News from the Great Beyond

Prayer request from my mom...

E-mail received from my mom a short while ago:

One of our congregation members brother just went down in an air force plane over Siberia. Two bodies have already been recovered, but he is one of 5 missing crew members. His picture is on our military board at church - he would be our first casualty.

Your prayers are appreciated...

A Prayer

Bryan at Spare Change has posted a most thoughtful and heartfelt prayer in the aftermath of the Terri Schiavo tragedy.  I'm going to reprint it in full here because it's worth sharing.

Lord in heaven and Lord of earth, please forgive us for our sin. Though a contingent fought for Terri, the effort was too little too late vied in a culture that has developed an ungodly, altogether idolatrous ideology about man as the giver and taker of life. We have abdicated our responsibility to even choose life, much less to fight for or to protect it. We have enabled and empowered civic leaders to institute and enforce laws and rulings that deny and rebut the value of human life. For thirty years we have victimized the very youngest and weakest of our citizenry, and now we have validated the victimization of yet another segment of our population most in need of care and advocacy.

I fear Lord that we have been weighed in the scales and been found wanting. I fear the writing on the wall -- that we will be judged rightly and fairly because we have turned our back on life, time and again, for those most in need. I ask for your grace and mercy upon us Lord, not for who we are, and certainly not because of any capital of merit we might think we've earned. I ask this solely and wholly upon Your character and nature and good will. I pray that we -- especially those of us who call ourselves followers of the Christ -- will turn from our wicked ways, that we will fall upon our faces in humble repentence, and we will seek your face so that we might not have to witness your hand of judgment.

I thank you for Terri Schiavo, and how you blessed so many with her. I thank you for how you have revealed your grace and provision, even amidst her suffering. I ask for a double portion of encouragement and peace to those in her family who mourn for her. I pray that in the days and weeks ahead, Lord, you will provide her parents and siblings and friends and other family with recollections and thoughts of happy experiences and joyful memories. I pray Lord that their thoughts of Terri will be when she when she was at her full capacity, and that those thoughts will be uplifting and hope-bringing.

I ask that you would be with Michael Schiavo, his attorneys, the judges, and the legislators who opposed the advocacy for Terri's life. I pray that Your Holy Spirit will reveal truth to them all and that they would respond to Your truth in a way that brings you glory and honor. I pray that you would protect them from anyone who would want to harm any of them, and that the enemy would claim no more victory from this unfortunate, deplorable series of events.

I pray Lord, that with Terri's death, that this would not be the end, but a beginning. I ask You, Lord, that Your Spirit would compel us who follow You to rise up and make a difference so that there would not be "another Terri." I ask You to unify us in an effort to elect only legislators who choose life, to demand the appointment of judges will protect life, and that we will support any leadership who will courageously defend life. I pray for a peaceful revolution, a renewal of our spirits to value the preciousness of the life you give. I ask that this would begin immediately, and that it would begin in me and my home. I thank you for my life and the abundant life I have in belonging to You through Jesus. It is in the name of Jesus, Your Son, that I offer this prayer to you.

Amen

So let it be.

Prayer Request

Adam at pomomusings is requesting prayer today for a good friend's brother who has just been diagnosed with leukemia.

Please go pay Adam a visit, and join your voice to the others agreeing in prayer for this young man.

Two more for good measure

From View from the Pew:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for guiding our election.
Thank you for giving us a leader who lives his beliefs everyday.
Thank you for helping us learn to rely on You and Your Son.

Please continue to lead us in Your direction.

Let us come together as a nation, while following Your laws.
Let us love our adversaries, without accepting their wrongdoing.
Let us support our leaders, whether we voted for them or not, through prayer.

Lord, make me a good citizen and an even better child of the kingdom.
May I witness for you while standing on Your holy word.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

And from Bryan at Spare Change:

Father,

Thank you for hearing our prayers. We praise you for walking ahead of us. We give you glory and honor and praise for how Your will has been honored in this election.

Father in our thanksgiving, I pray that you give us humility of spirit and a commitment to cooperation with those on the other side of the political landscape. While we seek unity, Lord, I pray that you will give us the courage to never compromise that which you declare to be right and holy. We pray that you would bless and protect us as individuals, as communities, and as a nation as we follow You.

Lord, we are a nation of sinners, often full of pride and animosity toward one another. I pray Lord that in the next four years, Your Spirit would compel us to serve and sacrifice to make You known in this nation and among all nations. I pray that You will use George Bush in a powerful, honorable way.

Lord, I ask for blessing upon John Kerry, John Edwards, and their families. I pray for them to be leaders in the effort to be unified as a nation. I pray that they will seek You as they lead, so that those who follow them will be following You.

Father, I ask that you empower our military to fight with the strength of 100 armies as they seek to establish peace in a violent land. Lord, I pray that innocents would be spared and delivered, and that the people of Iraq and the Middle East would be recipients of grace and mercy from our service men and women. At the same time, Lord, there are those who would seek to destroy us because of our claim to follow Jesus as Lord and for our unyielding support for Your son Israel. I pray that you would be our strength and our fortress, and that the enemy would know we belong to You, not only by our might, but also by our mercy and swift actions of establishing freedom.

Father, we thank you for the opportunity to call you Lord and bring these days of petition unto You. You have proven Yourself over and over, and demonstrated that in You there is no shadow of turning. Father, thank You for being so reliable and trustworthy. Thank You for using these prayers to reveal Your will and Your ways to us. Thank You for revealing truth about ourselves to us as we come to You. Thank You for the revelation of the Holy Spirit and Your constant encouragement and direction. Thank You for being our Shepherd, and for meeting our needs.

I close by asking You Lord to lead and direct our President in the next four Years. Please give him strength for the challenges at hand and protection in every realm. Impart wisdom and discernment in him, and lead him to continue seeking knowledge and wise counsel. Build him to be a man after Your heart, so that we may indeed be a nation after Your heart.

I thank You for Jesus, our only source of hope and eternity.

It is in His High, Holy Name I pray

Amen

Intercessory Blogging: Presidential Prayer, Day 40

A group of Christian bloggers has committed to 40 days of non-partisan prayer for our country and the upcoming elections... This is the last prayer in that effort.  If you have a weblog, please feel free to post this prayer for your readers.

From Bryan at Spare Change:

Lord God,

The day has finally arrived...the culmination of this small but faithful group of prayer petitioners. Lord today we ask that your will be revealed...not necessarily in the outcome of the election, but in your will for this great nation, for this great people, represented by the leader chosen today.

Lord, I ask you that you give us the President we deserve, a man who is a reflection of who we are before you. I ask that you would allow us to be humble enough to look at our President elect, and in him, we would see ourselves from your eyes. Lord, I ask that this leader who truly represents us...maybe in our best moments, maybe in our worst moments, probably in all our moments, would then be empowered by you to rise above our limitations, by our predispositions, by our own limited estimation.

Lord, I pray for your grace and mercy upon the winning candidate and his family. I pray that you give this man wisdom beyond his years and his experience. Lord, I ask that you give him a double portion of patience, a full complement of your courage and conviction, and through the power of your Holy Spirit, an awareness of Your presence and pre-eminence over all matters under his jurisdiction.

Lord, I pray for the President-elect's protection. I pray that you would thwart any individual or terrorist organization who would attempt to take his life. I pray for his spouse and children, that they too would be protected and ever free from harm's way. Lord, I also ask for the spiritual protection of the President-elect. Such a person of great power and responsibility will be subject to tremendous temptations, as well as spiritual assault. I pray that your Spirit will lead our President elect to seek your face and seek protection in your sufficient grip. I pray that you will bind the enemy from this man, from his family, and from his staff.

Lord, I also ask that you bless and comfort the candidate who does not win today. I pray that your Spirit will encourage him and lead him to continue in a place of service that will bless many.

Father God, I pray for our nation...today could be filled with violence, controversy, danger, animosity...I pray for Your Spirit to rest heavily over this great land, that people would seek peace amidst our differences, and understand that even well-intentioned people can disagree civilly, for the sake of the nation. I pray that this election may serve as a tool to heal that which divides us, and that it would begin soon. I pray that our divisions over race, economics, social issues, and political issues would be reconciled by Your Holy Spirit, by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Lord, I thank you for these forty days where we have been focused in prayer for you. I don't know if its changed our nation, but I know how your Spirit has changed me in this time. You have been so faithful to encourage me with Your Presence, to remind me of Your strength, provision, and sufficiency. You alone are Lord and You alone are God. You reign on High, and You ordain who will rise and fall as leaders of this Land. We confidently and thankfully trust You in all these matters, and we ask for the resources necessary that today, in whatever the outcome, that praise would indeed be on our lips, and joy would be in our hearts because You alone are King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Father, grant us that which we need to be faithful witnesses to you in all the affairs of our life. Equip us to love and support our President-elect, and to follow him as he follows You. Lord, convict each of us that as this man struggles as he is sure to do from time to time, that before we would be hyper-criticial, we would intercede on his behalf before You.

