Election

Isaiah 49:25 (AMP)
Indeed, this is what the Lord says,

“Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the tyrant’s spoils of war will be rescued;
For I will contend with your opponent,
And I will save your children.

O God, contend with the strong man that oppresses the United States of America and holds its citizens captive. Contend with the demonic principality that is trying to influence this election. Save our children! Amen.

Devourer

Jeremiah 51:44a (HCSB)
I will punish Bel in Babylon.
I will make him vomit what he swallowed.

Malachi 3:10-11 (ESV)
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.

Our Father in heaven,
Our children have been devoured. Fifty-nine million babies have been aborted in the US since Roe v Wade in 1973.
Our wealth has been devoured. Our national debt is $19,000,000,000,000.
Our covenants are being devoured. The marriage rate in the US has hit a record low.
We cry out, Mercy, Lord, mercy!
Release Your wisdom to the Christians in the United States of America. Teach us how to war against the devourer. Teach us how to pray. Release a spirit of thanksgiving with tithes and offerings throughout the church. Rebuke the devourer for us!
We loose the holy angels that war against Baal, especially over Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We call forth the Gideons to pull down the altars of Baal. Amen.

Philadelphia, PA–Changing of the guard

In preparation for the national election, I am looking at our nation’s origins in Philadelphia, PA.–JW

The Swedes named their settlement New Sweden. They traded for furs with the Indians, planted wheat, rye, and tobacco, and built forts for defense.
However, the Dutch had previously established New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Though they had not settled the country, they did not like the prospering Swedish Colony. So they collected a little fleet with an army of about six hundred men and in 1655 set sail for the Delaware River. This was not a very large army, but the Swedes, not being strong enough to fight, gave up to the Dutch without firing a shot or striking a blow. They were left on their farms under the rule of Holland and the colony of New Sweden came to an end.
The English also claimed this region. In 1664 an English fleet appeared before New Amsterdam, took it without firing a gun, and named it New York. Then they sent two ships to the Delaware and took the settlement there also, but not until some Dutch soldiers had been killed and wounded. This was the first bloodshed in all the quarrels of the Europeans in that region.

<em>Numbers 35:33 (ESV)</em>
<strong>You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.</strong>

<em>Deuteronomy 21:1, 6-8 (ESV)</em>
<strong>“If in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess someone is found slain, lying in the open country, and it is not known who killed him . . .
And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall testify, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. Accept atonement, O Lord, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.’</strong>

Our Father in heaven,

How much blood has been shed along the Delaware River? As a descendant of European immigrants in America, I cry out for mercy. We have polluted the land of this great nation by spilling blood.

Lord, have mercy. Do not set the guilt of innocent blood in our midst. Help us, we pray.

The Lamb of God, Your Son Jesus Christ, died to atone for our sins in Philadelphia, PA. We cover the blood shed in sin that pollutes this land with His Blood shed in love. We cover the blood shed by European settlers against one another.

Accept atonement, O Lord, for our nation, especially Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whom you have redeemed. Do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Philadelphia.

As intercessors of the church, we declare “Love!” over Philadelphia. Amen.
<em>Ephesians 5:25-27</em>
The Swedes named their settlement New Sweden. They traded for furs with the Indians, planted wheat, rye, and tobacco, and built forts for defense.
However, the Dutch had previously established New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island. Though they had not settled the country, they did not like the prospering Swedish Colony. So they collected a little fleet with an army of about six hundred men and in 1655 set sail for the Delaware River. This was not a very large army, but the Swedes, not being strong enough to fight, gave up to the Dutch without firing a shot or striking a blow. They were left on their farms under the rule of Holland and the colony of New Sweden came to an end.
The English also claimed this region. In 1664 an English fleet appeared before New Amsterdam, took it without firing a gun, and named it New York. Then they sent two ships to the Delaware and took the settlement there also, but not until some Dutch soldiers had been killed and wounded. This was the first bloodshed in all the quarrels of the Europeans in that region.

Numbers 35:33 (ESV)
You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

Deuteronomy 21:1, 6-8 (ESV)
“If in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess someone is found slain, lying in the open country, and it is not known who killed him . . .
And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall testify, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. Accept atonement, O Lord, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.’

Our Father in heaven,

How much blood has been shed along the Delaware River? As a descendant of European immigrants in America, I cry out for mercy. We have polluted the land of this great nation by spilling blood.

Lord, have mercy. Do not set the guilt of innocent blood in our midst. Help us, we pray.

The Lamb of God, Your Son Jesus Christ, died to atone for our sins in Philadelphia, PA. We cover the blood shed in sin that pollutes this land with His Blood shed in love. We cover the blood shed by European settlers against one another.

Accept atonement, O Lord, for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whom you have redeemed. Do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Philadelphia.

As intercessors of the church, we declare “Love!” over Philadelphia. Amen.
Ephesians 5:25-27

Philadelphia, PA–the Swedes

In light of the upcoming national elections, I will be looking at our nation’s roots in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.–JW

The first permanent white settlement in Philadelphia was planted in the 1640s by the Swedes. The oldest church in Pennsylvania is Old Swedes’, formerly a Swedish Lutheran congregation. It is now an Episcopal congregation called Gloria Dei.

Isaiah 48:17-18 (NKJV)
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
Who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you by the way you should go.
Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!

“O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day. (Daniel 9:4-7, adapted)

Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

“O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. . . .

Are there any of Your laws that we in the church in America, including the Episcopal Church, have not broken? We have followed false gods, made false vows, misused Your name, forsaken the Sabbath, dishonored our parents, murdered, condoned abortion, committed adultery, accepted fornication, broken covenants, stolen, lied, and coveted. We have harbored unforgiveness and hatred in our hearts. We have not tithed. We have held slaves. We have been indifferent to the poor. We have engaged in usury. We have sued our fellow Christians in court. We have changed the covenant of marriage. We have not submitted to the authority of Your Holy Word. Lord, have mercy, for the church in America is an offense.

O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolations of the United States of America; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your children in the US who are called by the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus.”(Daniel 9:8-10,18-19, adapted)

Gloria Dei! To God be the glory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Amen.

Praise report

We have posted many prayers for neuropsychiatric illnesses. The ketogenic diet has been proven beneficial for pediatric epileptics. In addition, there are anecdotal reports of patients with migraine headaches and psychoses improving on the diet.

To God be the glory!

God’s throne

Revelation 4 (NIV)

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

Rainbow colors glittering,
Awe-filled elders seated ’round.
Lightning splits the atmosphere;
Rushing air completes the sound.

And the sea lies undisturbed.

Seeing creatures magnify—
Three-fold Holy! round the throne.
Overcome by glory’s weight,
Elders sing their praises prone.

Glory, honor, power, and worth
Is Yours, Creator, God of might.
By Your will we have our life.
By your word, we have this sight.

Jerusalem

A few weeks ago, handbills were passed out on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount (and left in other parts of “East Jerusalem”) warning Christians that they will be targets of destruction if they do not leave before the close of Ramadan, which is today.

Psalm 146:5,9b,10 New Living Translation
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
The Lord frustrates the plans of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.
Praise the Lord!

Our Father in heaven,

We pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
May all who love this city prosper.
O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls
and prosperity in your palaces.
For the sake of our family and friends, we will say,
“Peace be with you.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
we will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

O Father, You will be to Jerusalem a wall of fire all around and the glory in her midst. You, Lord God Almighty, frustrate the plans of the wicked. We bless Your holy name. Amen.

Psalm 122:6-9, Zechariah 2:5

Excellent article on Prayer & Fasting (Justin Taylor / John Piper)

I tweeted about this earlier today, but think this is a really important article, deserving of a blog post.   In the wake of the brutally horrifying video exposé of Planned Parenthood’s butchery of babies to sell their body parts, Justin Taylor at the Gospel Coalition has posted a great call to prayer & fasting, reminding us of the role of spiritual warfare in the face of such evil.  There are battles in our culture that we cannot win by logical argument or legislative effort.  The battle against the evil of abortion may well be one of them.

His article largely draws upon writings from John Piper’s great (must read!) book A Hunger for God.

 

“Fasting,” Piper writes, “comes in alongside prayer with all its hunger for God and says,

We are not able in ourselves to win this battle.

We are not able to change hearts or minds.

We are not able to change worldviews and transform culture and save 1.6 million children.

We are not able to reform the judiciary or embolden the legislature or mobilize the slumbering population.

We are not able to heal the endless wounds of godless ideologies and their bloody deeds.

But, O God, you are able!

And we turn from reliance on ourselves to you.

And we cry out to you and plead that for the sake of your name, and for the sake of your glory, and for the advancement of your saving purpose in the world, and for the demonstration of your wisdom and your power and your authority over all things, and for the sway of your Truth and the relief of the poor and the helpless, act, O God.  […]

I appeal to you to seek the Lord with me concerning the place of fasting and prayer in breaking through the darkened mind that engulfs the modern world, in regard to abortion and a hundred other ills.

This is not a call for a collective tantrum that screams at the bad people, “Give me back my country.”

It is a call to aliens and exiles in the earth, whose citizenship is in heaven and who await the appearance of their King, to “do business” until he comes (Luke 19:13).

And the great business of the Christian is to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31), and to pray that God’s name be hallowed and his kingdom come and his will be done in the earth (Matthew 6:9-10). And to yearn and work and pray and fast not only for the final revelation of the Son of Man, but in the meantime, for the demonstration of his Spirit and power in the reaching of every people, and the rescuing of the perishing, and the purifying of the church, and the putting right of as many wrongs as God will grant.

I join Piper in commending this practice to you. What looks foolish to the world (forgoing food to pray for the protection of the unborn) may look utterly foolish to the world, but it will be pleasing to the God who sees and rewards in secret.

Please read it all, and please pray in the face of the present darkness in our culture and world.

A Prayer Litany for the US this 4th of July Weekend – Kyrie Eleison

Via Twitter, I discovered the blog 364 Days of Thanksgiving, by Lutheran Pastor Andy Schroer.  Earlier in the week he posted an entry Kyrie Eleison with a prayer litany for the US as we head into our July 4th celebrations:

In light of recent events in our countryand as we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, I invite you to pray the Kyrie with me:

Almighty God, we pray today for our nation – a nation blessed by you, but also a nation divided, a nation marked by violence and racism, a nation stained by sin.

Lord, have mercy.

We pray for our government. Bless our president, congress and courts. Help them to act wisely and according to your will. When they don’t, in your mercy forgive them. Use us and others to speak out against injustice and sin, but also help us to respect the governing officials as your representatives.

Lord, have mercy.

We pray for the families of the victims of the massacre in Charleston, South Carolina. Give them the peace that only you can give. We thank you for the faith of those who died and the heaven they are now enjoying because of Jesus. We also pray for the shooter, Dylan Roof, and all those whose hearts are hardened by racism and hate. Help them to find in you forgiveness and love.

Lord, have mercy.

As our nation struggles with issues of sexuality and marriage, we ask you to bless the families of our land. Help husbands and wives to love each other as you have loved them. In your mercy, forgive our many sins against your gift of sexuality.

Lord, have mercy.

Be with the Christians of our land. Give us the courage to stand firm in your Word. Forgive us our pride and anger. Help us to speak your truth boldly and in love.

Lord, have mercy.

We ask all of these things knowing that we and our nation are unworthy of your love. Yet, trusting in your mercy and the forgiveness Jesus won for us, we pray:

Kyrie eleison.

