Luke 17: [30] "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. . . . [32] Remember Lot's wife! [33] Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. [34] I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. [35] Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."
The rain flashed down with power and thunder the other night. Then, we heard another sound, one we’d heard before, the roar of an incoming train. “Time to go!” I yelled and we all headed to the basement.
After the rain and wind subsided, we came up and looked around. A small shed in the back yard had been pulled up and blown about but the most damage was in the front of the house. Two trees that had stood so close they nearly claimed the same trunk were no longer side by side. The tree on the left had been snapped off about two feet from the ground, like a discarded tooth pick, and now lay in the street, spanning the distance between the stone wall the monks had built many years ago, across the pavement, with the top eight feet in our yard. One had been taken and the other left behind.
On which side of Heaven will you be standing when the Lord comes? Isn’t it wonderful that there is nothing that we can do to buy our way into eternity? Our belief is all that is required. The rest is God’s privilege to welcome His children home. We don’t have to research and find all the answers first. Daily walking with the Lord is all the training we need, if it were not so, He would have told us. Believe beloved, believe. Let us pray:
“‘Holy Father, Love Devine, dawn upon this soul of mine.’ That is all we need to pray, Lord, for you to enter our hearts. We know you will not storm our walls or take a battering-ram to our locked door. You will only knock and we must open the door and let you in. It is so simple and yet we make it so complicated. Forgive us for trying to out-think you. Forgive us for thinking we will be able to understand you and figure out your mystery . . . and then we will believe. True belief is accepting you without knowing all the answers, for that is trust. We praise your holy name, for you take our silly attempts to put you to the test and believe in us long before we believe in you. We ask for hearts of Love, character of iron, and wills of grace to love you more. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, your Son, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
LIVE LOVE
“What use am I anymore? I was an active person. Now, I sit is a wheel chair all day." Most of us know at least one person who has come to the sunset years of their lives and have said or felt similar thoughts.
They are mourning the loss of their profession, their standing in the community, and the influence that go with it. Men take their independence and go out into the world to find their identity which they get from their job, their career. Women must know who they are, have an identity, before they can go out into the world and find their independence. Men, especially, have trouble finding meaning in their later years, since their purpose for being is wrapped up in that which they can no longer do.
I encourage you to teach your elders and dig deep pathways in your own thinking that says, “My purpose in life is to love God and to show that love to all those around me.” There can be no greater calling, no more meaningful career, no greater purpose than to live love. Everything else is self-service and ego boosting. Loving is selfless, for it says, “I don’t want anyone to see me when they look upon my face. I want only that they see a small glimpse of God and find love in that light.” Live Love. Let us pray:
“Dear Lord God, you brought everything into being by the breath of your voice and the love that identifies you, holy is your name. May we walk in your brilliance and embrace its full warmth, so that your love might shine through us and bring light into dark places. Forgive us when we think only of ourselves and wonder how we can find meaning and purpose. We are actually saying, “How do I find power and recognition?” We ask that the only one who is recognized in us is you. Then, our real purpose in life will be fulfilled, to live love so that others may see you manifested in us and seek your light. Jesus, your son, is our Savior and example and it is in his name we pray. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
They are mourning the loss of their profession, their standing in the community, and the influence that go with it. Men take their independence and go out into the world to find their identity which they get from their job, their career. Women must know who they are, have an identity, before they can go out into the world and find their independence. Men, especially, have trouble finding meaning in their later years, since their purpose for being is wrapped up in that which they can no longer do.
I encourage you to teach your elders and dig deep pathways in your own thinking that says, “My purpose in life is to love God and to show that love to all those around me.” There can be no greater calling, no more meaningful career, no greater purpose than to live love. Everything else is self-service and ego boosting. Loving is selfless, for it says, “I don’t want anyone to see me when they look upon my face. I want only that they see a small glimpse of God and find love in that light.” Live Love. Let us pray:
“Dear Lord God, you brought everything into being by the breath of your voice and the love that identifies you, holy is your name. May we walk in your brilliance and embrace its full warmth, so that your love might shine through us and bring light into dark places. Forgive us when we think only of ourselves and wonder how we can find meaning and purpose. We are actually saying, “How do I find power and recognition?” We ask that the only one who is recognized in us is you. Then, our real purpose in life will be fulfilled, to live love so that others may see you manifested in us and seek your light. Jesus, your son, is our Savior and example and it is in his name we pray. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A SYMBOL OF THE LAND WE LOVE
June 14, 2010
George M. Cohen wrote "You’re a Grand Old Flag" in 1906 for his musical, "George Washington, Jr." For most Americans, our glorious flag, flapping her ruby stripes in the breeze, is one of the most beautiful sites they can imagine. Today, Monday, June 14 is Flag Day. I’m sure stores have found a way to commercialize it. Do not let anyone hijack its meaning and twist it into something else. She represents the land we love.
The same is true of the Christian symbols that remind us of whose we are. Some wear gaudy crucifixes around their necks suspended from heavy chains. I won’t pretend to know their motives. I sometimes wear a small cross myself or one I bought shortly before we moved from New Mexico. My favorite is a little gold one my parents gave me when I was about five years old. It represents the sacrifice of our Lord, the love of my mother and daddy, and the continuing grace of God. Some people fight to remove Christian symbols from public view. A few days ago we stopped at the world’s largest cross (198 feet tall), the Cross at the Crossroads, in Effingham, Illinois. We had seen it many times as we passed on I70, but after a legal debate erupted that threatened its existence, we wanted to stop this time.
I enjoy wearing creative pins, some shaped like women, others are seasonal forms, and many are homes, all designed by a woman who was once homeless. They are sold as fund raisers for a mission project in Indianapolis. Many people stop and admire the pins which gives me the opportunity to share the story of the wonderful mission they represent. Each telling can be a testimony which is uniquely my own. Seize the opportunity to use the symbols as visual aids to tell others about our great country, our Risen Savior, or a mission opportunity others can share in. Take Flag Day as an opportunity to tell others the true story of the great country in which we live, the loving God we serve, and the Good Shepherd we follow. Only you can share your story. On the witness stand of life, yours is the only voice that is not hearsay. Let us pray:
“Dear Lord and father of all there, we praise your holy name and thank you for the symbols you generously place on our path, like bread crumbs, showing us the way home. Forgive us if we have worshiped these symbols, for they only represent you. They are not your heart. You have placed beauty and inspiration all around us. Too often we choose to fix our gaze on the ugly rather than drink in the glory of all you have for us. Let us show others the beauty you have given all of us. We ask you to bless this great country in which we live, the heart beat and breath that ripples our flowing flag. May the country our founders left to us as a precious, inspired gift, lift others for generations to come. Give us the courage to speak truth to the history of this land, so that others will see your love behind the symbols. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
George M. Cohen wrote "You’re a Grand Old Flag" in 1906 for his musical, "George Washington, Jr." For most Americans, our glorious flag, flapping her ruby stripes in the breeze, is one of the most beautiful sites they can imagine. Today, Monday, June 14 is Flag Day. I’m sure stores have found a way to commercialize it. Do not let anyone hijack its meaning and twist it into something else. She represents the land we love.
The same is true of the Christian symbols that remind us of whose we are. Some wear gaudy crucifixes around their necks suspended from heavy chains. I won’t pretend to know their motives. I sometimes wear a small cross myself or one I bought shortly before we moved from New Mexico. My favorite is a little gold one my parents gave me when I was about five years old. It represents the sacrifice of our Lord, the love of my mother and daddy, and the continuing grace of God. Some people fight to remove Christian symbols from public view. A few days ago we stopped at the world’s largest cross (198 feet tall), the Cross at the Crossroads, in Effingham, Illinois. We had seen it many times as we passed on I70, but after a legal debate erupted that threatened its existence, we wanted to stop this time.
