Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem(5/28/21)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 5/28/21 | left that other site

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Psalm 78

Psalm 78

A maskil[a] of Asaph.

1 My people, hear my teaching;
    listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget his deeds
    but would keep his commands.
8 They would not be like their ancestors—
    a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him.

9 The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
    turned back on the day of battle;
10 they did not keep God’s covenant
    and refused to live by his law.
11 They forgot what he had done,
    the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors
    in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and led them through;
    he made the water stand up like a wall.
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
    and with light from the fire all night.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness
    and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
    and made water flow down like rivers.

17 But they continued to sin against him,
    rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test
    by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God;
    they said, “Can God really
    spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
    and water gushed out,
    streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
    Can he supply meat for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
    his fire broke out against Jacob,
    and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
    or trust in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
    and opened the doors of the heavens;
24 he rained down manna for the people to eat,
    he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;
    he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind from the heavens
    and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
    birds like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
    all around their tents.
29 They ate till they were gorged—
    he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from what they craved,
    even while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God’s anger rose against them;
    he put to death the sturdiest among them,
    cutting down the young men of Israel.

32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
    in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
33 So he ended their days in futility
    and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;
    they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,
    that God Most High was their Redeemer.
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,
    lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal to him,
    they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;
    he forgave their iniquities
    and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger
    and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,
    a passing breeze that does not return.

40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
    and grieved him in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test;
    they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power—
    the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43 the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,
    his wonders in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood;
    they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,
    and frogs that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,
    their produce to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail
    and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
    their livestock to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,
    his wrath, indignation and hostility—
    a band of destroying angels.
50 He prepared a path for his anger;
    he did not spare them from death
    but gave them over to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,
    the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.
52 But he brought his people out like a flock;
    he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
    but the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
    to the hill country his right hand had taken.
55 He drove out nations before them
    and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;
    he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.

56 But they put God to the test
    and rebelled against the Most High;
    they did not keep his statutes.
57 Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,
    as unreliable as a faulty bow.
58 They angered him with their high places;
    they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
59 When God heard them, he was furious;
    he rejected Israel completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
    the tent he had set up among humans.
61 He sent the ark of his might into captivity,
    his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword;
    he was furious with his inheritance.
63 Fire consumed their young men,
    and their young women had no wedding songs;
64 their priests were put to the sword,
    and their widows could not weep.

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
    as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66 He beat back his enemies;
    he put them to everlasting shame.
67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
    he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
    Mount Zion, which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights,
    like the earth that he established forever.
70 He chose David his servant
    and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep he brought him
    to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
    of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
    with skillful hands he led them.

Footnotes

1. Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

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

This is a very long Psalm, and in some translations, is called "A Contemplation" of Asaph.

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 Who Art in Heaven,
Magnified and Sanctified is Your Most Holy Name!
Blessed Are You, Oh LORD, Our God,
King of The Universe,
Who has brought us to This Day.
For You Alone Are Worthy of Worship and Praise.
You Alone Are The One True God of Abraham,
The Ancient of Days
and The Rock of Our Salvation!
How we love You and Thank You Profoundly for Your faithfulness,
even when we are not faithful to You.

We Repent, Father, of allowing it to get this far,
Of Allowing Our Nation to Stray so Far From You,
Of Forgetting You,
Of Relying On Ourselves Instead of You for Our Sustenance,
Of allowing the media, Academia, Hollywood, and the Left to dictate to us
What is right and wrong,
Instead of Your Holy Word!
Of Slipping into complacency and forgetting You,
we are so sorry, LORD.

Let All That Has Been Concealed,
Be Revealed.

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 Beloved USA
We Ask That Your People 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 Tale of Two Small Businesses"

For many years, I have preferred small businesses to large chain stores. As I have been self-employed as a Musician and Teacher for nearly 40 years, I learned quickly that small business owners and contractors often work seven days a week and 10-12 hours a day.A big chunk of one's living space is also devoted to the business, and mealtimes are often dominated by sorting out receipts and 1099's, and returning phone calls. Nevertheless, there is something very liberating about being your own boss!

