. . . and then there was last Friday! The print cartridge in the type writer I use for billing was out of ink. The printer for the computer wouldn’t print. The old printer that was in the basement had no USB connection. The computer battery on my laptop died. (I’m typing on my daughter’s, computer. Thanks Mandi!) There were no computer batteries in Huntington or Fort Wayne. It would take one from Batteries Plus five to seven days to arrive. Two of my billings to Medicare came back as unpaid due to a mistyped letter on a patient’s name and the other one had a missing digit on the diagnosis line. I WAS FRUSTRATED BEYOND REASON!!
Yesterday, it came to me as a sharp edged gift and it stung. Could frustration be “anger with God?” Are we silently scolding God when we feel frustrated? Are we expressing words we’d never speak out loud or even admit to ourselves? Do we bury our hidden emotions under a more “polite” form of anger, frustration?” Are we asking in the silent places of our heart, “Why does God allow these things to happen?” Do we unconsciously demand, “These things just shouldn’t happen to me!?” We all seem to believe we are entitled to a stress free life. Anything that deviates from that utopian ideal frustrates us.
You may say, “Even non-believers get frustrated.” But, they are taught to be civil and polite too. Perhaps they are railing at that basic entitlement philosophy: “I don’t deserve this!” Or, “Why do these things happen to me? I’m a good person!” They don’t know that their anger may be with God in whom they don’t even believe. Perhaps to be released from frustration, we need to pray for forgiveness for our anger directed toward Almighty God. Let us pray:
“Oh dear Father in Heaven, your name is precious to us, for by your words we are healed and saved. We pray that your kingdom of love, mercy, grace, and peace may come to dwell in our hearts as it is in the Heavenly kingdom, not because we are worthy but because Jesus Christ was and is worthy. We most humbly and ashamedly bow before you with an awareness of our sin of anger directed toward you, the Holy One. We tricked ourselves into thinking we were just frustrated with life, but we now acknowledge that you alone are Life. Forgive us Father God and heal our souls from the bondage of anger, even the generalized anger we politely call “frustration.” Deliver us from this sin and cast the evil one into the pit, that he may never be able to capture us again. To you, our father, we give all praise and honor and glory and thanks for all you have done for us. In the precious name of your son, our redeemer, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."
Monday, November 10, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
One Day Post Election - A NEW DAY
Good morning Americans! Whether you are blue, red, or purple, we have elected a new president. Praise to the Lord God, because we live in a country where we can vote for our leader of the U.S. and the entire free world. We recognize the historic nature of this election and praise God’s holy name for healing the divisiveness in our land. While the healing is not complete, the treatment has begun. It is up to all of us how we accept the pains and itch of re-knitting our body. Now, our new president will need our prayers for the one true God’s presence, grace, and mercy in his life; Christ’s healing balm and insight; a vision for the entire citizenry that is in keeping with the will of God; and safety for the country and his family. We, as God’s citizens of Heaven and of earth, are called to be One of the Ten - willing and ready to live honorable, righteous lives as God’s children, that others may see His presence in our country and the world, speaking love with civil voices and integrity; Watchers on the Wall - ever vigilant to those who would attack our country, our Constitution, and our home-of-the-free; and Lower Lights - sending homing beams of light across the waves of circumstances to aid a sailor home.
Now, we come together as Americans, supporting our new president when we find his views in keeping with our understanding of the will of God, and actively participating in our government with our letters, emails and phone calls when we believe he is doing a good job, as well as when we believe his programs would harm our country. Glory to God on High, who gave us the precious gift of stewardship over this land of the free and home of the brave. Now, we must grow up and participate in this wonderful country he gave us. Stand up! Stand tall! Stand strong! Stand free! Stand with outstretched arms to all those who call this blessed, promised land their home!
Let us pray:
“Oh loving Father of us all, white, brown, black, blue, red, and purple, we praise your holy, omnipotent name. May your kingdom come to earth and our country, that all people may be truly, and self-evidently, equal and free. It is for this time we have come in our history, Father, proving that all you had given to our forefathers applies to all of your people, from the very least to the highest. Let us truly be aware that there are no “leasts” - only those on the way up, taking the first rung of the ladder. May we never block the path of anyone on their way up and may we hold out secure, outstretched arms to anyone who may fall, and set their feet firmly again. Let us move forward as citizens of the most free, most blessed country of all time, not a country designed by man but a country created by you. May we recognize our awesome task of preserving what has been placed in our hands, not a broken country, but a continually growing country, more capable of loving, freeing, and fighting for freedom than any other people since the dawn of time. God’s blessed people, so young, still adolescent in many ways, ever loving, ever smiling, ever hopeful of the fulfillment of the great promises you gave us. Forgive us when we have been lazy, not speaking up or reaching out to preserve our beautiful homeland. Continue to heal our land that we may be a healthy people, full of love and energy, trusting in the hope of the world, America on earth and Jesus Christ in our hearts and souls. Let us be a people with merged God-owned hearts and God-given home. In the name of your son, our redeemed Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen,”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Now, we come together as Americans, supporting our new president when we find his views in keeping with our understanding of the will of God, and actively participating in our government with our letters, emails and phone calls when we believe he is doing a good job, as well as when we believe his programs would harm our country. Glory to God on High, who gave us the precious gift of stewardship over this land of the free and home of the brave. Now, we must grow up and participate in this wonderful country he gave us. Stand up! Stand tall! Stand strong! Stand free! Stand with outstretched arms to all those who call this blessed, promised land their home!
Let us pray:
“Oh loving Father of us all, white, brown, black, blue, red, and purple, we praise your holy, omnipotent name. May your kingdom come to earth and our country, that all people may be truly, and self-evidently, equal and free. It is for this time we have come in our history, Father, proving that all you had given to our forefathers applies to all of your people, from the very least to the highest. Let us truly be aware that there are no “leasts” - only those on the way up, taking the first rung of the ladder. May we never block the path of anyone on their way up and may we hold out secure, outstretched arms to anyone who may fall, and set their feet firmly again. Let us move forward as citizens of the most free, most blessed country of all time, not a country designed by man but a country created by you. May we recognize our awesome task of preserving what has been placed in our hands, not a broken country, but a continually growing country, more capable of loving, freeing, and fighting for freedom than any other people since the dawn of time. God’s blessed people, so young, still adolescent in many ways, ever loving, ever smiling, ever hopeful of the fulfillment of the great promises you gave us. Forgive us when we have been lazy, not speaking up or reaching out to preserve our beautiful homeland. Continue to heal our land that we may be a healthy people, full of love and energy, trusting in the hope of the world, America on earth and Jesus Christ in our hearts and souls. Let us be a people with merged God-owned hearts and God-given home. In the name of your son, our redeemed Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen,”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Monday, November 3, 2008
Let The Lower Lights Be Burning
In previous prayers of the On-Line Prayer Group, we talked about being One of the Ten, so the Lord would spare our nation. Then, we talked about being a Watchman on the Wall, ever vigilant to evil that could corrupt our souls and threats that can take down or alter our nation of freedom. Today, let’s talk about being a Lower Light.
In a wonderful old hymn (1871 - in public domain), the words describe our roll as “lower lights” - not “lowly lights.” There is nothing “lowly” about our calling. It is a gift from God and therefore a privilege, supported by the Father of all. (Brackets and underline below are mine)
“Brightly beams our Father’s mercy, from His lighthouse evermore.
But to us, He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
Let the lower lights [our light] be burning!
Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman,
You may rescue; you may save.” Philip P, Bliss, 1871
We are called to be one of the ten (or tens of thousands), who will watch and wait with Christ, on the wall to our heart and our country, and there, be a beacon for others to see our light and guide them safely home to God. God is the source of “mercy,” but it is up to us to shed light on the truth of God’s love and grace, so that others may see the light and find their way home.
Why haven’t I designed a prayer about the election? My Dear Ones, I just did. Whoever are elected president and our other public servants, we are still called to make our lives a living sacrifice, by the grace of God, as one of the Ten, to be civil and loving in our thoughts and communications; to Watch on the Wall, that we may be ever vigilant to preserve the freedoms God gave this country, to lift up and support the programs and ideas of our elected officials, whatever their party, where truth and Constitutional law abide; and to be a Light of hope, lifting up the truths of our Constitution by being aware, through study and alertness, and then using our voices to keep our nation free, writing letters of support or dissent to congress, and fighting for our Constitution. Let us pray:
“Oh loving Father of all, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and free-spirits, we come before you the day before our election day. The very word, “election,” thrills the hearts of all your people, for you gave us a shining star of hope for the entire world. May your will be done tomorrow, that those we elect may have hearts for you. We cannot read their minds, but you, Father, know what stirs within them. We ask that you sort out the shaft from the wheat and whisper truth into the ears of your people on election day that those we elect may be blessed by you. Give us the insight to be one of the ten, giving us civil and loving tongues, that others will see you in us, not partisans. Give us the strength and focus to stand guard and stay awake while we watch on the wall. Trim our lamps, putting them in order for proper burning, that we may have strong lights that will bring your children safely ashore to you. As your children, that is our calling, not to convince others of our point of view, but to lift up your words of love and hope and grace, that we may love them into wholeness with you. We do this while on guard and speaking up to lawmakers about what we’ve studied, heard, and seen while standing watch. Forgive us when we have become lazy and slept while guarding the gates. Open our hearts, our eyes, our ears, and our mouths, that this wonderful gift of freedom, you have given us, may prevail against those who would strive to eradicate hope and freedom. To you we give all praise, honor and glory, for nothing we do has merit, save what we do for, and through you. In the name of your son, Jesus, and by the power of his name, we pray. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
In a wonderful old hymn (1871 - in public domain), the words describe our roll as “lower lights” - not “lowly lights.” There is nothing “lowly” about our calling. It is a gift from God and therefore a privilege, supported by the Father of all. (Brackets and underline below are mine)
“Brightly beams our Father’s mercy, from His lighthouse evermore.
But to us, He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
Let the lower lights [our light] be burning!
Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman,
You may rescue; you may save.” Philip P, Bliss, 1871
We are called to be one of the ten (or tens of thousands), who will watch and wait with Christ, on the wall to our heart and our country, and there, be a beacon for others to see our light and guide them safely home to God. God is the source of “mercy,” but it is up to us to shed light on the truth of God’s love and grace, so that others may see the light and find their way home.
Why haven’t I designed a prayer about the election? My Dear Ones, I just did. Whoever are elected president and our other public servants, we are still called to make our lives a living sacrifice, by the grace of God, as one of the Ten, to be civil and loving in our thoughts and communications; to Watch on the Wall, that we may be ever vigilant to preserve the freedoms God gave this country, to lift up and support the programs and ideas of our elected officials, whatever their party, where truth and Constitutional law abide; and to be a Light of hope, lifting up the truths of our Constitution by being aware, through study and alertness, and then using our voices to keep our nation free, writing letters of support or dissent to congress, and fighting for our Constitution. Let us pray:
“Oh loving Father of all, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and free-spirits, we come before you the day before our election day. The very word, “election,” thrills the hearts of all your people, for you gave us a shining star of hope for the entire world. May your will be done tomorrow, that those we elect may have hearts for you. We cannot read their minds, but you, Father, know what stirs within them. We ask that you sort out the shaft from the wheat and whisper truth into the ears of your people on election day that those we elect may be blessed by you. Give us the insight to be one of the ten, giving us civil and loving tongues, that others will see you in us, not partisans. Give us the strength and focus to stand guard and stay awake while we watch on the wall. Trim our lamps, putting them in order for proper burning, that we may have strong lights that will bring your children safely ashore to you. As your children, that is our calling, not to convince others of our point of view, but to lift up your words of love and hope and grace, that we may love them into wholeness with you. We do this while on guard and speaking up to lawmakers about what we’ve studied, heard, and seen while standing watch. Forgive us when we have become lazy and slept while guarding the gates. Open our hearts, our eyes, our ears, and our mouths, that this wonderful gift of freedom, you have given us, may prevail against those who would strive to eradicate hope and freedom. To you we give all praise, honor and glory, for nothing we do has merit, save what we do for, and through you. In the name of your son, Jesus, and by the power of his name, we pray. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Monday, October 27, 2008
Watchmen On The Wall
Many are anxious at this 2008 election season. I would like to pass on to all of you, a peace that has come over me since last Monday. God is a never-ending source of our strength and peace.
Even in Jesus’ day, the long arm of Rome had stretched over their country when Tiberious Claudius Nero ruled Israel. But, Jesus didn’t come to overthrow Caesar. He came to conquer sin and death and insure our salvation through him. After election day, nothing of God will change.
As for our blessed country, we are called to stand guard, to insure the preservation of our freedoms and way of life. I was privileged to meet a prayer intercessor last Wednesday and she lifted up, Isaiah 63: (6) “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourself no rest, (7) and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem.” As citizens of the kingdom of heaven and of earth, we are called to live lives that will honor him and bear testimony to the gifts of grace and peace we receive from him and to stand watch, that our country remains free.
We are also called to be “watchmen on the wall,” protecting God’s word for our soul and guarding our country with our vote and voice. Will you agree to be one of the ten (see a previous prayer) . . . and a watchman? You know, you are already a watchman on the wall, guarding our freedoms by speaking truth to ears that may not want to hear. How well you “watch” for the Lord is up to you. Let us pray:
“Oh loving father of our Lord Jesus, who called a few of his disciples to “watch and wait” in the garden on the Mount of Olives, how precious is your name above all names, Yahweh. May your kingdom come and make its home in our lives, that your will may be done perfectly, powerfully in us. We continue to pray for those who are captured by illness and ask that you set them free. We also pray for insight, wisdom, discernment, and a voice to bravely speak out concerning the truth you give us. We ask for your forgiveness when we have remained reticent and weak. Give us your strength that we may be true watchmen on the wall, protecting your church that Jesus gave us with his blood, and the glorious country of freedom you gave to us, that others earned with their sacrifice. All we have had to do was protect it, and lately, we would not. Forgive us, Father God and lead us away from the temptation to be careless again. Deliver us from what we do not know will come and bless our land again. To you we give all glory, honor, and praise, God of all. In the precious name of, and by the power of, your son our savior we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Even in Jesus’ day, the long arm of Rome had stretched over their country when Tiberious Claudius Nero ruled Israel. But, Jesus didn’t come to overthrow Caesar. He came to conquer sin and death and insure our salvation through him. After election day, nothing of God will change.
As for our blessed country, we are called to stand guard, to insure the preservation of our freedoms and way of life. I was privileged to meet a prayer intercessor last Wednesday and she lifted up, Isaiah 63: (6) “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourself no rest, (7) and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem.” As citizens of the kingdom of heaven and of earth, we are called to live lives that will honor him and bear testimony to the gifts of grace and peace we receive from him and to stand watch, that our country remains free.
We are also called to be “watchmen on the wall,” protecting God’s word for our soul and guarding our country with our vote and voice. Will you agree to be one of the ten (see a previous prayer) . . . and a watchman? You know, you are already a watchman on the wall, guarding our freedoms by speaking truth to ears that may not want to hear. How well you “watch” for the Lord is up to you. Let us pray:
“Oh loving father of our Lord Jesus, who called a few of his disciples to “watch and wait” in the garden on the Mount of Olives, how precious is your name above all names, Yahweh. May your kingdom come and make its home in our lives, that your will may be done perfectly, powerfully in us. We continue to pray for those who are captured by illness and ask that you set them free. We also pray for insight, wisdom, discernment, and a voice to bravely speak out concerning the truth you give us. We ask for your forgiveness when we have remained reticent and weak. Give us your strength that we may be true watchmen on the wall, protecting your church that Jesus gave us with his blood, and the glorious country of freedom you gave to us, that others earned with their sacrifice. All we have had to do was protect it, and lately, we would not. Forgive us, Father God and lead us away from the temptation to be careless again. Deliver us from what we do not know will come and bless our land again. To you we give all glory, honor, and praise, God of all. In the precious name of, and by the power of, your son our savior we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Monday, October 20, 2008
OMNISCIENT GOD
So many needs have come my way in the last few days. My dear cousin, Claudia, asked for prayer for her newly diagnosed lung cancer. Rather than cursing the cancer, she told me of her many blessings. “I have a wonderful family, friends, clients and of course the biggest supporter in Jesus. Just wanted to let you know.” A friend asked for advice regarding someone who is in spiritual bondage and I recommended Prayer Therapy, praying for the release of specific negative thoughts that bind us to slavery. Another friend asked for a specific On-Line Prayer Group request in her email. “Could you put together some thoughts on the election? We're trying to relax with it, but its disturbing to us and we could use a reminder that it's God's plan.” To my heart, these are all related.
There is a cancer that is eating its way into our lives. It is causing families to take sides, as it has happened in other times of national crisis, still arguing over who is right and demanding that others agree with them. This is not an election about race. It is a race to determine the future of our wonderful, blessed country, where Freedom found a home over two-hundred years ago. We need a prayer for healing: of our bodies, that we may be strong and healthy to meet the great demands of the day; our minds, that our thinking may be clear and productive; our resolve, that we no longer remain complacently silent; and our liberty, that we do not allow it to be eaten away like a blight on our land. Some believe one candidate will insure our hope for tomorrow and others believe a different team will secure our future. I believe our hope is in the Lord, who made Heaven and earth and gave us His son that we might have eternal life through belief in Him. We are saved by grace, not by political party. I ask that all of us remain in prayer, not that God will obey us, but that we will see and hear His truth in all we do and say, and in the decisions we make.
