It's deeper than gun control...the prayers of one sinner

***It's deeper than gun control...prayers of one sinner

Please pray with me:

Heavenly Father,
The blame game is in full swing. The Second Amendment pros and cons are screaming from the rooftop. The second agendas are in full bloom, full swing and full voice. Yet, You are God. Thank You. You see the beginning from the end.

You are a God of justice. You love our children, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, teachers, first responders ...much more than we do...more than we can fathom. You too grieve at the loss at Parkland High, Sandyhook Elementary, Columbine High School...truly not one of them has escaped Your notice.

In the midst of our grief, You are the God who knows our sorrows. You are the God who hears our cry. We are sick at the Parkland shooting...as yet again we see more senseless loss of life. Families are forever changed.

Thank You that You never change.

Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I change not;

We are consumed with our grief and we likely do not stop to see Your grief. I'm sorry. You suffer deep loss as well.

Psalm 127:3
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

We want to blame...we need a scapegoat:
I'm so sorry, but not much has changed from the beginning of time.

Genesis 3:12
“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

Forgive us. We are so distraught that we want to lash out and blame anyone, anything, anybody that we see in our path. We join together, we band together with anyone who will stand with us—or allow us to stand with them. We point our finger, and join in the chant...at whatever comes our way. In this case, the obvious scapegoat is gun-control.

We don't know how to draw the line:
Father, we are so distraught that we could not stand it, if we realized that indeed, we are the problem. We are to blame. We can not bear to consider that we are guilty, we are at fault.

Yet, if we truly want to solve this problem, we must find the strength and the courage to look deep inside of us and realize that this matter began many, many years ago...when we turned from the safety of Your Word. We turned from Your guidance and determined that we have the answers.

Your Word clearly tells us how to draw the line. Yet, we have determined that we know better. We pushed Your Word out of our schools. WE decided that WE know better.

Forgive us. Have mercy on us. Grant us wisdom and strength to return to Your Word and find the lines that You set before us. Grant us the realization that You did this for our safety and for the safety of our children. We cannot find truth by ourselves. We cannot find the line by ourselves. We need Your help.

Help us to realize that we instigated these changes and help us to connect the dots to see the ramifications of taking control into our own hands without Your guidance.

We are a nation in rebellion:
Father, we refuse to draw the line in accordance with Your Word. Without Your guidance, mental illness has run rampage. Self-control has no boundaries.

The list goes on, and we refuse to take ownership that we have set up the circumstances that allow this horrible situation to perpetuate.

We pushed You out of the schools.
We put laws in place to support the killing of unborn children.
We have undermined Your definition of family.

Clearly, we don't know how to draw the line.

We indulge ourselves without regard for the consequences. And when the ugly consequences loom before us, we blame someone, or something else. We hold ourselves as righteous.

Forgive us. Cpen our eyes that we may turn our hearts to You. Strengthen our hearts to take responsibility for our actions. Grant us wisdom to find the line, and adjust our laws in a way that secures our land.

Help Lord,

That we may be found sober, diligent, and faithful in the day of His coming,

In Jesus' Name,



Intercessors For America offers a variety of helpful resources to pray about pro-life issues: daily devotionals, prayer bookmarks, and special reports.

Please consider these prayers for the revival of our nation:
For the U.S.
For the Sanctity of Life
Disaster Recovery Prayers
For the Trump Administration
For Leaders and Decision Makers
For Pastors, especially in the U.S.

***This prayer is my own and the content does not reflect the philosophy or policies of any organization. It is inspired by the Intercessors for America newsletter. Learn more and consider joining this incredible organization, that is committed to praying for America.

For assistance in understanding God's Word, consider the Derek Prince Legacy Radio podcasts. These and other free and life-changing resources can be found at https://www.derekprince.org/.

For encouragement and guidance to pray for our nation, please consider being a part of Intercessors for America. Join this army of prayer warriors. Consider visiting their website to learn more. http://ifapray.org/

Parkland School Shooting...prayers of my heart

***Parkland School Shooting...prayers of my heart Please pray with me:

Heavenly Father,

We are sick at the Parkland shooting. Yet again, the senseless loss of life. Families are forever changed. Thank You that You never change.

Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I change not;

For the families:
Father, the grief of each family is beyond my understanding. We don't know the last words spoken to their children or their husband as they parted on that morning. What were the words of siblings to each other, parents to their children, children to their parents? ...exchanges between spouses? You know O God.

These are words that will live on in their minds for the rest of their lives. They are changed forever. Have mercy on them. Do the impossible...comfort them. Grant them peace—even if they don't want it. We need a miracle.

For the surviving students, teachers, officials, and administration:
Father, You know each heart. You know each thought and You alone understand. Nothing escapes You.

Psalm 139:2
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

Surely, there is no way for us to understand. There is no way to make it make sense. Yet, we cannot help ourselves as we engage on ceaseless thoughts to try to work through it. It is not possible. We need You. We need the peace that passes understanding...yet, in our grief, we cannot even desire peace. There is no way to make sense of these killings. Have mercy O God.

There are many images and sounds that are etched in the minds of everyone involved here. Images and sounds of horror: the dead, groans of the wounded and dying. The sound of bullets. The screams of friends. The orders of the law enforcement, sobs of friends and family; some with the relief of knowing their loved one is alive, and the angst of those who have been stripped of a loved one, a brother or sister, a friend and classmate, a teacher, a parent, a spouse.

Truly, this is the sound of horror.

Today, Father, the sound of terror and horror screams in the silence of the minds of everyone involved and perhaps in the minds of those of us who look from afar. There is so much brokenness, that it is hard to even conceive of healing. We are in shock. We need You.

Please send those who can help to manage this situation. Pour out the right words, or no words at all. Pour out understanding, discernment. Only You know what would help. Father, I can not think of anything that would help. But You are the perfect God of grace. Touch this situation.

Father, there are many broken hearts. Rise up and touch the many.

Psalm 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

You promise to bring good out of every situation for those who love You and are called by You for Your purpose. Only You know how this is possible in this situation. The brokenness is inconceivable. Father, send those that love You and are called. They are needed. Open their mouths and hearts. Give them a presence that can assure others that You are there in this incredible time of need.

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

For the law enforcement officers:
Father, these men and women have put aside their feelings and inclinations to subdue this shooter. This was their task after seeing the carnage that this person left in his path. Thank You for their training and self control. Thank You for their quick action to save others and to bring the situation under control. Thank You for these men and women who choose this profession despite the negativity and the harm that surrounds them.

For the shooter:
I ask for special grace for this young man, who lost his father and recently lost his mother...who has no semblance of belonging. Salvage this soul. Please bring a testimony that will speak of Your uncompromising righteousness and salvation for all who believe on Jesus Christ and His atonement for our sin. May many lives be saved through this incident.

For recovery:
Father, how will this young man recover? Does he have family? How will the families of the victims recover? Only You know. What can be salvaged for him. I cannot conceive of how this man can move forward. Father, can this man be a wake-up call to this nation that the problem is not gun control. We have lost our love of life and have made this kind of an act acceptable. Yet, YOU are the God of life. I ask for everyone here to be surrounded by forgiveness. This sounds so cheap and shallow. It sounds dismissive. Yet, I ask that people can draw close to You and find forgiveness for themselves as well. They need a miracle. We all need a miracle.

For those that blame:
Father, there is so much blame going on. We blame gun control; we blame President Trump; we blame law enforcement. We blame the administration. We blame those who thought there might be a problem and didn't act. We put blame everywhere that we can see. Yet we haven't visited the mirror.

We do not want to go to the truth that we are to blame. Your church is to blame! We have not done our part to take back this nation. It has gotten out of hand and Your church has not prayed against the insidious moral decay that has taken our land out from under us!

We are the ones that know that the battle is NOT against flesh and blood! We are the ones who know that it is not about the gun laws, President Trump, Congress...or anything else that is about flesh and blood!

What's worse is that You have given Your church the weapons to fight the unseen enemy.

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Yet, we do not want to face this. Father, You know what it will take for Your church to rise up and take back that which You have given us in this nation...utilizing the weaponry that You have provided. Please awaken Your church to repent and to do our part.

May this incident cause us to rise up as the soldiers You have called to "occupy" until You come (Luke 19). Raise us up O God, Change our hearts.

...that we may found faithful in the day of Your coming,

In Jesus’ Name.

Please consider these prayers for the revival of our nation:
For the U.S.
For the Sanctity of Life
Disaster Recovery Prayers
For the Trump Administration
For Leaders and Decision Makers
For Pastors, especially in the U.S.

***This prayer is my own and the content does not reflect the philosophy or policies of any organization. It is inspired by the Intercessors for America newsletter. Learn more and consider joining this incredible organization, that is committed to praying for America.

For assistance in understanding God's Word, consider the Derek Prince Legacy Radio podcasts. This and other free and life-changing resources can be found at https://www.derekprince.org/.

For encouragement and guidance to pray for our nation, please consider being a part of Intercessors for America. Join this army of prayer warriors. Consider visiting their website to learn more. http://ifapray.org/

For the love of Jesus, and the reality of hope through Him

***For the love of Jesus, and the reality of hope through Him..the prayers of my heart

Please pray with me.

Havenly Father, My heart is heavy as I survey the news. This nation seems to be bereft of sanity.

Confession:
The news reads like Sodom and Gomorrah, Babylon, Corinth. We have such confusion about gender, and whether unborn babies are actually live people. Has extortion become commonplace? Government, business, marriages, schools...it seems so.

Women are being extorted by men and companies. Women are extorting men such that it is impossible to know who has suffered loss and who is wielding power through the social media.

You know. You are Truth. We need You.

Greed seems to have spread like those California fires. Every opportunity to make money has been seized. Greed for money and power, and a need to dominate has reached into the depth of our very society. Discussion has gone by the wayside at every level.

Father, the fabric of this society is imploding. Have mercy.

Division has permeated everything. We are divided about race, gender, marriage...these are the foundation of our society and how we identify ourselves. We are divided in our politics, our leadership...the expression of our identity as a nation.

Father, society as a whole is collapsing. Have mercy.

Praise:
Praise to God who is merciful! You are the God who knows. You are omniscient. You see, You care, You are the God of Justice and of mercy. Have mercy on us. We are feeble and like sheep, we have gone astray.

You are the God who came and lived among us. Thank You, for You know our challenges and understand us. You are privy to the conversations we have with ourselves and with each other. There is nowhere to hide from You. Thank You.

You are sovereign and Your goodness is everlasting. Your justice will not be withheld forever. Have mercy O God of mercy.

Petittion:
Bring reasonability to this land. Move in our hearts. We cannot pull this apart. I ask that You lead and guide us to make Your will known and to give us a heart to do Your will.

For pastors and the Body of Christ.
You have given power and authority to the Body of Christ. Yet it is not preached from the pulpits. May that change. May pastors be convicted to talk about sin. May they be fearless and place the message of Your heart for each congregation before them. Father, call Your church to arise. Call us to rise up and speak the Gospel to those around us.

For politicians and for President Trump:
Father, may there be focus on collaboration and finding solutions. Dismiss the spirit of dissension, of un-reason-able-ness. Show us how to rid ourselves of the hatred that seems to demand a voice.

Our President, Vice President need "the wisdom that is from above" and You are the only source. Our Congress is in the greatest disarray of history. Hatred and blindness prevail. Dissension and deafness take center-stage. Father, our court system fights for credibility and the path is obscure. Have mercy. I ask it.

For those engaged in the non-profit and service sector:
Father, raise up those who are truly making a difference in a way that You are glorified. Many seek to make a difference and genuinely are moved by the challenges facing this nation. Establish the organizations doing Your work. Pour out Your provision upon them. May they identify with Your hand of gracious provision and give You the glory.

For businesses and their workers:
Father, many businesses are behaving poorly. Raise up those that apply Your principals of fair-ness, of quality goods and services, and who care about more than the bottom line, but instead, care about how the bottom-line is created. Bring businesses to the realization that their employees make or break them. I ask for fair treatment and diligent employees. Give them hope through Jesus Christ.

For the underemployed and unemployed:
You have made us to work. It is amazing! Our dignity comes back. Our self-worth comes into focus. I ask for jobs for the unemployed and underemployed...jobs that utilize their god-given skills and attributes. You know what they are. May these people call out to You and may Jesus Christ be credited for changes in their situation. Restore those who put their trust in You.

For pregnant and single mothers:
The hardship on these people is crushing. Father, reinstall the joy the gladness of children. May unborn children be protected. May Your church rise up to bring the support needed by single mothers and to one-parent children. Call upon Your church to rise to this need across our nation. And may their support reduce and eliminate the perceived need for abortion. Show us how to care, how to support, and how to raise up and enable these people to live in accordance with Your Word.

Father, this nation, that I love, needs You. Have mercy...for Jesus' sake,

...that we may be found faithful in the day of His coming.

In Jesus' Name

Intercessors For America offers a variety of helpful resources to pray about pro-life issues: daily devotionals, prayer bookmarks, and special reports.

Please consider these prayers for the revival of our nation:
For the U.S.
For the Sanctity of Life
Disaster Recovery Prayers
For the Trump Administration
For Leaders and Decision Makers
For Pastors, especially in the U.S.

***This prayer is my own and the content does not reflect the philosophy or policies of any organization. It is inspired by the Intercessors for America newsletter. Learn more and consider joining this incredible organization, that is committed to praying for America.

For assistance in understanding God's Word, consider the Derek Prince Legacy Radio podcasts. This and other free and life-changing resources can be found at https://www.derekprince.org/.

For encouragement and guidance to pray for our nation, please consider being a part of Intercessors for America. Join this army of prayer warriors. Consider visiting their website to learn more. http://ifapray.org/

The one critical question that will truly reduce abortion in the U.S....the prayer of one sinner

For the U.S. to take ownership and stop killing babies through abortion

Please pray with me.

Oh Father, the words of Senator Ben Sasse ring in my ears as 46 out of 97 senators voted to "continue discussion" on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

Senator Ben Sasse:
A hefty majority (it's not close) of Americans support this legislation including:

• a super majority of women,
• including most young people,
• including most independents,
• and now ticking up just shy of half of all Democrats.

This should not be a partisan issue and in the future it won't [be].

It's going to be a bi-partisan issue, because you have to tell the truth, that those pictures, are pictures of babies and they are alive and they deserve our protection.
U.S. Senator Ben Sasse

This nation, that I love, The United States of America, has, yet again, decided to go its own way and ignore Your Word:

Exodus 20:13
"Thou shalt not murder."

My heart is heavy. It seems so clear to me...yet...

...my midwife-and-nurse friend clearly makes a case that there is so much more to this than convenience.

Confessing my own hypocracy:
I confess that I have dismissed those who are pro-abortion and lumped them into one group of people who, for the convenience of their comfortable life, elect abortion.

I have forgotten those who can't feed or manage the children they have and who crumble at the thought of one more mouth to feed, one more child to care for.

I have ignored the reality that as children grow, the needs become more sophisticated and complex...and at that time, much of the support has disappeared!

I have ignored that there may be "initial care" for mothers in need, but the long-term needs are even greater and the care dwindles.

By lumping together all people who choose abortion into one group who crave personal convenience and comfort, I have been a hypocrite. I did so for my own convenience.

Forgive me and show me my part.

Repentence:
I give You thanks that You are Truth. You are holy and Your ways are perfect. I bend my knee. I commit to listening to Your Spirit, to define my part, and to be obedient to Your leading.

The critical question:
What would give mother's (and fathers!) of the unborn babies long-term hope that the support they need will be there for them?

The needs are overwhelming and last for the remainder of the life of these parents. Raise up Your church to take a personal interest and provision for those in their community who are making a choice. Raise up Your church to commit to long-term assistance.

• The immediate care isn't obvious either...what about the other children?
• There are the basic needs: food, shelter and clothing.
• So many "other" needs: safety, a clean and pleasant place to live and grow.
• What about their emotional needs? Support for parents: financial, medical, emotional and so many other needs.
• Childcare. Father it is a never-ending need, even when the children become adults.
• What about the emotional support, when mother and child go home...when "life" starts again.

• this list is endless. And if we truly desire to shut down the abortion industry, we need to address it.

The critical answer:
Give us, Your church, a heart for these people who are caught. Help us to dismiss out criticism and judgement on them. Move our hearts to actively pour out Your grace on each situation.

Grant us an intense need to reach out. Give us new ideas on how to help by building communities of support. Bring along organizers to organize, lay ministers to minister, and may the blight of this sin be preached from the pulpits of this nation—that we may be rid of this curse that is upon us.

Raise up Your church. You are the God of Life. Help us align our support to ensure life and hope for those in this industry and those who are in need.

...all that we may be found faithful in the day of His coming.

In Jesus' Name

Intercessors For America offers a variety of helpful resources to pray about pro-life issues: daily devotionals, prayer bookmarks, and special reports. Please consider these prayers for the revival of our nation:
For the U.S.
For the Sanctity of Life
Disaster Recovery Prayers
For the Trump Administration
For Leaders and Decision Makers
For Pastors, especially in the U.S.

***This prayer is my own and the content does not reflect the philosophy or policies of any organization. It is inspired by the Intercessors for America newsletter. Learn more and consider joining this incredible organization, that is committed to praying for America.

For assistance in understanding God's Word, consider the Derek Prince Legacy Radio podcasts. This and other free and life-changing resources can be found at https://www.derekprince.org/.

For encouragement and guidance to pray for our nation, please consider being a part of Intercessors for America. Join this army of prayer warriors. Consider visiting their website to learn more. http://ifapray.org/