Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem(3/27/20)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 3/27/20 | left that other site

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

(Music in The Bible)

Psalms

Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
    when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars
    we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
    our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
    they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord
    while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
    may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
    my highest joy.

7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did
    on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down,” they cried,
    “tear it down to its foundations!”
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
    happy is the one who repays you
    according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
    and dashes them against the rocks.

New International Version (NIV)(End of Scripture Passage)

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The song starts out as a lament, and then turns into a cry of vengeance. It is a hard one to ponder.

New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed and Sanctified is Your Most Holy Name!
You Alone Are Worthy To Be Praised,
Holy and Righteous,
So Perfect in Justice and Purity,
Yet Abounding In Compassion and Love!

We Thank You For These Psalms,
Which Show The Deepest and Darkest Longings of Your People,
Those Emotions that exalt a People, and those that do not.
You made us to be Beautiful,
But we have a way of ruining that with sin.
Yet You Love us, even when we are depressed,
despondent, or even mean.

Father, even as we struggle with feelings of vengeance,
Remind us that we are not wrestling with Flesh and Blood,
But with spiritual entities that have been battling us for millennia.
Give us eyes that can see what is really going on,
so that we will know how to pray!
We ask for Your Grace to descend upon those who defend Your Name.

LORD, We Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Beseech You on Behalf of Our Captive Brethren,
Christians and Jews,
In Bondage in Hostile lands.

We Pray For Our President,
And other Leaders of Our Beloved USA
May They Receive Wisdom from You
To do the Right Thing.
We Pray For The Swift and Sure Coming of Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Establish His Kingdom,
and Make All Things Right.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.



Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

A lot of people remember the incident that I am about to relate. The funny thing is, a lot of people remember it differently, so I will relate the story as I recall it in an interview in a documentary from the protagonist himself. (Dates and other specifics are from Wikipedia, The Smithsonian, and The History Channel). Here we go:

During the early 1960's there was a revival of American Folk Music. Drawing from a vast reservoir of Blues, Ballads, Work Songs, Negro Spirituals (that was the correct term in those days), and Songs from The Great Depression, the movement briefly took Rock and Roll out of the top spot. Some of it was good music, and I learned to play guitar during this period.

One of the foremost leaders in this genre was Pete Seeger, who was a proud member of the American Communist Party. Unfortunately, this man had a way of using the music of America's growing pains to further his left wing agenda. He also had a way of promoting young artists under his wing, with the intention of using them to promote his political goals. One of these young artists was a poet from Minnesota named Robert Zimmerman. We know him as Bob Dylan, his stage name which became his identity. What Seeger failed to realize was that Bob was actually a "Simmer-Man". He had immense talent and desire simmering beneath the surface, just waiting to burst out. He was not going to be "used" to further someone else's agenda.

Anyway, on July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan took the stage at the Newport Folk Festival, a crowd of nearly 100,000. He plugged in an Electric Guitar (sacrilege!) and proceeded to blare a Hard-Rock version of "Maggie's Farm". (Now, the rest of this story is anecdotal, but Bob himself swears it is true.)

Pete Seeger, enraged by Bob's rebellion, grabbed a fire axe and was about to chop through the huge cables powering the stage, thus ending the performance. It also could have caused an explosion and fire that would have resulted in hundreds of deaths. Joan Baez, who was Bob's lover at the time, grabbed Seeger's hand and prevented disaster. Bob finished the song, the last line being a direct spiritual quote from Psalm 137:

He says, "Sing while you slave, but I just get bored.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.

Pete Seeger was Maggie, The Farm was "The Movement", and Bob Dylan wasn't going to be their "boy". This incident has become part of America's Musical History.

Another "Sing While You Slave" moment occurs in one of Mel Brooks' naughtiest movies that I will not name in the Religion Forum, but it was about the Wild West. OK...there is a Work Gang of Black Men building a railroad. The boorish White Overseers demand that they sing some (racial slur) Work Songs. The men immediately launch into perfectly blended harmony, crooning "I Get a Kick out of You" by Cole Porter.

"Sing While You Slave" is very much a part of human culture. I just finished reading a book about the Whaling Industry in early 19th Century Nantucket. Once again, the miserable conditions were accompanied by singing, this time while raising the anchor. The singing produced a rhythm that facilitated the hard work, but now singing "Sea Chanties" is yet another form of entertainment.

And so, we have this Psalm. The Lament is made up of three Stanzas of four lines each. The third Stanza is about retribution, but the first two are about music. The Jews have been conquered, kidnapped, and exiled to Babylon. Here, they are being ordered to sing and play their instruments for the amusement of their captors. The first Stanza sets the scene. They are being forced to "Sing While They Slave", but are so despondant that they have hung their instruments up on a tree. It is a fulfillment of Isaiah 24:8, "The Joyful Harp is Silent..."

The second Stanza actually speaks of the fate that the musicians wish upon themselves if they forget Jerusalem. The tongue (used for singing) cleaves to the roof of the mouth and is thus silent, the Right Hand, used for plucking the strings of the harp, forgets its skill. These two losses are the VERY WORST THING that can happen to a musician.

Music, when it lifts the spirit, glorifies God, alleviates suffering, provides therapy for the troubled, celebrates life, or even just makes one feel good, is a wonderful, powerful thing. When it is used to further an evil political agenda, cause distress, or oppress someone, it is still powerful, but very harmful.

Musicians have the power to heal or to inflict pain, to bless or to curse, to lighten or to oppress. With such power comes great responsibility. As someone who has been a performing artist since the age of three, believe me. I know.

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

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” " (Hosea 6:3, NIV)

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

[Pajamajan]

Amen. And thank you.

[etabeta]

My prayers always. God bless.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Pajamajan, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” " (Hosea 6:3, NIV)

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

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” " (Hosea 6:3, NIV)

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

[trisham]

Excellent, left that other site!

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

"Sing While You Slave"

Thank You, trisham, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” " (Hosea 6:3, NIV)

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

[trisham]

:)

[NEWwoman]

“Sing While You Slave”

Images of the first scene of “Oh, Brother, where art thou?” of the chain gang in the South.

Joining in prayer, left that other site, for the Peace of Jerusalem.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

"Sing While You Slave"

Thank You, NEWwoman, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” " (Hosea 6:3, NIV)

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

[luvie]

I did love that “unmentionable” movie. That was a great story about Dylan. AND that’s a beautiful psalm.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

"Sing While You Slave" in perfect harmony!

Thank You, LUV W, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” " (Hosea 6:3, NIV)

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

[Silentgypsy]

Amen and thank you.

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Silentgypsy, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” " (Hosea 6:3, NIV)

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

[ConorMacNessa]

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

"The Jews in Babylon"
Johann Heinrich Ferdinand Olivier (1785 – 1841)

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."

[Maudeen]

AMEN!

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, ConorMacNessa, For Your Prayers and beautiful Graphics For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” " (Hosea 6:3, NIV)

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

[left that other site]

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Maudeen, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” " (Hosea 6:3, NIV)

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

[Hiskid]

Amen