Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
Our Bible verse for today: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you prosper; may there be peace within your walls, prosperity within your fortresses.” Psalm 122:6-7
Our thought for today: “Pray for peace in America”
In Psalm 122:6-7 King David felt compelled to ask his readers to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. This morning I feel compelled to ask you to pray for the peace of America.
Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be much peace for our nation these days. The war in Afghanistan has now entered its 12th year and although we have largely withdrawn from Iraq, it is once again erupting into widespread violence and may be headed to civil war. I think we’ll probably end up involved in that again. Syria has us on edge, as do Iran, North Korea, and China. Security analysts are debating where the next US war is going to be. Not “if” we will be involved in another military action, only when and where.
Within our borders things don’t look any better, maybe worse. I read an article just this morning where the Department of Homeland Security has said that terrorist activity worldwide, including within the USA, continues to increase. In terms of planning, communicating, and actual violence, the threat is growing.
Then there is politics – especially our national politics. Our political discourse is looking more and more like a back alley fistfight. The American people are polarized like never before, the economy is struggling to pull out of recession, school and workplace shootings continue to plague us, and on and on it goes.
My intention here is not to bring you down but to illustrate the imperative need for all of us to be praying for our nation. Jerusalem needed it in David’s day and the USA needs it today. I’m a firm believer that when God’s people pray, things happen. The great prayer warrior and author Frank Laubach thought so too. In his wonderful little book “Prayer – The Mightiest Force in the World” he wrote,
“Most of us will never enter the White House and offer advice to the President. Probably he will never have time to read our letters. But we can give him what is far more important than advice. We can give him a lift into the presence of God, make him hungry for divine wisdom. We can visit the White House with prayer as many times a day as we think of it, and every such visit makes us a channel between God and the President.”
Laubach continued, “If ten million praying people in the United States stopped for a few seconds several times every day to flash a prayer at the President or our Senators, they would feel a gentle spiritual power almost lifting them out of their chairs.”
Please spend some extra time today praying for peace in America.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 