The Prayer Room: Praying for America, FR, and all who need it

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Psalm 127:1>

At this time, when feelings run high, the world seems crazy, and anger seems to be the one thing the peoples of the world have in common, I invite you, my fellow FReepers, to join me in prayers and meditation for guidance, God's help and for our fellow man, for America, our troops, and all our own needs.

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

William Bradbury

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

Psalm 46: 1-3

Thank you for that sharing. There is a horrific and just picturing of ashes and death in 2 Maccabees 13 -

There is at that place a tower seventy-five feet high, full of ashes,
with a circular rim sloping down steeply on all sides toward the ashes.
A man guilty of sacrilege or notorious for certain other crimes
is brought up there and then hurled down to destruction.
In such a manner was Menelaus, the transgressor of the law, fated to die;
he was deprived even of decent burial.
It was altogether just that he who had committed so many sins
against the altar with its pure fire and ashes
should meet his death in ashes.

January 2

Morning.....C H Spurgeon
“Continue in prayer.”
- Col_4:2
It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord;” and just as we are about to close the volume, the “Amen” of an earnest supplication meets our ear. Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob-there a Daniel who prayed three times a day-and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises.

What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in his Word, he intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If he has said much about prayer, it is because he knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray.

Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know thy poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord’s mercy show thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian.

If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father’s face, and live in thy Father’s love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of his love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master. The motto for this year must be, “Continue in prayer.”

Rev 5:7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
........
Rev 8:2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne,
Rev 8:4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.
Rev 8:5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Oh LORD of All,
Help us to pray in Faith.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/d/e/dearshep.htm

Dear Shepherd of Thy people, hear;
Thy presence now display;
As Thou hast given a place for prayer,
So give us hearts to pray.

O Lord, our languid souls inspire,
For here, we trust, thou art!
Send down a coal of heav’nly fire,
To warm each waiting heart.

Show us some token of Thy love,
Our fainting hope to raise;
And pour Thy blessings from above,
That we may render praise.

Within these walls let holy peace
And love and concord dwell;
Here give the troubled conscience ease,
The wounded spirit heal.

The feeling heart, the melting eye,
The humble mind bestow;
And shine upon us from on high,
To make our graces grow!

May we in faith receive Thy Word,
In faith present our prayers;
And, in the presence of our Lord,
Unbosom all our cares.

And may the Gospel’s joyful sound
Enforced by mighty grace,
Awaken many sinners round,
To come and fill the place.
--John Newton

http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/one.year.bible/
The above is the One Year Bible in the English Standard Version.

Lam 3:22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
Lam 3:23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

YOUR STEADFASTNESS OH LORD, is our great source of confidence.

Num 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
..........
Dan 6:26 I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, And his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed; and his dominion shall be even unto the end.
.........
Jam 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.

Thank you LORD, that by your Power and Presence you will keep us steadfast.

Phi 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
..........
Jud 1:24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
Jud 1:25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
...........
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
.........
Heb 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
........
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
........
Rev 12:11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
.........
Job 17:9 The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/h/w/ihwordsl.htm

I hear the words of love,
I gaze upon the blood,
I see the mighty sacrifice,
And I have peace with God.

’Tis everlasting peace,
Sure as Jehovah’s Name;
’Tis stable as His steadfast throne,
For evermore the same.

The clouds may go and come,
And storms may sweep my sky;
This blood-sealed friendship changes not,
The cross is ever nigh.

I change—He changes not;
The Christ can never die;
His love, not mine, the resting-place;
His truth, not mine, the tie.

My love is oftimes low,
My joy still ebbs and flows;
But peace with Him remains the same,
No change Jehovah knows.
--Horatius Bonar

My Heart was Contemplating the Greatness of our Lord this Evening, and I was Overcome with a Longing to See our God Who has Placed His Awesome Handiwork All Around us. My Eyes were Studying Some Sea Shells, Observing their Intricate and Varied Designs, and how my Soul Longed to Behold Him! Our Lord, we get So Homesick to See our Father, the Great and Glorious God Who Surrounds us with His Wonders!

"It is the Lord who provides the sun to light the day
And the moon and stars to light the night,
And who stirs the sea into roaring waves.
His name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Jer.31:35)

LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. (Ps.8:1)

I know the greatness of the Lord—
That our Lord is greater than any other god.
The Lord does whatever pleases him
Throughout all heaven and earth,
And on the seas and in their depths.
He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth.
He sends the lightning with the rain
And releases the wind from his storehouses. (Ps.135:5-7)

He counts the stars
And calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension! (Ps.147:4,5)

He sends his orders to the world—
How swiftly his word flies!
He sends the snow like white wool;
He scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
He hurls the hail like stones.
Who can stand against his freezing cold?
Then, at his command, it all melts. (Ps.147:15-17)

When I consider thy heavens,
The work of thy fingers,
The moon and the stars,
Which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
And the son of man, that thou visitest him? "(Ps.8:3,4)

We are in Awe of You, Your Majesty, and Sing Your Excellent Praise. We are So Happy that You are our God! Help us to Live in Your Will, to Cling to Jesus as our Life. We Rejoice in our King, and Joy in Your Grace! We Love You, Your Highness, and Praise You in Jesus' Name, amen.

Once they mocked Him with a crown of twisted thorns,
the soldiers there,
a game to amuse themselves
while they passed the time,
to prove how secure they were in this foreign land
how much stronger,
how much in control.
No threat, He,
beaten, bloody, bound,
an interesting toy
to play with in the morning.

Now they mock Him
with a crown of twisted words,
those who choose to despise Him,
soliders in a different war,
yet still in need of games to amuse themselves with,
to prove how much wiser, stronger, smarter they are,
how they can turn their back on his open hand,
They look for ways to push the crown in deeper,
to add their spittle to His face,
other rags for Him to wear
so they can rip them off in mockery,
using Him as an interesting toy
to prove their independence.

And yet, despite of all their lies,
the tomb is still empty,
and the witness of God's mercy still lives,
passing from heart to heart,
life to life,
believer to believer.

Maranatha!

And a new one I wrote this morning:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.

Walking through the shadows,
A valley dark and deep,
It's hard to see a safety zone,
A place where I might sleep,
And yet I know you're with me,
You are my only light
When shadows seem like midnight,
Your touch will give me sight.

Walking through the shadows,
I cannot see ahead,
I do not know the pitfalls,
But I know where I am led.
You call me now to follow,
And follow you I try,
O lift me when I stumble,
O hear me when I cry.

Walking through the shadows,
In a land that's dark with pain,
Scarred with the hand of Eva's choice,
Scarred with the mark of Cain,
I think of how you loved enough
To walk our weary ways,
To taste our grief, to know our pain,
The dust of all our days.

Walking through the shadows
You felt the weight of sin -
One night in spring beneath the trees,
You took our darkness in,
Took it all the way to death,
And transformed the dark to light,
And called us all to follow you
To leave this angry night.

Walking in the shadows,
I am a pilgrim here,
And through your healing touch, O Lord,
I will not walk with fear,
For you are there beside me
To share this shadowed way,
And you will guide me steps at last
To where night cannot stay.

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