July 8 You are our Hope

“Be merciful to me, Lord…O Lord, heal me.”  Father, there have been times when not only my body, but my soul have been sick with grief, with fear, with frustration.  There are times when I do not understand why such bad things happen to good, seemingly innocent people and children.

Or why tragedies come: floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, pandemics!  Such devastation is hard to watch as the suffering and loss is personalized in the news.  And that doesn’t even include man’s inhumanity to man as I hear about injustice, shootings and bombings and the violent plans of bloodthirsty men.

As hard as all this is to take in, there are the invisible tragedies as well.  These are the spiritual disasters that occur when people are deceived and led away from You into lives of confusion and sin.  As I see hate and mistrust grow in my family, community and nation I wonder where it will end.  How bad can it get O Lord, before You come and deliver?

I see children rebelling, pulling away from the godly way their parents have raised them.  When will they come to their senses Lord?

I see young people swayed into immoral lifestyles by the social tolerances of the day.  What one generation has allowed in moderation, the next has taken to excess.

Greed runs rampant.  Self is exalted.  Consequences are non-existent.  But the spiritual cost is beyond measure.

While it all looks fun on the outside, many of these people are tortured in their personal life.  They are trapped in a web of self-doubt and pain, discontented with life.  The more they seek to satisfy “self” the more dissatisfied and confused they are.

The further away they get from Your truth, the more lost and unable to even recognize truth they become

“How long, O Lord, how long?  Turn and deliver; save because of Your unfailing love.”

Your love and deliverance are the only hope.   For my family, my community, my nation.

Father, turn the hearts of sons back to fathers.  “Open the eyes “of those who have been drawn away from You, “and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to You, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in You.”

“Father, hear my cry for mercy.  Accept my prayer.”  I long for and wait for the time when all Your enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; and will turn back in sudden disgrace.”  And You will be remembered and worshipped as the One True God.  In my family.  In my nation.  In the world.

I need, we need Your mercy Father.  And Your healing.  Thank You that You hear my cry, and answer.  Amen

Acts 26:18; Psalm 6:1-10

May 6 FAITH = things hoped for but not yet seen

Lord, may my faith be like that of the royal official.  He asked for You to come and heal his child who was close to death.  You simply told him “Go, your son will live.”  And he took You at Your word and left.

Even before he saw it with his own eyes, the circumstances proved that You did what You said You would do.  They even revealed that it happened exactly when You spoke!

Father, help me trust in You and what You tell me, even when I can’t see the results immediately.   When it is not in front of my eyes and the doubt of the world pushes in, don’t let my faith waver.  When it doesn’t seem to be happening quick enough let me be patient and trust that Your timing is perfect.

We are having to wait on so many things right now.  In this pandemic, we are praying for healing and good health and jobs, and normalcy to return.  And we cannot see what life will look like in another week or month.

Reminds me of an old country hymn.  Part of the lyrics say:

“Take Him at His word when it’s not lookin’ good,

believe that He’ll do what He said that He would…’”

I believe.  Amen

John 4:43-54