I enjoy wearing creative pins, some shaped like women, others are seasonal forms, and many are homes, all designed by a woman who was once homeless. They are sold as fund raisers for a mission project in Indianapolis. Many people stop and admire the pins which gives me the opportunity to share the story of the wonderful mission they represent. Each telling can be a testimony which is uniquely my own. Seize the opportunity to use the symbols as visual aids to tell others about our great country, our Risen Savior, or a mission opportunity others can share in. Take Flag Day as an opportunity to tell others the true story of the great country in which we live, the loving God we serve, and the Good Shepherd we follow. Only you can share your story. On the witness stand of life, yours is the only voice that is not hearsay. Let us pray:
“Dear Lord and father of all there, we praise your holy name and thank you for the symbols you generously place on our path, like bread crumbs, showing us the way home. Forgive us if we have worshiped these symbols, for they only represent you. They are not your heart. You have placed beauty and inspiration all around us. Too often we choose to fix our gaze on the ugly rather than drink in the glory of all you have for us. Let us show others the beauty you have given all of us. We ask you to bless this great country in which we live, the heart beat and breath that ripples our flowing flag. May the country our founders left to us as a precious, inspired gift, lift others for generations to come. Give us the courage to speak truth to the history of this land, so that others will see your love behind the symbols. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
GRADUATION DAY
June 7, 2010
The entire arena erupted with thunderous applause as the last of the six-hundred fifty high school students crossed the stage and accepted her diploma. When your last name starts with Z, you get your first taste of adoring attention when you finally get your turn to receive your sheep skin. Our granddaughter Abb,y was launched Saturday and the rest of her life has begun. One of our other daughters looked out over the graduates in their blue gowns and mortar boards and observed “They look so mature.” Then, rather than focusing on the whole, she began to see the few. By the end of second hour of the ceremonies, one honor student sat on the front row twirling her gold honor’s tassels, while a giant inflated ball came bouncing up from a row somewhere behind her. These new adults knew how to rush head on into life -with enthusiasm.
How are we living our lives? Do we have fun and volley a few balls back and forth along the way; or, do we whine and complain that we just shouldn’t have to endure any long, difficult moments in life? Do we toss our hats in the air and warn the world we’re coming through; or, do we sit on our hands and say we’ve done our part, let someone else take over? Do we tell the Lord He can count on us until He calls us home; or, do we say, “I’m tired God. I’m off duty now.”
Friends, this is graduation day. We are all being launched into the next opportunity to serve the Lord. Can we throw our hat in the air and say, “I’m here Lord, ready for you to speak that I might know where you will send me.” Sometimes, it isn’t even the response that he treasures. It’s the willingness to open our ears, open our hearts, and have ready hands. Let us pray:
“Dear Lord and father of all, creator of all, our all-in-all, Holy is your name. May your kingdom come to earth that we may enjoy your presence as your angels in heaven do even now. We ask that you restore our energy, reset our beginning, and restart our commitment to be your servant, waiting on you. Faithfully waiting is a noble privilege that has no match. We thank you for allowing us to be your servants. We pray that we may be your sweet breath and bring your perfume to all those we meet. In the name of Jesus Christ your son, our Savior we pray and praise you. Amen.”
Doris
“Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp”
“God gives us stories that tell of his love. Let me tell you mine.”
The entire arena erupted with thunderous applause as the last of the six-hundred fifty high school students crossed the stage and accepted her diploma. When your last name starts with Z, you get your first taste of adoring attention when you finally get your turn to receive your sheep skin. Our granddaughter Abb,y was launched Saturday and the rest of her life has begun. One of our other daughters looked out over the graduates in their blue gowns and mortar boards and observed “They look so mature.” Then, rather than focusing on the whole, she began to see the few. By the end of second hour of the ceremonies, one honor student sat on the front row twirling her gold honor’s tassels, while a giant inflated ball came bouncing up from a row somewhere behind her. These new adults knew how to rush head on into life -with enthusiasm.
How are we living our lives? Do we have fun and volley a few balls back and forth along the way; or, do we whine and complain that we just shouldn’t have to endure any long, difficult moments in life? Do we toss our hats in the air and warn the world we’re coming through; or, do we sit on our hands and say we’ve done our part, let someone else take over? Do we tell the Lord He can count on us until He calls us home; or, do we say, “I’m tired God. I’m off duty now.”
Friends, this is graduation day. We are all being launched into the next opportunity to serve the Lord. Can we throw our hat in the air and say, “I’m here Lord, ready for you to speak that I might know where you will send me.” Sometimes, it isn’t even the response that he treasures. It’s the willingness to open our ears, open our hearts, and have ready hands. Let us pray:
“Dear Lord and father of all, creator of all, our all-in-all, Holy is your name. May your kingdom come to earth that we may enjoy your presence as your angels in heaven do even now. We ask that you restore our energy, reset our beginning, and restart our commitment to be your servant, waiting on you. Faithfully waiting is a noble privilege that has no match. We thank you for allowing us to be your servants. We pray that we may be your sweet breath and bring your perfume to all those we meet. In the name of Jesus Christ your son, our Savior we pray and praise you. Amen.”
