Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Dear Father In Heaven,
How Hallowed is Your Most Wonderful Name!
We Love You With Our Whole Heart
With Our Whole Soul
With Our Whole Strength
And With Our Whole Being.
You Alone Are Worthy of Worship
You Alone Are The One True Holy and Righteous God.
Rock of All Ages,
Our Creator,
You Have Made Us,
and All That Is.

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

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

The Names and Titles of God (The First and The Last) Revelation 1:17

17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

King James Version

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There are lots of "Doctor Shows" on TV, from "Dr. Kildare" through "ER", " St. Elsewhere", "House", MASH", and "China Beach". The characters run the gamut, from compassionate Dr. Marcus Welby to Sarcastic Hawkeye to Cranky Dr. House. Shows have come and gone, and some of them had memorable opening titles and catchy theme songs. However, the opening title I remember most vividly was the one for the drama Ben Casey.

Like the Hand, writing on the Wall in the Book of Daniel, a hand writes a series of symbols on a blackboard. A male voice tells us that they are the symbols for "Man, Woman, Birth, Death, and Infinity".

For some reason that opener stayed with me , even though I had NO idea what it meant or why it was the opener for the Medical Drama. It wasn't until I had to write my own Progress Notes in a teeny tiny space allotted to me on a Patient Record (I was a Recreational Therapist in a Nursing Home) that I learned the practicality and efficiency of these symbols. There were other symbols, and I still use the ones for "With" and "Without" when I am making notes to myself (especially for this U2 Song!)

One of the symbols I have never had occasion to use is the one for INFINITY. Man and Woman I know. Birth and Death I know. But Infinity is something I just can't grasp. The symbol looks like a sideways "8". It has no beginning or end. When I see the symbol, I am reminded of the day in 1973 I rode my motorcycle to the Quincy RMV to get my Motorcycle License. I didn't have my Automobile license at the time, so this was going to be my only vehicle license: "MOTORCYCLES ONLY".

I had already aced the "Rules of the Road" to get my permit, and then practiced for months on the cobblestone and trolley-tracked streets of Jamaica Plan to perfect my riding skills.

The officer came out to the Parking Lot to do the driving test. He didn't seem to want to give me a license, or maybe he was just having a hard day. Whatever. He asked me to ride ten tight Figure Eights in direction, then reverse the direction and do ten more. It was a nice smooth parking lot, much nicer than the streets I had practiced on, and I got into the rhythm of the exercise...I did the ten, and then ten more, but I didn't know how to come out of it. A Figure Eight has no beginning or end. It just goes around and around and around.

"ALRIGHT ALREADY! You Passed!" yelled the officer over the roar of my engine. He signed the paper and I got my license. Now I could legally ride at night or carry a passenger (not that I wanted to carry a Klingon, but I could if I wanted to!) I didn't get an Automobile license till around 1975.

From the very First Line in the Torah (Alef-Tav) to the Last Chapter in the Christian Bible (The Alpha and the Omega) God tells us of His Infinity. It is a concept we can symbolize, but do we really understand it? The Figure Eight is hardly adequate. God has no beginning or end, yet He IS The Beginning and the End, the Alef-Tav, The Alpha and the Omega, and the First and the Last.

Once again, God allows some of His Attributes to show up in His Creation. It is generally accepted that wolves (and other animals) have a hierarchy which is dominated by an "Alpha". But did you know that studies have shown that there is another member of the pack, whose role is just as important as the Alpha's. This is the one at the END of the hierarchy, called the "Omega". This animal takes the blame when things go wrong, gets "punished" for things he didn't do, and, generally provides a peaceful outlet for the tensions in the pack.

It would seem to be counter-intuitive, but the Omega is just as important as the Alpha.

Once again, it is an imperfect comparison, but it does give us a little insight into the Character of Jesus. He is without Beginning or End. He is the Ruler over All Creation. He is the High Priest but He is also the Sacrificial Lamb. He is the Mighty King, but He is also the Suffering Servant.

He is The First, the Last, and Infinity, all in One.

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

For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. (Mark 4:22)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS