Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem(4/14/23)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 4/14/23 | left that other site

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Luke 1

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

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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.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Almighty Father,
Blessed Be Your Holy Name Forever!
Blessed Are You,
Oh LORD, Our God,
King Of The Universe,
Who Has given us this Day,
This Moment, and Has Brought us Together for Your Purpose.
We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise into the House of The LORD,
For You Alone Are Worthy,
You Alone Are LORD,
You Alone Are The One True God.
If the People will not sing Your Praises,
The very Rocks of the Earth would break forth in song to Praise You,
Oh Father,
Creator, LORD of All!

Let all that has been Concealed
Be Revealed.

Father, We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Pray That You Will Forgive The Sins
of Our Own Nation,
and Lead us all to Godly Repentance.
Create in Us Clean Hearts, Oh LORD,
and Renew a Right Spirit Within Us.

This we Pray Together,
As We Await Your Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Set Up His Kingdom,
And Make All Things Right.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Luke 1

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

_______________________________________________________

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.

The prologue of a very silly movie chronicles the decline of mankind due to the "Intellectuals" limiting their families or not having children at all. Meanwhile, the uneducated and marginalized people have exponential numbers of children, thus devolving society into an Idiocracy. It was, of course, a Science Fiction movie, and the humor in was rude and slapstick in nature, but there was a tragic element of truth underlying the foolishness. At some time, between the Baby Boom and Today, it became fashionable for the "Intelligentsia" to either limit their families or eschew them altogether. As a result, Populations worldwide have gone below the "Replacement Level" and whole nations are in decline because of it.

In Biblical times, infertility was looked upon as a sign of disfavor from God. In the prevailing culture, sons and daughters would continue the Family, and Genealogies were treasured.

The New Testament starts out with the Genealogy of Jesus, and who can forget all the "Begats" in the Old Testament?

The Book of Luke starts out describing a priestly family, of the division of Abijah, and descendants of Aaron. You will remember from the Book of Exodus that Aaron was Moses's elder brother, who was designated High Priest by God.

Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth were decent, good people but they had an ache in their lives that was now too late to fix. They were childless.

The priests served in rotation according to their family divisions. During that rotation, one man was chosen by lot to go into the Inner Temple and offer incense on the altar. Since it was by lot, some priests spent their whole lives without ever getting the privilege.

That year, the lot fell to Zachariah, and it may have been the only time in his life that this would happen. Even if it were the only time, I am sure he never expected to come face-to-face with an Archangel. His first reaction was absolute TERROR. The first words of the Archangel are the same for every such encounter in the Bible: "FEAR NOT".

Then the Archangel Gabriel prophecies that Zachariah and Elizabeth will have a son in their old age, who will come in the Spirit and Power of Elijah and be the Forerunner to The Messiah. Zachariah's answer is a little insulting, considering the fact that he is talking to an Archangel in the Inner Sanctum of God's Holy Temple. He is looking at his and his wife's aged bodies and applying worldly knowledge to his answer. After all, the Archangel Gabriel isn't being "Scientific"! Everybody KNOWS that a woman past "The Change" can't get pregnant.

And yet, Zachariah, a priest, a descendant of Aaron, should have known better. This exact thing had happened to Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Rachel. The Prophet Samuel and the Judge Samson were both born of "infertile" women. This was obviously the God of Israel's MO. But, instead of falling on his face with joy and thanksgiving, Zachariah gave Gabriel an argument!

Why God does this kind of thing is a mystery. But He is Omniscient and we are not. How many times do we, when presented with a miracle, say, "that's Impossible!" or, "That's not Scientific!" or even, "That's just a COINCIDENCE!"

Some people have told me that I "spiritualize everything", and some things "just happen".

But, rather than let doubt creep into my interpretation of life's events, I would rather see it as God's Work rather than "Coincidence".

If I am in error, at least I will be erring on the side of Faith.

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.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[etabeta]

My prayers always. God bless.

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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.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[DarthVader]

Amen !!! <><

Psalm 28

Of David.

1 To you, O Lord, I call;
my rock, do not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me,
I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication,
as I cry to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
towards your most holy sanctuary.*

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who are workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbours,
while mischief is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to their work,
and according to the evil of their deeds;
repay them according to the work of their hands;
render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord,
or the work of his hands,
he will break them down and build them up no more.

6 Blessed be the Lord,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.

8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people, and bless your heritage;
be their shepherd, and carry them for ever.

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, DarthVader, For Your Prayers and Wonderful Psalm 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.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[NEWwoman]

Amen, left that other site

***At some time, between the Baby Boom and Today, it became fashionable for the “Intelligentsia” to either limit their families or eschew them altogether.***

I thought of Ian Flemming’s “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” where they tell a tale of children banned in the country of Vulgaria.

Joining in prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and for our beloved America.

[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.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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I never read “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, but I suppose it will be edited by the current “Powers That Be”, just as they redacted Ian’s other books...The James Bond Series.

[NEWwoman]

I saw the movie. But years later I realized the author of the book was the same one who wrote James Bond! That explains the “Bang Bang”

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Ah!

That Explains It.

[TianaHighrider]

Thank you and prayers up

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, TianaHighrider, 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.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Hiskid]

Amen

[left that other site]

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.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Jeanbl]

AMEN!!! thank you. Joining in prayer.

[left that other site]

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.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS