National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer, which I think is ironic, considering our Nation wants so badly to remove prayer from every facet of its being. That being said, I find hope in the fact that we still do have this named day, that by recognizing the day, it just might help remind people of the foundation for which this country was built: faith, hope, prayer, and love for God.

I rarely use this blog as a soap box. And honestly, that is not what I am trying to do today. I am not putting my political views out there to argue or debate with anyone. However this is MY blog, and so the words reflect MY feelings.

Whew, glad I got my disclaimer out of the way. Here are my thoughts.

Folks, we NEED to be praying. Our world is becoming a scary place. We can all get on our own individual soap boxes, scream out loud hoping for someone to hear, rant and rave thinking we might change someone's mind, write letter after letter to whoever might read it...and it's all for not. I truly believe there is only one 'person' who can save this dying and lost world, and that is Jesus Christ. We should be on our knees, begging for a change, because ultimately, He is the only one who can provide one. Christians, we can make a difference. Just because we don't see it right away, doesn't mean it is not happening. The world is scared and looking for answers. The ONLY answer is Jesus.

These are just a few of the main things I am praying about right now. They may seem random, but again, I'm just sharing my heart. I ask that you join me and pray for:

• The future of our nation: We have a big year ahead of us. The election of a new state-head is a big deal. And what terrifies me, are the candidates up for office. Is this 'the best' America has to offer? A man who will not cross his heart while hearing his national anthem? A woman who is known to be full of lies and untrustworthy? Another man who, despite his loyalty for his country, seems more about political gain than the welfare of a nation? I'm scared, y'all. What will the election of these candidates say about our country to a watching world? What will other national leaders think? I realize that no candidate is perfect. I know that George Bush has made some mistakes. But the difference is, I genuinely feel like he had the nations best interest at heart; he did the best he could, for everyone's benefit, not his own. And I believe he is a Christian, and therefore prayed for guidance and wisdom from our Creator. Not one of the candidates up for office now can say that. We need to be praying. Honestly- we need to pray for a miracle. And we need to vote. We need to vote for our senators and house members. We need to vote for local leaders and legislation. Our nation needs us, prayer warriors.
• Protection from our enemies: I understand many people want the war in Iraq to be over. I don't think there are many who would say, "hey- I like war, and people dying, so let's continue to send our sons and husbands to fight, just for fun and pleasure." If you do, you might seriously want to consider getting checked out at a local mental institution!! In all seriousness, no one likes to hear about death of our soldiers. But death is necessary, and we should rather, be thanking them with our whole heart and soul, that they and their families are willing to sacrifice for our protection. There are a whole lot of people and countries out there that frankly, do NOT like the U.S. (hard to imagine, I know). There will always be someone who wants to hurt us. I for one, pray thanksgiving for the men and women who serve to protect us; fighting across the globe, patrolling our neighborhoods, saving us from burning buildings, and sometimes giving their own life to save ours. I pray that God also protects THEM from hurt and unnecessary danger. (Deut 20:1)
• Marriage across our country: This is really on my heart right now. The very establishment of marriage has changed. And again, the change is scary. Back in "the good 'ole days" a man and a woman would meet, date for awhile, get married, have babies, and stay together until they both died. Being married 50+ years, while still an accomplishment, was the norm. I wish I knew what has happened to bring us where we are today. People getting married on the whim, and having it annulled. People marrying 3,4,5 times....when they don't like their spouse, they just go get a new one. People so scared of marriage that they just decide it is better to never do it. People who have been married for 10, 15, or 20 years suddenly filing for divorce. I wish I knew what to say about all this. I wish I had an easy solution. Still be a "newly-wed" in the overall game of life (though we will celebrate our 5 year anniversary this summer!), I don't have much to offer. I do know this: Marriage is hard work. It takes time, commitment, and adjustment. But is it worth it to share your life, 100% with someone who knows you like no other, loves you (though they might not like you all the time, haha), wants to share life's memories with you? Absolutely. One more food for thought here. The devil wants nothing better than to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), and this is especially true in marriage. He wants to steal your joy by feeding you lies about your spouse. Sooner or later you begin to believe the lies, find great discontent with your spouse, and lose your joy. He wants to kill your hopes and dreams of a life shared with someone. And ultimately he will destroy your marriage, while also destroying a piece of yourself. Make no mistake. There will be trouble in marriage. But, if God is for us, who can be against us?? People, PLEASE pray for your marriage. Daily. Please pray for marriages of your family and friends. Please pray for marriage around the country and the globe. The very sanctity of marriage is at stake. Please pray.
• Hurting people: Life is not perfect, and it certainly is not always fair. Bad things happen to good people. There are families losing babies. Children losing parents. Wives losing husbands. Husbands losing jobs. Families losing homes. You get my drift. Hurt is readily available everywhere you look. Lord, may my heart break for the things (and people) who break Yours. I truly think that one of the greatest gifts that "tools" if-you-will, that God gave us, is each other. I cry with you, and pray for you. Next month, hurt comes my way, and you pray for me. And you know what the cool part is? By praying for one another, it puts our own problems into perspective and helps get the focus off ourselves and our own wounds. Thus, inevitably, healing ourselves while helping another. It is amazing. Try it. I promise you will like it.

As for me, and my personal prayer requests, here they are:

• Patience: When dealing with Ryleigh's "bad" days, frustrations at work, car trouble, still learning how to properly love my husband, wanting to know the future, trying to juggle my life...I'm not a patient person. I get agitated quickly and easily, and tend to stress about way too much, way too often. Patience is, in a sense, trusting what God has for me. Trusting that "this too shall pass." Trust that this way, though perhaps not my way, is the right way.
• Our future: Jesse is going to be looking for a new job in the near future. We don't know when or where. Which means, I may or may not need a new job. We might begin to think about more children (next year at the earliest- don't panic on me!). Just pray that God gives us clarity.

Today is a day of prayer. Does that mean we cant or shouldn't pray other days? Of course not. Let's be thankful for all we have been blessed with, and continue to pray for God's hand in our lives and on our country.

I'm going to pray today, and thank God for each and every one of YOU. You all provide something in my life, whether humor, prayer support, encouragement, or all of the above. Thanks for being my friend on this crazy ride we call life. I love ya!