Doris
“Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp”
“God gives us stories that tell of his love. Let me tell you mine.”
Monday, May 31, 2010
WE ARE A CHRISTIAN NATION
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything” (Alexander Hamilton). And I would add, “Those who stand for nothing fall.” If we are not a Christian nation anymore, our country will be hijacked by other philosophies and religions. We may gradually become an Islamic nation or a nation with no heart at all.
The United States of America was forged and molded by patriots whose hearts belonged to the living Lord our God. They fought in sweltering heat with no modern comforts and tromped through icy fields with no shoes. They knew they were on a Holy mission. They knew what they stood for.
Our minds abhor a vacuum. If our thoughts are not full of God, they will be filled by something else. That is the nature of Cognitive/Behavioral Psychology. The mind is taught to dwell on positive thoughts in order to stop the harmful, negative ones. Many people these days choose to dwell on nothing more than hypnotic, digital magic. The battle for our minds has never stopped.
The news has been full of discussions about a mosque to be built near Ground Zero in Manhattan. We know that mosques are always built on conquered ground. Yet, we say, “They are just building a center for tolerance, a center for peace.” Whose peace, based on what philosophy? Whose wording and conditions will be placed on the peace accords? If we are not a Christian nation, we are a ___________ nation. Just fill in the blank with the current politically correct ideology that knows who they are.
Who are we? Do we live we are a Christian nation or one defined by others, other ideologies, other countries, other gods? Let us straighten our backs and fix our eyes like flint on the continuing prize before us, the security, maintenance, and growth of the beautiful, shining city on the hill (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount), given to us by those who went before. They are a great cloud of witnesses to our efforts, strong or weak, to keeping it going. All we have to do is believe in who we are and whose we are, a Christian nation, dedicated to the principles that all people are created equal and each has the opportunity to pursue their own happiness within a country of God’s peace and grace. If we are not God’s, under the lordship of Jesus Christ, then we have chosen a different god by default. Let us pray:
“God of our fathers and Lord of our lives, we come before you, remembering all those who fell that we might stand. Holy is your name. Holy was their cause. And, Holy is the mission that is still before us. Give us your strength, your focus, and your grace to continue the vigilance for it is our privilege to be in your service. Forgive us when we have been lazy and turned our eyes to the newest, flashiest ideas that have been allowed to steal our hearts. We confess that we may have surrendered already. We seem to have abdicated our royal task of preserving the nation given to us and dedicated in your name. We humbly ask for your protection again. Together we pray, rededicating ourselves to the preservation of the Christian nation you formed in the hearts of patriots over two-hundred years ago. We cannot put our country back on track by ourselves, but you, oh mighty God, can. You can, and only then and therefore, we can. With one voice we pray, ‘Glory to God in the highest for giving us this Christian nation. We believe we belong to you. We rededicate ourselves to the Holy mission of this great Christian nation and we stand in the gap between our beloved country and those who would deny that we are yours.’ In the name of Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord and Savior we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
The United States of America was forged and molded by patriots whose hearts belonged to the living Lord our God. They fought in sweltering heat with no modern comforts and tromped through icy fields with no shoes. They knew they were on a Holy mission. They knew what they stood for.
Our minds abhor a vacuum. If our thoughts are not full of God, they will be filled by something else. That is the nature of Cognitive/Behavioral Psychology. The mind is taught to dwell on positive thoughts in order to stop the harmful, negative ones. Many people these days choose to dwell on nothing more than hypnotic, digital magic. The battle for our minds has never stopped.
The news has been full of discussions about a mosque to be built near Ground Zero in Manhattan. We know that mosques are always built on conquered ground. Yet, we say, “They are just building a center for tolerance, a center for peace.” Whose peace, based on what philosophy? Whose wording and conditions will be placed on the peace accords? If we are not a Christian nation, we are a ___________ nation. Just fill in the blank with the current politically correct ideology that knows who they are.
