PLUS

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Ephesians 3:17-21 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.  Amen.”

Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

Job 42:11 “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

Several years ago, I had a speaking part on a single episode of the TV show Monk.  It was an opportunity that fell into my lap – I was in the right place at the right time, with the right background and the right connections.  While it was something that I would have paid to do for an interesting life experience, I actually got paid to say my brief lines.  In fact, even a decade and a half later, I still get regular though small checks in the mail as residual payments.  Each one of those envelopes is a blessing, as they remind me of a fun day and a unique experience.  While the money is now minute, even the tiniest check is above anything that I originally expected.

God’s gifts to us are amazing.  These blessings don’t come by being at the right place at the right time, with the right background and the right connections.  They come from a loving Christ, whose love passes all our knowledge as it demonstrates a combination of characteristics of breadth, length, depth, and height that are on the ragged edge of our understanding and comprehension.  They come from a personal Lord who desires to provide an answer to our stated needs by showing us great and mighty things that we know not.  They come from a great God who is able to constantly surprise us with an outcome that is exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.  They come from a compassionate Christ who knows our struggles because He has walked in our shoes.  They come from a healing Lord who can transition our pain into progress and our struggles into successes. 

They come from a risen Saviour!

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO EMBODY A CONFIDENCE, REGARDLESS OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES, THAT GOD IS POISED TO POUR OUT HIS LOVE ON US.  As He does, may we recognize those unexpected blessings as gifts from God that are above anything we could even imagine.

I Kings 19:11-13 “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.  And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.  And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave.  And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”

In June of 1812, the United States of America declared war on England.  The main reasons for the conflict were the British closure of its markets to American merchants and major restrictions by the British on U.S. maritime trade.  Yet, President Madison and the U.S. Congress were missing one major fact as they supported and approved the conflict – the British Parliament had just rescinded those restrictions.  The six-week journey across the Atlantic Ocean to transmit any information caused the message to be missed.  “Presidents of War” by Michael Beschloss describes it this way: “As he planned the American invasion of Canada, Madison could not know that he was launching a conflict – which would consume many American lives – for which the principal cause of war had just vanished.”

In the case of the situation in 1812, the message was missed because of a simple but costly time delay.  In our situation today, God’s messages get missed because they are drowned out by the chaos of the noise that surrounds us – noise that we welcome into our lives to fill a void perfectly suited for God’s calling.

The loudest voice is not always the best.  It is not always right.  The high-volume winds, earthquakes, and fires of talking heads, media moguls, and social influencers might capture our attention and our imagination, but they may actually be causing us to miss the real message.  God’s still, small voice is beckoning for a yielded ear and a sensitive spirit.  The neon-sign messages of our world may be blinding us to the subtle messages that the Lord reserves for squinting eyes and humble hearts.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE INTENTIONALLY SENSITIVE TO GOD’S CALLING IN THE MIDST OF OUR CHAOTIC LIVES.  May we never miss a message from God!   

II Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God”

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Psalm 62:5-8 “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.  Selah.”

II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

This past year, during an extended period away from my family and far from home, the following song by Matt Maher really caught my attention:

Lord I come, I confess
Bowing here, I find my rest
Without You, I fall apart
You’re the one that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand, I’ll fall on You
Jesus, You’re my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

You’re my one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

This past year has also been a long one for humanity, for Americans, and for American Christians.  We must reset our spirits with a healthy dose of humility if we are to have hope for a brighter future characterized by revival.  Let us begin with the firm knowledge that, without the Lord, we truly fall apart and that Jesus is our hope and our stay.  May we cry out: Lord we need you; every hour, we need you; our one defense, our righteousness; oh God, how we need you!

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO REESTABLISH OURSELVES WITH A SPIRIT OF HUMILITY.  It all begins with this simple thought – oh God, how we need you!

Hosea 13:9-10 “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.  I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? And thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?”

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Ecclesiastes 7:15-16 “All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.  Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?”

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

We know that our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. “ (I Peter 5:8)  He truly seeks to destroy us.  Yet, it is easy to forget that our greatest enemy might not come from without, but instead from within. We build a fortress around ourselves to protect us from threats from the outside, while often neglecting the fact that the most potent threats arise from the inside.  We are vigilant about external threats, but complacent about internal threats.  We secure the perimeter, but neglect the interior. 

We are prone to self-destruction – as individuals and as institutions.  It is true for nations, maybe even our own nation.  As much as we would like to blame our environment, our adversary, or our situation, it is internal rot that often leads to our destruction.  We frequently erode from the inside out, with no one to blame but ourselves.

There is a broad way that leads to destruction. Yet, there is a pathway that leads to a fulfilling, meaningful, joyful and impactful life!  That pathway is one that we must follow in our actions, but also in our thoughts, in our intents, in our perspectives, and in our motivations.  It must permeate our worldview, infuse our understanding of self-worth, and orient our relationships.  It must draw us back to the Lord as our king.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO PROTECT AGAINST INTERNAL THREATS THAT CAN LEAD TO SELF DESTRUCTION.  We must tend to concerns on the inside as much as we treat the threats on the outside.

Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

As Christians in America in 2021, it is easy to get distracted by the negative news of our current situation.  It is easy to get sidetracked by doubt and despair.  It is easy to get focused on all the wrong things, especially those things that are crumbling around us.  Yet, in the midst of such challenges, our spirits should be filled with an overwhelming sense of glory! 

The glory doesn’t come from graven images.  It doesn’t stem from modern day horses and chariots.  It doesn’t originate from our own wisdom, our own might, or our own riches; it doesn’t burst forth from those who are wise, or mighty, or rich.  These potential sources of glory may appear satisfying at first, but they ultimately lack anything worthy of glory, and leave us feeling empty, hollow, and unfulfilled.  Our tendency to affix our gaze on such things is the root cause for our downtrodden spirits. 

Glory does, however, flow freely from an understanding and a knowledge of the Lord our God.  He is the LORD!  His lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness are ever-flowing sources of endless and overwhelming glory that will never disappoint us.  His glory will always exceed our expectations and meet our needs. 

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RESURRECT GLORY IN OUR LIVES BY REMEMBERING THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD.  Doing so will delight Him and will rejuvenate us!