Thank you again for hearing our prayer. And thank you Lord Jesus for taking these prayers to the throne of the Father on our behalf. Not because we deserve it, or because we are worth it, but because You are God and Your will is perfect and Your ways are graceful and merciful, we ask You today to show your favor upon us and bless America for Your name's sake.

In the Sufficient and Unmatched Power of the Christ Jesus we pray....

Amen.

Intercessory Blogging: Another prayer

This one's not a part of the 40 days of Presidential Prayer organized by Spare Change, but it fits well with the sentiment we have been echoing for these last few weeks.

From Julie at Fidler on the Roof:

Father, I thank you that I live in a country where my opinion matters, where I can speak my mind without fear of government retribution. Our country is so richly blessed, and we take all of our blessings for granted far too often. We say "God Bless America" but we do so little to bless YOU, Lord. I pray that the hearts of every American would turn towards you, and that every heart would seek purity and morality. I pray that we will see how much we have to lose, and how important it is to protect what we do have.

I believe it's clear who is the moral leader in this presidential race, but You might have other ideas, Lord. So I will only pray that Your will be done, and that a spirit of peace and acceptance will fall over this nation, regardless of the outcome. I pray that we would come together, and no longer be so bitterly divided.

I also pray, Father, that every Christian in this nation would get behind the next President, and back him with prayer and blessings, whether that person is a Republican or a Democrat. May we always remember that in spite of all the political jokes, we are all fallible human beings, in need of prayer, in need of a Savior.

Help us, Lord Jesus, to make wise choices tomorrow, and have open hearts in the aftermath.

And please bless my President, Father. He loves You, and I respect him. I am so grateful to him for so many reasons. Please bless him, now and always.

In Jesus' name, I pray.
Amen.

Intercessory Blogging: Presidential Prayer, Day 39

A group of Christian bloggers has committed to 40 days of non-partisan prayer for our country and the upcoming elections... This is the next-to-last prayer in that effort.  If you have a weblog, please feel free to post this prayer for your readers.

From Jen at Spare Change:

Ah, Lord God, we come to you on this last campaign day of the election to pray for the outcome. We know that You are sovereign and already know how this contest will end. We don't always understand why some things happen as they do. But we rest in the comfort of knowing that You work all things for Your glory and the benefit of Your people.

And so we bring our petitions to You:

# that Your will is done when the American people vote tomorrow and that the man who is elected to the Presidency is the man You would have for us for the next four years

# that the victory will be by a margin wide enough to end all disputes

# that any questions of fraud will be dealt with swiftly and justly

# that the defeated candidates will be gracious and honor the final results and will work with the President-elect rather than against him

# that the supporters of each side will accept the results without bitterness or gloating, but rather with the understanding that this is how our electoral process works

# that the American people will embrace their newly elected President for the next four years, acknowledging that he is an imperfect man who loves his country and will do his best to fulfill the oath of office he takes in January

We thank You, Lord, for the freedoms we hold dear, including this electoral process. Thank You that we can trust that whomever wins this election is the man who is supposed to be the President for these next four years and that our country will "survive" his term of office. Help us to honor him even if he was not the man we supported and desired to be elected.

We thank You that You understand our concerns and ask us to express them to You. In faith, we bring this prayer to You in the name of Your holy son, Jesus. Amen.

Intercessory Blogging: Presidential Prayer, Day 38

A group of Christian bloggers has committed to 40 days of non-partisan prayer for our country and the upcoming elections...  If you would like to join in the effort, even if you don't have your own weblog (those of us who do will post your prayer for you), see Bryan at Spare Change.

From Christopher at Spare Change:

Father in Heaven,

I thank you for this day. I thank you for another day to serve you. Others would have me believe that today is somehow evil, but I believe that this is a day that you created and I thank you for it. I thank you for your saving grace and for the relationship that you provide. Thank you for this country that allows the people to have a say in who leads the country.

It is close to the time when Americans head to the poles to cast our votes for who we think should be lead our country. I pray that the process is fair and the every vote is counted.

I pray that you would bless the man that is chosen and that he would lead our country in a direction that is in accordance with your will. May he lead the country in a way that the country would be a blessing for others.

I also pray that you would be with the families that go out tonight to Trick or Treat. I pray that they would be safe and protected.