I call on each one of us to look up our Representatives and Senator’s email addresses, land addresses, and phone numbers so that we can be participating citizens in the next administration. Research and keep up on the issues of the day so we can be partners in this democracy we call America. We have been lazy and reticent long enough. When you speak out, speak in love, not in anger or self-righteousness. I don’t care whom you vote for, but please vote. Democracy is on the line and I, first of all, up hold your right to vote for whom you believe in.
Like Claudia, lift up gratitude, joy, and love. May there be a blessing on your lips with each contact you make. Live each day, knowing it is a gift from God. Know that you are right about much and wrong about more. Only God is wise and omniscient (all knowing)and only He can lead us out of this financial, political, and combative world we are in. Look over my prayer of a few weeks back, Only Ten at the blog below, and vow to be one of the ten who will pray this world out of despair and seek healing and gratitude for ourselves, the country we love, and the country of origin from whence your ancestors came. Let us pray:
“Oh loving, healing Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Holy, Holy, Holy is your name. May your kingdom come on earth in which a remnant of your people will fall on their knees daily and pray for forgiveness for all your people and for themselves. That would be a glimpse of Heaven on earth. With humble hearts, we pray to be one of the Ten (on ten-thousand hills), that we may offer our voices to the great cloud of prayers that waft their way to you, pleading for mercy, forgiveness, and grace. We come before you, asking for healing for our bodies, our minds, our souls, our country, our world, and our financial institutions. We are like lost sheep who have wondered from our shepherd. We have looked to political personalities, in this time of election, to be wise enough to keep us safe, while we do nothing but play. We ask not for a sacrificial lamb to bear the sins for all of us but eyes that see the Lord your son whom you have already given to us. None of us are wise enough to vote out of our own knowledge and the ability to see what the future brings. But, you Lord, know all, and you, Lord, are the One we call on to help us make a wise decision. We know you can bring your will out of any circumstance, when your people seek your face. Spread out your healing arms around your beautiful blue world. Calm the waves of panic that seize us as you did on the Galilean Sea. Quiet the waters of anger and discord like the demons you cast out of old. Heal our broken spirits, the fear in our minds, the illness in our bodies, and let hope take seed again like goblets of wine where once there was stale water. We know you hear and answer the prayers of your people. We will live each of our remaining days, with your healing love in our hearts, knowing you have placed it there. We thank you for all we have and all we are. To you, we give all glory and honor and praise. In the precious, powerful name of your son, Jesus, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
There is a cancer that is eating its way into our lives. It is causing families to take sides, as it has happened in other times of national crisis, still arguing over who is right and demanding that others agree with them. This is not an election about race. It is a race to determine the future of our wonderful, blessed country, where Freedom found a home over two-hundred years ago. We need a prayer for healing: of our bodies, that we may be strong and healthy to meet the great demands of the day; our minds, that our thinking may be clear and productive; our resolve, that we no longer remain complacently silent; and our liberty, that we do not allow it to be eaten away like a blight on our land. Some believe one candidate will insure our hope for tomorrow and others believe a different team will secure our future. I believe our hope is in the Lord, who made Heaven and earth and gave us His son that we might have eternal life through belief in Him. We are saved by grace, not by political party. I ask that all of us remain in prayer, not that God will obey us, but that we will see and hear His truth in all we do and say, and in the decisions we make.
I call on each one of us to look up our Representatives and Senator’s email addresses, land addresses, and phone numbers so that we can be participating citizens in the next administration. Research and keep up on the issues of the day so we can be partners in this democracy we call America. We have been lazy and reticent long enough. When you speak out, speak in love, not in anger or self-righteousness. I don’t care whom you vote for, but please vote. Democracy is on the line and I, first of all, up hold your right to vote for whom you believe in.
Like Claudia, lift up gratitude, joy, and love. May there be a blessing on your lips with each contact you make. Live each day, knowing it is a gift from God. Know that you are right about much and wrong about more. Only God is wise and omniscient (all knowing)and only He can lead us out of this financial, political, and combative world we are in. Look over my prayer of a few weeks back, Only Ten at the blog below, and vow to be one of the ten who will pray this world out of despair and seek healing and gratitude for ourselves, the country we love, and the country of origin from whence your ancestors came. Let us pray:
“Oh loving, healing Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Holy, Holy, Holy is your name. May your kingdom come on earth in which a remnant of your people will fall on their knees daily and pray for forgiveness for all your people and for themselves. That would be a glimpse of Heaven on earth. With humble hearts, we pray to be one of the Ten (on ten-thousand hills), that we may offer our voices to the great cloud of prayers that waft their way to you, pleading for mercy, forgiveness, and grace. We come before you, asking for healing for our bodies, our minds, our souls, our country, our world, and our financial institutions. We are like lost sheep who have wondered from our shepherd. We have looked to political personalities, in this time of election, to be wise enough to keep us safe, while we do nothing but play. We ask not for a sacrificial lamb to bear the sins for all of us but eyes that see the Lord your son whom you have already given to us. None of us are wise enough to vote out of our own knowledge and the ability to see what the future brings. But, you Lord, know all, and you, Lord, are the One we call on to help us make a wise decision. We know you can bring your will out of any circumstance, when your people seek your face. Spread out your healing arms around your beautiful blue world. Calm the waves of panic that seize us as you did on the Galilean Sea. Quiet the waters of anger and discord like the demons you cast out of old. Heal our broken spirits, the fear in our minds, the illness in our bodies, and let hope take seed again like goblets of wine where once there was stale water. We know you hear and answer the prayers of your people. We will live each of our remaining days, with your healing love in our hearts, knowing you have placed it there. We thank you for all we have and all we are. To you, we give all glory and honor and praise. In the precious, powerful name of your son, Jesus, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
RENEW MY SOUL
I will put thee in a cleft of the Rock, and will cover thee with My hand - Exodus 33:22
Sometimes I hear hymns from my childhood singing over and over in my head. Today it was Fanny Crosby’s words to, He Hideth My Soul: “He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand, And covers me there with His hand.”
It came to me that our soul is God’s, for it is the part of us that is Him. Our personality is a mix of our genetic makeup, as shown by studies of adopted children whose personalities were like their birth mother’s, even if they had never lived with her, and our environment. As Fanny’s song sang in my heart, I discerned that God tucks our soul back out of harm’s way, in a shady place, from which He shields our dry, thirsty personality. Renewal comes when our personality recognizes and accepts the shade He has provided for our soul, reconnects with the truth of whose we are as we recognize that our soul is His and bonds our Spirit or soul within us with our personality, so we can receive the benefits of the coolness and life-giving shelter it provides . . . as He covers us safely with His own hand. Thus renewed . . . we are wholly alive. Let us pray:
“Oh Father, shelter and protector of my soul, how magnificent and Holy is your name. May your golden kingdom include me, as I include you in my life. Allow me the privilege of being part of your will, living in your own kingdom where you rule and provide protection. I come before you, oh Lover of My Soul, asking you to renew the spirit within me, so that I may have new life in you and be reconnected, like a golden thread, from my heart to yours, ever shaded from the misery of the drying, killing sun. I accept your love, your life, your protection, your grace, and your forgiveness. Forgive me when I have thought I could live life on my own, independent from you. I know that my soul is yours and I cannot save it on my own, for it doesn’t belong to me. Give me a renewed heart and soul so that I may see the road signs when I wander from your path. I will give ALL honor and glory to you Father God, for only you are worthy of praise. Recognizing that without Jesus, I am powerless, I pray in the precious name of, and by the power of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Sometimes I hear hymns from my childhood singing over and over in my head. Today it was Fanny Crosby’s words to, He Hideth My Soul: “He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand, And covers me there with His hand.”
