Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Artist William Blake's Depiction of The Ancient of Days

Once again I speak of my second grade Teacher, Miss Marcus, who taught us the Twenty-Third Psalm and old Hymn from the Pilgrim Hymnal, Come Thou Almighty King. That old hymn ends with a Name for God I had never heard before until I learned the song. It was in the closing phrase of the hymn..."Ancient of Days". I didn't know what it meant, but I REALLY loved the sound of it. I associated the Song, the Name, and the Book she held in her hands, all wrapped together in a beautiful, mystical, package, and it all got stored in my deepest memory.

A quarter-century later, I was working in a Church Supply and Book store when a Japanese Minister came in. In heavily accented, broken English, he asked the clerk for the "Piyagrimah Himaru". The clerk looked at him in perplexity and asked him what he meant. "The Piyagrimah Himaru," he struggled, "Wha kongagashunu youza to singu!"

Suddenly, the Song, The Name, and the Book in Miss Marcus's hands flashed though my mind in a vision.

"The Pilgrim Hymnal?" I asked cautiously.

"Hai! Hai!" The Minister gleefully said, a grin going from ear to ear. "Hai! The Piyagrimah Himaru!"

To this day, people wonder where I learned how to speak Japanese.

This little story shows us how teaching the very young is SO important. The Name "Ancient of Days" was not part of my family's faith tradition, but it is very much a part of America's heritage to learn about the Pilgrims, the Puritans, the Religious Separatists and others who came to America for Religious Freedom. It did not do harm to my Family's Faith for me to know that Wonderful Name, nor did I feel, at the time, that Miss Marcus was teaching us something contrary to my own religion.

As it was, Miss Marcus was Jewish, and the Pilgrim Hymnal was the book from the Congregational Church, but that didn't matter. What did matter was that she was sharing American Heritage with her students, and enriching us all.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH FOR
THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM!
And for the Preservation of the Valiant
Israeli Nation!

N the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

______________________________________________Daniel 7:1-14 (KJV)

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For ML In This Time Of Tribulation.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For the Repose of the Soul of ML's Mom.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For A Rapid Recovery For Our Own Yorkie.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For A Rapid Recovery For Our FRiend Uri'el2012.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For The Safety Of Our Gallant Troops And For The Success Of Their Vital Mission.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For The Repose Of The Souls Of Our Embassy Staff In Libya Who Were Assassinated 11 September 2012.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For The Deliverance Of Our Beloved Nation From The Lion’s Mouth.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For Our Brethren Of All Faiths Throughout The World Suffering Persecution.
We pray in particular on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya and throughout the Mideast. The members of the oldest of our Christian Communities, some of which date from the days of the Apostles, suffer under cruel, merciless and unrelenting persecution. They are Orthodox and Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical, Coptic, Pentecostal, and Baptist. To the persecutors, we are all "Nazarenes."

Adding my prayers. God bless.

(Wonderful stories you always have to tell us)

joining in prayer

Oh, that we would have more Miss Marcuses today. My third grade teacher Miss Martin invited our family to the First Baptist Church where I later that year was Saved and Baptized.