I pray all this in Jesus name,

Amen

Intercessory Blogging: Presidential Prayer, Day 37

A group of Christian bloggers has committed to 40 days of non-partisan prayer for our country and the upcoming elections...  If you would like to join in the effort, even if you don't have your own weblog (those of us who do will post your prayer for you), see Bryan at Spare Change.

From Pressed at Avoiding Evil:

Lord, as I come before you tonight in prayer I recognize my own weaknesses. I am altogether unworthy of you and it is only by your magnificent grace that I have the privilege to come before you in prayer. I thank you God for your patience with me and for the grace and mercy you show to those you came to save. Lord, I know that my ways are not your ways and neither are my thoughts your thoughts. Because of this I know that I must be careful to seek you in all things, refraining from making my own decisions based purely on my own ambitions and selfishness. God, I ask that you would forgive me for the times I do things on my own without coming to you in prayer. Your wisdom and guidance will far surpass anything that we can come up with or do. That is why tonight I pray for your guidance on the upcoming election. Lord, lead your chosen people to make the right decisions next Tuesday as we vote for the next President of the United States. Regardless of who is elected, I ask that you would let our attitudes be like that of Christ Jesus. Give us the right words to say and change our hearts that we me show honor and respect to the person you allow to lead this nation.

While I do not know who the next President of the United States will be, I pray that you would give them a special blessing as they lead our country. Lord, I know that you will use them to fulfill your purposes on this earth and it is by your sovereign hand that they have the privilege to lead us. Ultimately you are in control of all things, and nothing happens that is not allowed to happen by your hand. For this reason we shall not fear the future, but embrace it as another day, another month, and another year to live for Christ. Lord, give the President strength to stand up during the hard times that will come during his term. Lead him in the important decisions he will be forced to make and ultimately use him for your purposes. We lift our president, our government, and our nation up to you and ask that your will would be done in all things.

I pray specifically for President Bush and Senator Kerry tonight. Lord, protect them and keep them safe as the election draws near. I pray for both of these men that you would bless them, keep them strong, and give them what they need to be leaders of this country. Lord, I pray that they would seek you and find you. Reveal your truth to these men and lead them to you. I pray that in all things they will seek your face and that you would not be hidden from them. Reveal yourself, your purposes and your will in their lives and guide them in the journey you have for them. God, it is my personal desire that these men would come to know you in such a way that it would change their hearts, their lives, and the way they lead our country. Lord, in their search for power and glory, I pray that they find it only in you.

Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers. Thank you for giving us the freedom that we have to worship you in this country. Lord, don’t let us take that freedom for granted, but instead let us use it to the advantage of your kingdom. God I pray that you would continue to give us a passion for prayer. Lead us in your ways and teach us according to your truth. I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Intercessory Blogging: Presidential Prayer, Day 36

A group of Christian bloggers has committed to 40 days of non-partisan prayer for our country and the upcoming elections...  If you would like to join in the effort, even if you don't have your own weblog (those of us who do will post your prayer for you), see Bryan at Spare Change.

From Phil at Shades of Gray (Umbrae Canarum):

Father Almighty:

We praise You and Your glory, we thank You for giving us our very being, our existence, and the blessings of life and the life hereafter. We are humbled by the peace and tranquility You have granted our nation in her history, and of the many benefits, unworthy though we are, You have granted.

Father, we now begin the final week before this most pivotal election. We beseech You, that You will protect our nation in this sensitive time, that we may not suffer an attack by our enemies. We have seen their acts in Spain, and elsewhere, and we beg You to spare us the same, if it is Your will.

Our nation has been blessed by You, Father, over the decades with an unprecedented level of peace when electing our leaders. We look through history, and see how outside enemies have tried to affect other nations. By attacking at this time, our opponents seek to de-legitimize whoever will win the Presidency. Whether President Bush or Senator Kerry, whoever succeeds will always have a shadow over them, a question of whether they were elected through fear rather than through prayerful consideration.

We beg You, Lord, please spare us the test, if it is Your will, of such an attack. We beg You, Lord, to keep our nation safe, that she may choose a leader without such horrors. We beg You, Lord, guide us to vote with our hearts directed to You and Your will, and not pushed by fears or terror.
No foe is stronger than You, Father Almighty. You are our creator, our salvation, our redeemer. No power, no force, no vicious will nor malicious intent compares to Your love, Your benevolence, Your care for Your creation. Please, Lord, protect us now, keep us safe, and guide us to act as You would have us do.

We ask you this through Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

Amen.

This was originally posted as Day 34 here and at Shades of Gray... but I think Bryan and I are going to get back on the same schedule finally.  Yay!