It came to me that our soul is God’s, for it is the part of us that is Him. Our personality is a mix of our genetic makeup, as shown by studies of adopted children whose personalities were like their birth mother’s, even if they had never lived with her, and our environment. As Fanny’s song sang in my heart, I discerned that God tucks our soul back out of harm’s way, in a shady place, from which He shields our dry, thirsty personality. Renewal comes when our personality recognizes and accepts the shade He has provided for our soul, reconnects with the truth of whose we are as we recognize that our soul is His and bonds our Spirit or soul within us with our personality, so we can receive the benefits of the coolness and life-giving shelter it provides . . . as He covers us safely with His own hand. Thus renewed . . . we are wholly alive. Let us pray:
“Oh Father, shelter and protector of my soul, how magnificent and Holy is your name. May your golden kingdom include me, as I include you in my life. Allow me the privilege of being part of your will, living in your own kingdom where you rule and provide protection. I come before you, oh Lover of My Soul, asking you to renew the spirit within me, so that I may have new life in you and be reconnected, like a golden thread, from my heart to yours, ever shaded from the misery of the drying, killing sun. I accept your love, your life, your protection, your grace, and your forgiveness. Forgive me when I have thought I could live life on my own, independent from you. I know that my soul is yours and I cannot save it on my own, for it doesn’t belong to me. Give me a renewed heart and soul so that I may see the road signs when I wander from your path. I will give ALL honor and glory to you Father God, for only you are worthy of praise. Recognizing that without Jesus, I am powerless, I pray in the precious name of, and by the power of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
ONLY TEN
Genesis 18: 23-28 “Then Abraham approached him (the Lord) and said, ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing ‒ to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ The Lord said, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.’ Then Abraham spoke up again: ‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?’ ‘If I find forty-five there,’ he said, ‘I will not destroy it.’”
[Then Abraham bargained more with the Lord until he got the number lower.]
Genesis 18: 32-33 “Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’ When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.”
[But, the Lord could not even find ten righteous people and he utterly destroyed both Sodom and Gomorrah.]
We point out the un-Godliness of our own country at times, but perhaps, the entire country does not have to turn and see the sins we have committed and lead a righteous life, in order for our country to be spared. Will the Lord find ten righteous people in the United States so that we will not be destroyed? My friends, the time is NOW to get serious about our walk with the Lord. Can He count on you; can He count on me, to be one of the Ten? Let us pray:
“Our heavenly Father, you are the Holy One, the one true God. May we wake up and recognize your sovereignty over us and our country so that we may be spared the destruction that could come. Give us eyes that see, ears that hear, hearts that love, and tongues that express your mighty power, your forgiveness and grace, and your love. While we are unworthy to claim anything on our own, we pray for the gift of discernment through the promises of your son, Jesus Christ, that we might live righteous lives before you while yet here in the company of mankind. If ten are sufficient to spare our country of this calamity, let the willingness in our hearts to be counted among the Ten, be enough to spare our nation, ever knowing that perfection is not ours. Your Holy Spirit lives within us, so please recognize your children through your own spirit, Father, and heal our land. Forgive us when we, like errant children, have gone ‘out to play’ while the country of your blessing has burned. Let us no longer look to others to pray our nation into wholeness, but take our place as one of the Ten and humble ourselves before you and seek your face, and love your country back to health. To you we give all praise and glory, oh Father God. In the name of, and by the power of, your precious son, Jesus, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
[Then Abraham bargained more with the Lord until he got the number lower.]
Genesis 18: 32-33 “Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’ When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.”
[But, the Lord could not even find ten righteous people and he utterly destroyed both Sodom and Gomorrah.]
We point out the un-Godliness of our own country at times, but perhaps, the entire country does not have to turn and see the sins we have committed and lead a righteous life, in order for our country to be spared. Will the Lord find ten righteous people in the United States so that we will not be destroyed? My friends, the time is NOW to get serious about our walk with the Lord. Can He count on you; can He count on me, to be one of the Ten? Let us pray:
“Our heavenly Father, you are the Holy One, the one true God. May we wake up and recognize your sovereignty over us and our country so that we may be spared the destruction that could come. Give us eyes that see, ears that hear, hearts that love, and tongues that express your mighty power, your forgiveness and grace, and your love. While we are unworthy to claim anything on our own, we pray for the gift of discernment through the promises of your son, Jesus Christ, that we might live righteous lives before you while yet here in the company of mankind. If ten are sufficient to spare our country of this calamity, let the willingness in our hearts to be counted among the Ten, be enough to spare our nation, ever knowing that perfection is not ours. Your Holy Spirit lives within us, so please recognize your children through your own spirit, Father, and heal our land. Forgive us when we, like errant children, have gone ‘out to play’ while the country of your blessing has burned. Let us no longer look to others to pray our nation into wholeness, but take our place as one of the Ten and humble ourselves before you and seek your face, and love your country back to health. To you we give all praise and glory, oh Father God. In the name of, and by the power of, your precious son, Jesus, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2008 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
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