The pandemic has wreaked havoc with small businesses, especially in states like mine which imposed draconian restrictions. (These are going to be lifted this weekend! HUZZAH!). It is not all the fault of the PTB (Powers That Be) though. I submit that it is how one RESPONDS to the regulations (and customers) that have broken or preserved the small businesses of Massachusetts.

1 The Sports Bar: At first, all the restaurants and bars were closed. This particular Sports Bar, privately owned, not part of a chain, and a great place for Live Music, was a favorite of all my buddies in the area. They didn't pay much, but everyone like to play there because of the fun atmosphere and camaraderie. My friend Phil performed there weekly, with his two pre-teen boys on drums and keyboard. It was lovely. Then the governor shut the all the restaurants down.

The small-business owner responded by cordoning off a big area of his parking lot with Jersey Barriers, placing potted palms around the perimeter and putting all his tables outside. It was still early spring, so he erected a tent to cover the area. But it was cold out there, so he invested in propane heaters. The masked waitresses ran in and out of the building serving in the outdoor restaurant while Phil and his boys played Classic Rock in the crisp Spring Evenings. Summer came, the restrictions were still in place, the heaters were put away, and everybody looked forward to the restrictions being lifted. Autumn came, and then a Harsh New England Winter. No More Tent! So the small business owner installed plexiglass barriers indoors between the tables, and had to reduce the indoor capacity to half. Music was allowed indoors, but NO SINGING! Also, the space indoors was too cramped to allow adequate space between the musicians and the patrons, so NO MUSIC. The "15 Days to flatten the curve" had gone into an entire year. In spite of it all, the small business soldiered on, and hoped that by Spring, they could finally either set up the tent again (which they did) or be able to have music indoors again (which hasn't happened.) The point I am making is that this small business owner did everything legally possible to keep his customers coming back. For his incredible loyalty, outreach to customers, and remarkable business sense, I say, "WELL DONE!"

2. The Guitar Store Another small business, which was one of my favorites, sold everything from sheet music to Pro Audio Sound Systems. Part of my social life was going into that store, hanging out with the owner, talking shop, and playing the instruments. I recommended the store to all my students, bought all my equipment there, and even ordered sheet music there rather than on-line. I LOVED that place.

When the pandemic hit, the place was shut up tight with "Inner-City-Style" solid metal door and window security grates, and "shopping" by appointment only. Even with an appointment, one could not go INTO the store, but had to stand outside like a leper begging for alms. (I understand that the proprietor may have co-morbidities that could be dangerous, but so do I, and I can't imagine treating my customers like that!) Anyway, I really need some new equipment, and I thought that perhaps things had changed over there, so I went, but things have not changed. I was made to feel so "unclean" standing out there in the parking lot, masked, asking if I could POSSIBLY go in and try out the item I was looking for. I was told to "call back". I guess I will go to the Big-Box store and get what I want, or order it online. But I HATE buying an instrument that I haven't played. I probably won't get it at all. Oh Well.

The difference between these two small businesses is FEAR. The restrictions on the Sports Bar were far more severe than on the Retail Store, and yet the Sports Bar is flourishing, while the Retail Store has lost my business. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way. FEAR is crippling! It paralyzes a person so that he can't move forward.

Here are a few Scripture Portions about FEAR:

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Psalm 27:1 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?

and, finally:

2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

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

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

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

[DarthVader]

Amen !!! <><

Psalm 91

1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,*
2 will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.’
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,*
the Most High your dwelling-place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honour them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.

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Amen. Psalm 91 most certainly dovetails with today’s theme of the paralyzing effects of “FEAR”.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

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

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

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

[etabeta]

Joining in prayer. God bless.

[NEWwoman]

Great life lesson handling fear.

Joining in prayer, left that other site, for the Peace of Jerusalem and for our beloved America.

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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.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

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

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

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

[Jeanbl]

AMEN, joining together, united in prayer. And praying for our dear brothers and sisters who are looking to GOD for comfort during their times right now.

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

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

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

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

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Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

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

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

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