Who are we? Do we live we are a Christian nation or one defined by others, other ideologies, other countries, other gods? Let us straighten our backs and fix our eyes like flint on the continuing prize before us, the security, maintenance, and growth of the beautiful, shining city on the hill (Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount), given to us by those who went before. They are a great cloud of witnesses to our efforts, strong or weak, to keeping it going. All we have to do is believe in who we are and whose we are, a Christian nation, dedicated to the principles that all people are created equal and each has the opportunity to pursue their own happiness within a country of God’s peace and grace. If we are not God’s, under the lordship of Jesus Christ, then we have chosen a different god by default. Let us pray:
“God of our fathers and Lord of our lives, we come before you, remembering all those who fell that we might stand. Holy is your name. Holy was their cause. And, Holy is the mission that is still before us. Give us your strength, your focus, and your grace to continue the vigilance for it is our privilege to be in your service. Forgive us when we have been lazy and turned our eyes to the newest, flashiest ideas that have been allowed to steal our hearts. We confess that we may have surrendered already. We seem to have abdicated our royal task of preserving the nation given to us and dedicated in your name. We humbly ask for your protection again. Together we pray, rededicating ourselves to the preservation of the Christian nation you formed in the hearts of patriots over two-hundred years ago. We cannot put our country back on track by ourselves, but you, oh mighty God, can. You can, and only then and therefore, we can. With one voice we pray, ‘Glory to God in the highest for giving us this Christian nation. We believe we belong to you. We rededicate ourselves to the Holy mission of this great Christian nation and we stand in the gap between our beloved country and those who would deny that we are yours.’ In the name of Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord and Savior we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Sunday, May 23, 2010
THE KING'S ENGLISH
Have you ever heard warnings that sound like this? “You can’t talk about rainbows anymore because they are now New Age symbols.” My friends, the rainbow was a gift from God. He placed His rainbow in the sky as a reminder that He will not destroy the earth by flood again.”
Then there is the uncomfortable conversation in which something you have just said is snickered at because it now has an alternative or double meaning. They insist you just said something you did not intend to say or imply. Perhaps you don’t even speak in the slang they attributed your words to.
My friends, the world has tried to take over every aspect of the life God has given us, from “do whatever makes you feel good” to hijacking the King’s English and placing new and unintended meanings on words we use every day. Do not allow the world to pollute your meaning.
The King, our Lord, has blessed us with beautiful words with which to express ourselves in spoken words, poetry, prose, and music. Do not let the world rob you of even one syllable of His precious words. I told a friend, “The world did not give me the rainbow, my Lord did.” You do not have to apologize for what someone else has twisted your words into saying. Listen to how the world uses His words and do not deliberately use them in ways that would not be understood, but use them in a clear articulation of your meaning. Do not let the world take anything from you with which God has blessed you. Let the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart be acceptable in His sight. If someone laughs and twists your meaning, bless them and left them up in prayer to God that they will be blessed abundantly, so that they may see the beauty in words, not the taint of their own hearts. Let us pray:
“Oh Father God, author of all that is created, all that is spoken, your words brought forth life into the void. Blessed are your whispers and your songs. May your kingdom come in which words are spoken on the strains of music as they are in heaven. Forgive us when we become angry and raise our voices to those around us, when we lash out in retaliation to others. Your words have created and continue to bring life. Your word tells us, whom we bless you will bless. There is nothing more powerful from us than our words. With our voices we lift up our prayers on behalf of others, the man who cut us off in traffic or the woman who snatched our parking space. How very sad they must be. May your joy flood their souls that they too may shout praises to your Holy name. In the name of Jesus Christ, your son, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Then there is the uncomfortable conversation in which something you have just said is snickered at because it now has an alternative or double meaning. They insist you just said something you did not intend to say or imply. Perhaps you don’t even speak in the slang they attributed your words to.
My friends, the world has tried to take over every aspect of the life God has given us, from “do whatever makes you feel good” to hijacking the King’s English and placing new and unintended meanings on words we use every day. Do not allow the world to pollute your meaning.
The King, our Lord, has blessed us with beautiful words with which to express ourselves in spoken words, poetry, prose, and music. Do not let the world rob you of even one syllable of His precious words. I told a friend, “The world did not give me the rainbow, my Lord did.” You do not have to apologize for what someone else has twisted your words into saying. Listen to how the world uses His words and do not deliberately use them in ways that would not be understood, but use them in a clear articulation of your meaning. Do not let the world take anything from you with which God has blessed you. Let the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart be acceptable in His sight. If someone laughs and twists your meaning, bless them and left them up in prayer to God that they will be blessed abundantly, so that they may see the beauty in words, not the taint of their own hearts. Let us pray:
“Oh Father God, author of all that is created, all that is spoken, your words brought forth life into the void. Blessed are your whispers and your songs. May your kingdom come in which words are spoken on the strains of music as they are in heaven. Forgive us when we become angry and raise our voices to those around us, when we lash out in retaliation to others. Your words have created and continue to bring life. Your word tells us, whom we bless you will bless. There is nothing more powerful from us than our words. With our voices we lift up our prayers on behalf of others, the man who cut us off in traffic or the woman who snatched our parking space. How very sad they must be. May your joy flood their souls that they too may shout praises to your Holy name. In the name of Jesus Christ, your son, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Monday, May 17, 2010
THE GLORIOUS DAT IT RAINED
It had been misting all morning. It didn’t seem like the kind of happy-rain that makes you feel cozy to be inside. It was the grey, achy kind that penetrates the bones. Or was it? Could it be that my pressured morning had interpreted the rain as problematic rather than a gentleness with the power to sooth? I will choose this moment to re-label it. Like Shakespear’s Merchant of Venus, I choose to think of today’s misty rain as mercy falling from heaven. The quality of mercy is not strained, It falleth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice blessed; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
We jump to many conclusions and even attempt to self-interpret attributes of God. We ask for God’s mercy but, unlike Shakespear’s understanding hundreds of years ago, we don’t really want it to be twice blessed, falling around us and splashing out on others around us. We are one of two kinds of believers: we either embrace the thought of mercy for others but refuse to accept God’s blessing for ourselves since, knowing us as we do, we believe we are unworthy. Or, we pray for mercy for ourselves but begrudge evidence that another is blessed, since we judge them as unworthy. Let us accept all of the blessings God has for us, including mercy, with no qualifiers attached. Every time it rains, let us lift our eyes to Heaven and praise God for all His mercies. Then, bathe in that mercy like a fresh baptism and the achy rain will be transformed into a blessing. Let us pray:
“Loving Father, God, how precious is your name and amazing are your mercies. Holy is your name and yet we use it to curse others. Forgive us for our worldly ways. We pray that your kingdom may come quickly in a place where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess your glory. Today, we pray for mercy, Father. We have offended you and have harmed others. For this we are deeply sorry and ask for your forgiveness and mercy. We also lift up the one who we love the least and ask that you love them more, for they are your children as well. Remove all pain from their lives and heal them with your mercy. Let them have a measure of the mercy you offer to us, for we know your love has no bounds. And for these blessings we say, Hallelujah in the highest, may peace and mercy be finally recognized on this earth. For these blessings we give you all praise and glory, Father. In the precious name of Jesus, your son, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
We jump to many conclusions and even attempt to self-interpret attributes of God. We ask for God’s mercy but, unlike Shakespear’s understanding hundreds of years ago, we don’t really want it to be twice blessed, falling around us and splashing out on others around us. We are one of two kinds of believers: we either embrace the thought of mercy for others but refuse to accept God’s blessing for ourselves since, knowing us as we do, we believe we are unworthy. Or, we pray for mercy for ourselves but begrudge evidence that another is blessed, since we judge them as unworthy. Let us accept all of the blessings God has for us, including mercy, with no qualifiers attached. Every time it rains, let us lift our eyes to Heaven and praise God for all His mercies. Then, bathe in that mercy like a fresh baptism and the achy rain will be transformed into a blessing. Let us pray:
“Loving Father, God, how precious is your name and amazing are your mercies. Holy is your name and yet we use it to curse others. Forgive us for our worldly ways. We pray that your kingdom may come quickly in a place where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess your glory. Today, we pray for mercy, Father. We have offended you and have harmed others. For this we are deeply sorry and ask for your forgiveness and mercy. We also lift up the one who we love the least and ask that you love them more, for they are your children as well. Remove all pain from their lives and heal them with your mercy. Let them have a measure of the mercy you offer to us, for we know your love has no bounds. And for these blessings we say, Hallelujah in the highest, may peace and mercy be finally recognized on this earth. For these blessings we give you all praise and glory, Father. In the precious name of Jesus, your son, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
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