Job 12:10Please pray with me:
10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for each day of life that You give us. You are the Giver of Life. Thank You for all that You have placed on this earth to sustain us. Your creation provides beauty and inspiration. The colors of flowers, the sky, the multitude of fruits and vegetables, available here in the U.S. —they all bring us delight. The sounds of the wind, the birds, and the rain; the fragrance of flowers and smell of savory food —all testify of Your magnificent care and provision for us.
Father, You did not intend for us to manage death and disease. Vegetables decay and food spoils. Our bodies decline and illness and disease comes upon us. In the midst of our lives we struggle with death. It is all around us.
We strive to prolong our lives and avoid the inevitability of death. Yet, when death seems inevitable, many people consider euthanasia. Although we did not give ourselves life, we somehow believe that we have the right to take it. We want to be in control rather than yield it over to You. Forgive us.
We wish to avoid all that is unpleasant. We no longer seem to find value in suffering and pain. We strive to dismiss that stuggle, pain, emotional and physical, has value. Didn't You order that women would struggle and have pain in childbirth? Jesus, You did not avoid Your mission to die that we might live. You did not avoid the emotional and physical pain that was necessary that we might be saved. Thank You.
Hebrews 12:2Father, getting old, managing disease and illness is a challenge. We lose our functionality and find ourselves in embarrassing situations. We struggle to maintain our dignity. We see that our actions impact the lives of others and don't want to be a bother.
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Yet, You have provided. You give us grace to withstand the suffering. You give us comfort and strength to endure what life brings. Forgive us for wanting to be in control, especially when You have proven that You can do such a better job. Forgive us for dismissing the value of suffering, when You, Lord Jesus Christ, suffered cruelly for our sake. Forgive us for not trusting You with our life, when You gave Yours for our sake.
Here in the U.S. we consider and are now in the process of bringing euthanasia as an acceptable part of our society. We call it "Death with Dignity" to disguise that we are really pretending to be You. Forgive us. To justify our decision, as a nation, we are in the process of changing our laws. Somehow we believe that our laws are aligned with Your laws. Somehow we have elevated our own desires and conveniences to be expressed through our legal system. Forgive us.
Father, we need clarity. We need Your path and Your Word to prevail. Abortion has become legal and now we push for euthanasia. Is it all out of convenience? Raise up spokespersons, who will speak Truth regarding Life. May pastors and preachers openly preach that You are the Author of life. Open hearts of people to hear Your Word, Your Truth.
As judges continue to make decisions on these critical issues, may they rule in righteousness as You have defined it. May their thinking align with Your values. Where we have been complacent, may we rise up. Where we have put our convenience before Your values; please forgive us. Turn us around. Cause us to seek You diligently.
Forgive us for taking the value of life into our own hands. Show us the path to align our laws with Your Word.
In Jesus’ Name.
***These prayers are based on the encouragement and guidance from Intercessors for America. These prayers are my own and the content does not reflect the philosophy or policies of Intercessors for America. These are published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Please consider joining this army of prayer warriors. Consider visiting their website to learn more. http://ifapray.org/
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