Before I leave, I've prepared some scriptures to be praying over the people of Haiti.
Would you be praying them with me?
In times of trouble, may the LORD answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
May he send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
May he remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.
May he grant your heart’s desires
and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the LORD answer all your prayers.
Now I know that the LORD rescues his anointed king.
He will answer him from his holy heaven
and rescue him by his great power.
Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
but we boast in the name of the LORD our God.
Those nations will fall down and collapse,
but we will rise up and stand firm. Give victory to our king, O LORD!
Answer our cry for help.
- Psalm 20 (NLT)
God, you are my God. I celebrate you. I praise you.
You've done your share of miracle-wonders,
well-thought-out plans, solid and sure.
Here you've reduced the city to rubble,
the strong city to a pile of stones.
The enemy Big City is a non-city,
never to be a city again.
Superpowers will see it and honor you,
brutal oppressors bow in worshipful reverence.
They'll see that you take care of the poor,
that you take care of poor people in trouble,
Provide a warm, dry place in bad weather,
provide a cool place when it's hot.
Brutal oppressors are like a winter blizzard
and vicious foreigners like high noon in the desert.
But you, shelter from the storm and shade from the sun,
shut the mouths of the big-mouthed bullies.
And here on this mountain, God will banish
the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,
The shadow of doom darkening all nations.
Yes, he'll banish death forever.
And God will wipe the tears from every face.
He'll remove every sign of disgrace
From his people, wherever they are.
Yes! God says so!
Also at that time, people will say,
"Look at what's happened! This is our God!
We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
This God, the one we waited for!
Let's celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.
God's hand rests on this mountain!" -Isaiah 25: 1-5, 7-10(MSG)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
On-Mission
Yup, I'll be in Haiti in less than 6 days. Team meeting tonight, and finish packing and family preparations this weekend. Leave for Miami (overnight) on Monday and I'll be delivering Jesus' love to the hurting people of Haiti on Tuesday. Thanks for praying, and thanks for giving. I just want to say I know some very generous people.
more to come . . .
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
worthy
I just finished reading "Clara's War: One Girl's Story of Survival" by Holocaust survivor Clara Kramer. It was amazing, sad, horrifying, and encouraging all at the same time. I LEARNED so much that I had never heard about regarding the war and the Holocaust.
The saddest aspect of it all was that as a 14/15 year-old, the most precious thing she had in life was her dear and beloved sister, who, after fearfully running out of their hiding place, a "bunker" that was dug under the house of a Polish peasant, was captured by the Nazis and murdered ruthlessly. One of the quotes that stood out most to me from the book was this, which she penned in her diary after they learned the story of how her sister was killed:
"And now, we had to go on without her, our lucky charm. We were still alive, whether we wanted to be or not. I now knew there was no such thing as a broken heart. It will go on beating to taunt you and mock you and tell you that even in grief it is indestructible and full of love."
I just think that is such an amazing testimony about how, no matter how much life hurts, no matter how much pain and discouragement we suffer, and no matter the brutality we see around us, our hearts were made to love, and love they will.
Another quote that brought tears to my eyes and a rush to my heart was this one, which she wrote as she recalled the joy she felt that the polish Catholics, who hid her family and others (18 total) for two years while endangering their own lives to do so virtually every day, were abdicated of treason charges:
"When I think of the one thing that we had, and the others didn't, it was the Becks. Everything I have learned about love, honour, and courage, I learned from them. After all that they did for us in the bunker, I know that nothing in life is impossible. When I left that bunker over 60 years ago, I felt that my life was no longer mine alone. I knew I would have to lead a life worthy of having been saved."
Read that last line again. Isn't that us? Haven't we been rescued from the worst Holocaust of all, Hell itself? Haven't we also been saved by Someone who risked everything and endured unimaginable pain so that we wouldn't have to? Should we not also feel the compulsion to lead a life worthy of having been saved? This is not my life alone; not yours alone either. The breath we breathe, the moves we make belong not only to us, but to the One who paid our price.
He alone is worthy, and as a follower of Christ, this life is not fully worthy of living if not lived in light of His Salvation and Grace.
The saddest aspect of it all was that as a 14/15 year-old, the most precious thing she had in life was her dear and beloved sister, who, after fearfully running out of their hiding place, a "bunker" that was dug under the house of a Polish peasant, was captured by the Nazis and murdered ruthlessly. One of the quotes that stood out most to me from the book was this, which she penned in her diary after they learned the story of how her sister was killed:
"And now, we had to go on without her, our lucky charm. We were still alive, whether we wanted to be or not. I now knew there was no such thing as a broken heart. It will go on beating to taunt you and mock you and tell you that even in grief it is indestructible and full of love."
I just think that is such an amazing testimony about how, no matter how much life hurts, no matter how much pain and discouragement we suffer, and no matter the brutality we see around us, our hearts were made to love, and love they will.
Another quote that brought tears to my eyes and a rush to my heart was this one, which she wrote as she recalled the joy she felt that the polish Catholics, who hid her family and others (18 total) for two years while endangering their own lives to do so virtually every day, were abdicated of treason charges:
"When I think of the one thing that we had, and the others didn't, it was the Becks. Everything I have learned about love, honour, and courage, I learned from them. After all that they did for us in the bunker, I know that nothing in life is impossible. When I left that bunker over 60 years ago, I felt that my life was no longer mine alone. I knew I would have to lead a life worthy of having been saved."
Read that last line again. Isn't that us? Haven't we been rescued from the worst Holocaust of all, Hell itself? Haven't we also been saved by Someone who risked everything and endured unimaginable pain so that we wouldn't have to? Should we not also feel the compulsion to lead a life worthy of having been saved? This is not my life alone; not yours alone either. The breath we breathe, the moves we make belong not only to us, but to the One who paid our price.
He alone is worthy, and as a follower of Christ, this life is not fully worthy of living if not lived in light of His Salvation and Grace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)