The full entry is here.

A Call to Prayer – Fearless Faith in Turbulent Times

A great article by Scott Ward of  the ACNA Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.  Here’s an excerpt (bold added):

Several qualities that Daniel displayed seem very relevant and quite helpful to our present legal and cultural moment. First, Daniel lived with utter integrity at all times. His worst enemies knew that the only “weakness” they could use to attack him was actually a great strength – his faithfulness to God. “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.” (Dan. 6:5) (italics added). Second, Daniel perceptively discerned the ultimate objectives of the ruling legal authorities more accurately than the authorities themselves did, and he came up with creative ways to more effectively accomplish those objectives by remaining obedient to, rather than transgressing, the law of God, as Daniel chapter 1 recounts.  Third, Daniel and his friends had unwavering clarity about their priorities, even in the face of the idols of their age and no matter the cost. As Daniel’s three friends eloquently explained, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Dan. 3:17-18).

Most of all, Daniel had great faith in a great God – and he prayed like it. Daniel was wholeheartedly devoted to prayer. He prayed and gave thanks regularly throughout every day and he did so without regard to what others might think or do. Indeed, his primary response to hostile legal changes – changes specifically designed to use his faithfulness to God as a weapon against him – was simply to pray to God, just as he had always done. “Now when Daniel knew that the document [requiring that all people, on penalty of death, worship an idol of the present ruler] was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.”  (Daniel 6:10) (italics added). But Daniel not only prayed regularly, he engaged in deep, prolonged, fervent, humble intercessory prayer, repenting of his people’s sins and imploring God’s grace and mercy upon them. Daniel 9 recounts one example of Daniel’s prayers and of God’s powerful response.

Daniel saw that God is always at work at a much deeper level than we can understand or even see. Daniel also found that God alway works powerfully for the glory of His Name and for the ultimate good not only of those who trust in Him now, but also of those who will come to trust in Him in the future, often as a direct result of the faithfulness of His people.

May we all follow Daniel’s example in engaging in regular and deep prayer for our nation, humbling confessing and repenting of our sins and fervently imploring God to pour out His mercy, forgiveness, and grace through His Holy Spirit on our culture. […]  And may we all, like Daniel, have a great faith in a great God Who does great things for the good of all who will trust in Him. 

Read it all

It was written PRIOR to the Supreme Court decision on marriage, but it still remains extremely relevant.  Prayer is needed now more than ever.

 

A Prayer Litany for Marriage from the ACNA college of bishops

The ACNA bishops today released a unanimous statement on the Supreme Court’s decision re: same sex marriage.  You can read the full statement here.

At the end they issue a call to prayer, and include a wonderful litany for marriage.  I urge all of our readers to print this out and pray it regularly.

Today there is no place for either triumphalism or despair, so we prayerfully and sincerely urge a spirit of charity by all. We speak out of a concern for the consequences that our people and our neighbors will suffer from an unjust and unwise decision by five justices of the Supreme Court. We call those justices to repentance, even as we echo Jesus’ words, praying for God the Father to forgive them, for they know not what they have done.

We call our people to a season of prayer for marriage and offer the accompanying Litany and Prayer to guide us.

A Litany for Marriage

We thank you, heavenly Father, for graciously creating us in your image, male and female, and for ordaining

that a man and woman shall be joined as one flesh in the covenant of marriage.

We thank you, O Father.

We thank you for the gift and heritage of children and for placing them in homes which may be havens of

blessing and peace.

We thank you, O Father.

We thank you for the love between fathers and mothers and sons and daughters that binds together the

generations and undergirds our country’s social fabric.

We thank you, O Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, divine Bridegroom, we repent for all the situations in which we have dishonored the

covenant of marriage through selfishness or unfaithfulness.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We repent as a Church where we have failed to prepare our children for holy matrimony, or to care for those

who are widowed, divorced or single.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We repent where as citizens we have become complacent and neglected the defense of marriage in the public

square.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

We pray you, Holy Spirit, to restore marriage to its due honor in our country and to revive our marriages and

families as emblems of your love.

Deliver us by your grace and power.

We pray you to strengthen our bishops and other leaders as they join with faithful churches to make a strong

God-honoring defense of your design for marriage.

Deliver us by your grace and power.

We pray you to have mercy on those who have promoted false teaching about marriage and on those who

have been led astray and harmed by it.

Deliver us by your grace and power.

Grant us courage, O Triune God, to hold fast to the truth of your Word, and give grace to those who are

counted worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his

glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and

authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25).

A Prayer for Marriage

Almighty God our heavenly Father, you have created us male and female in your image and have ordained that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. Look down in mercy, we pray, on our families, our church and our nation. Knit together in constant affection those who, in Holy Matrimony, have been made one flesh. Turn the hearts of the parents to the children, the hearts of the children to the parents, and the hearts of all to those who are single or alone. Finally, grant that your Church may steadfastly defend the unchangeable bond of marriage which embodies the mystery of Christ’s love for us; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever.

Ramadan Resources – help in praying for and reaching out to Muslims

This post will remain at the top of the blog during Ramadan.  Look for new entries below.

Ramadan has started today for most Muslims around the world.  It is a month when even many non-devout Muslims devote themselves to greater prayer and study in hopes of earning God’s favor and drawing closer to him.

I invite all our readers to also pray earnestly in this month – to pray for spiritual awakening among Muslims.  That the eyes of their hearts would be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ and that their hearts would be softened to repent and choose to follow Him.  May the scales fall from their eyes, and may the lies of Islam that bind them be broken. 

Pray too for Christians reaching out to Muslims during this month, for obedience, discernment, fruitfulness, and protection, as for Christians living in Muslim lands it can be an intense and very draining month.

Below are MANY great resources to help you pray for Muslims during this month.  I’ll update this from time to time as I find additional materials.

We’ll hope to post quite a lot of prayers for Muslims throughout Ramadan.  You’ll find all those entries with the Ramadan 2015 tag

Elisabeth Elliot’s Daily Prayer (as a prayer card)

I turned the prayer by Elisabeth Elliot which I posted the other day into a prayer card that I could print out and paste up by my desk.  I hope it’s a blessing to many.

The photo is my own work and I give free permission for others to copy and share it without restriction, although credit to Lent & Beyond (@AnglicanPrayer) would always be appreciated.

May my life be a living sacrifice – a prayer for each morning by Elisabeth Elliot

In memory of Elisabeth Elliot, a wonderful mentor & example who died yesterday, a great prayer that she wrote and shared with many over the years:

Loving Lord and Heavenly Father I offer up today all that I am, all that I have, all that I do, and all that I suffer, to be Yours today and Yours forever. Give me grace, Lord, to do all that I know of Your holy will. Purify my heart, sanctify my thinking, correct my desires. Teach me, in all of today’s work and trouble and joy, to respond with honest praise, simple trust, and instant obedience, that my life may be in truth a living sacrifice, by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, my Master and my all. Amen.

from here.

****

Update:

For more background on this prayer, here’s an archived version of the transcript of one of Elisabeth Elliot’s radio broadcasts where she talks about why she wrote this prayer and what it has meant in her life.

 

 

A prayer for diligence in studying Scripture and strength to obey

This WONDERFUL prayer was posted by Trevin Wax at his blog over the weekend.  It really resonates with me.  So often I assume I can search and understand the Scriptures in my own strength instead of relying on the Holy Spirit. 

May Your Spirit, O Christ,
lead me in the right way,
keeping me safe from all forces of evil and destruction.
And, free from all malice,
may I search diligently in Your Holy Word
to discover with the eyes of my mind Your commandments.
Finally, give me the strength of will
to put those commandments into practice
through all the days of my life.

– Bede, 673-735