling with health. Lord, we ask for healing and for character growth.

And Lord, we pray for the kids' parents. For the mom whose trying to do it all by herself, may she sing of Your grace.
For the suddenly empty-nest parent, we ask for Your kindness to be real.
For the father of the rebellious one, Lord show him Your wisdom.

For the parents of our fallen soldiers, for their children....oh Lord, only You can heal.

We bring these requests knowing You care more than we do.
Thank You Lord Jesus for this song You give us.

Click here to celebrate your story with Big Daddy Weave's My Story

If I told you my story
You would hear Hope that wouldn't let go
And if I told you my story
You would hear Love that never gave up
And if I told you my story
You would hear Life, but it wasn't mine

If I should speak then let it be
Of the grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when justice was served and where mercy wins
Of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him

If I told you my story
You would hear victory over the enemy
And if I told you my story
You would hear freedom that was won for me
And if I told you my story
You would hear Life overcome the grave

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my savior all the day long

For the grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when justice was served and where mercy wins
Of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell
Of the grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when justice was served and where mercy wins
Of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him
Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long

April 24, 2017

God who pushed up the mountains of Afghanistan
who smoothed out the Alaskan tundra
who brought the waters up to the Georgia coast
who ran his finger to carve out the Great Lakes
who blew the hot dry air over the desert in California, Iraq

You formed these places
and You are there

Forgive us for our amnesia
our distrust
our fears
our unwillingness to go willingly
our unbelief that You can work through Uncle Sam's orders

So Lord, please speak to our souls
continue to build in us a faith that knows deeply how to trust You
Help us to release our grip of control of our husbands, our children, our homes
Make us have open hands to receive what You are giving
Grow us up, Lord.

And please help us in the journey--the decisions, the money, the travel, the upheaval.
We pray for houses to be found, to be sold, to be rented.
We pray for school decisions and little hearts' desires in activities.
We pray for Your divine appointment of neighbors, friends, church communities.

Use us Lord. Scatter us as You wish. May we be ever ready to be Your light.
We pray for our ministries in VBS, Bible studies, chapel, caring for our neighbors.
And Lord, we lay our dreams at Your feet. You know what would most satisfy our souls. We will trust You for direction and timing.

We pray for protection for our deployed. Thwart the plans of the enemies.
We pray for our veterans. Lord may they find continued purpose.
We pray against suicides in our ranks Lord. May the hurting be drawn to Your relentless love.
And we pray for our leaders, Lord. May they hear Your ways.

God who goes before us, and comes behind us, may we feel Your hand on our heads today.


Click here to rest your soul with Casting Crown's Oh My Soul

April 17, 2017

Lord Jesus
Conquerer over sin and death
With joy we proclaim He is risen! 
I don't have to sit hopelessly in my shame
I don't have to work constantly to make things right
I don't have to grovel and beg, but only receive
I don't have to live by the sword, die by the sword
I don't have to take the punishment I so richly deserve
He is risen indeed!

He is risen!
I don't have to continue to do the things I hate
I don't have to respond the same way, with the same old habits
A lifeline has been thrown to me to pull me out of the whirlpool
You have forgiven me
He is risen indeed!

He is risen!
And I can rest in You
I don't have to hold the grudge and make others pay
I don't have to figure out the perfect revenge
I don't have to make others sorry
I don't have to manipulate, control, make sure I'm winning
You have forgiven, and I can forgive
He is risen indeed!

He is risen!
I don't have to live so very alone
I don't have to fear a distant, holy God
I don't have to handle things myself
I can crawl up into my Daddy's lap
I can see His face, learn His ways, access His power
I am not an expendable pawn, a toy to be played with
My life is not meaningless coincidences, sound and fury, signifying nothing
I am loved
I am ransomed
I am saved
He is risen indeed!

He is risen!
I have hope, no matter what happens
Death isn't the end--it's the beginning
I will get to see my Jesus face to face
I will be with the ones I love
Every tear will be dried, every pain gone
I will live forever
with You
He is risen indeed!

He is risen!
Lord may this truth be real to our troops today--from someone's baby boy starting boot camp to the hardened sergeant in Afghanistan to the hurting veteran staring out the window. Don't let their hearts be at rest until they find You.
May this truth be real to our military families--from the young bride far from home, to the mother of five watching the skies, to the kids of the veteran who can't control his temper.
Lord please unleash revival in our ranks. May the true battle become clear. May suicide, pride, anger, selfishness be defeated.

We pray for protection around our military this week, in their training, in their flights, in their patrols. Thank You, Lord Jesus, that we can trust in You no matter what happens.

And we pray for our families this week. Lord, may grace and love abound. Teach us to forgive. Be with those who are struggling so hard.

How awesome that we can pray to You. Thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank You for Your love.
He is risen indeed!