Prayers for Palestinian Territories and John 7-Thirsty for Jesus

Palestinian Territories

*As Christians, we often pray for the peace in Israel. We weep for the Jews to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. We cry for the terrors that occur in the Holy City of Jerusalem and we mourn for those who die in terrorist attacks. Honestly, before tonight, I have never prayed for peace to come along the Arab side of the border. Shame on me. Yes, the Jews are God’s chosen people but Jesus died for Muslims too, if only they would accept that. Palestine deserves peace and the Gospel as much as the Jews do. Tonight I pray for the Arabs in a conflicted land to look to Jesus for peace.

The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip last year left over 1,300 dead and thousands homeless. Many believers had already left, pressured by the growing influence of radical Islam, and particularly the murder of the Christian bookshop manager in 2007. Those who remain stay because they cannot afford to leave or feel called to share the Gospel. In Gaza and the West Bank, Christians share in the desperate economic situation. (Open Doors USA)

Population: 4 million

Christian Population: 1%

Leader: President Mahmoud Abbas

Prayer Requests:

1) Pray that the Christians of Palestine would be a beacon of hope and peace among the conflict.

2) Pray for strength and courage for the Christians there who are of Muslim backgrounds.

3) Pray that the Palestinian governments and Israeli governments reach a peaceful agreement about settlements.

4) Pray for the Children of both Palestine and Israel who are growing up in conflict. This should not be. War affects children because silly men can’t put their differences aside. “Even so, come Lord Jesus”.

John 7- Living Water and other comforting passages

I really shouldn’t take on so much controversial reading in one night. Tonight I’ve read the Statement of Authenticity of the Qur’an, several chapters of the First book of Nephi from the Book of Mormon, summaries on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works, taken an American Literature exam, and debated on an online forum for Evolution. My brain hurts and I’m in need for the peace that comes from reading the ONLY TRUE and AUTHENTIC WORD OF GOD. Hurray!

I’m focusing tonight on John 7:37-38, “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.'”

Jesus is my Living Water. I’m thirsty for him. I love reading verses that speak of the quenching power of the Word of God (personified in Jesus Christ). Tonight’s devotion is simple: Jesus can satisfy you completely. If you are thirsty for the truth, you will find it in him.

Psalms 42:1, 2,7, 11 “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts.All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God. For I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

Isaiah 12:1-3 “And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee. Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and not be afraid. For the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song. He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”

Isaiah 44:3 “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.”

John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Prayer Requests:

1) If all goes well, Khloe gets to come home tomorrow! Pray that she returns home safely and remains there. Also pray that the Sassman families experience some rest in the next few days. If any one deserves rest, it’s the Sassmans!

2) Pray for the needs of the Palestinian Territories.

3) Pray for any lost friend or family member you have by name.

4) Pray for my friend Nancy’s husband to find a good Christian mentor to council him. They are currently separated.

Dear Lord, Yet again, I stand before you exposed after meditating on my sinful nature. Continue to reveal the areas that displease you. Lord, as I confess my sins to you, cover me with your grace. Thank you God for grace and forgiveness. Thank you that you are the Living Waters and that whoever claims you as their Lord and Savior will never be thirsty. Thank you for the Words of Life that soothe me when the quest to really know you seems like such a hard journey. Lord, I lift up in prayer the people of Palestine. I pray that you bring peace to this region. Protect the Christians here. Let them be a beacon of peace, hope, and love to their Muslim neighbors. Let your people be part of the solution in Palestine. Keep both the Arab and Jewish Children safe from terrorists. Please come back soon Lord and redeem this earth so that there will be true peace in the Middle East. I pray again for Steven and Mandy by name. I pray that you reach their hearts with love. Again, Lord, forgive me of my hard feelings toward Steven. I want to have integrity in how I handle my situation. I also pray that you’d bless Nancy and her husband’s marriage. Restore it. Convict her husband’s heart and soften it. Help him not to be afraid to fight for his marriage. Also, I pray for his salvation. Please send him a male Christian mentor to guide him to be a godly husband. Lord, I praise you for your work in the Sassman’s life. Please God, keep sweet Khloe safe and free from any future illness. Protect her and grant her and her family rest in their very own home. Amen.

Matthew 11

These past 11 days in the Bible have been such a treat, a refreshing drink for my soul, something to look forward to each day. My soul has been so hungry for answers from God, for a sign that he’s still there for me, for a refresher course in Christianity, to remember God’s goodness.

Matthew 11 deals with the foolishness of Christ’s generation and the peace he alone can bring. It can be said that this generation is quite foolish too. We have the baby boomers who introduced the hippie movement, along with violent feminism, and the drug culture. We have Generation x whose materialism of the 80’s have caused many to be in a constant thirst for material possessions. We have Generation Y who can be described as the “WHY” kids. Why do this? Why do that? Why are things the way they are. This generation is classified by the multitudes of resources at their fingertips (technologically speaking). They are searching in their own desperate ways to figure out themselves and the world around them but are getting no where without God.

How do we undo the damages of our past and present generations? How do we escape the foolishness of our day. How do we avoid looking like the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Tyre, Sidon, Capernum, Sodom? Jesus. You must ask him to reveal himself to you. He is both the question and the answer all generations seek after.

“Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon me and learn of me. For I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. I asked God to send me a morsel of his goodness from Heaven to alleviate my doubt concerning my future. I keep getting disappointed concerning finances, job interviews, boredom, my life’s calling, etc. Today, the reading was so poignant to me because I need that daily reminder that there’s rest in Jesus.

So like my comrades in Generation Y, I have such a deep thirst for knowledge concerning myself, my future, and my place in this world. I’ve tried to look for answers outside of God and have come up hungry along the journey. I’m tired of traveling with all this baggage in the form of questions that only God can reveal.

Jesus calls to all of us today. He’s the luggage man. We’ve set off on an endless futile journey to “find the truth” or whatever. We’ve come to port at the station and he’s waiting for us after our unsuccessful trip. “Here, let me take your baggage. Take a rest. Put your feet up. Allow me to carry your burdens. I know you want to carry them yourself but it’s easy to let me do it. Put aside your pride and follow me to the place where you can rest. I’m your servant, let me serve you so you can rest. If you follow after me, you’ll finally find what you are looking for.”

Being a trusting follower of Christ seems hard at first. It’s so easy to say that life is hard but following Christ is harder… but it’s not. Being a Christian, a little Christ, is so much more peaceful than fighting it. Everyday without him will be a constant struggle to find food for you soul, water for your parched mind, and rest for your bones. Jesus wants us to just wait in his presence and let us trust his goodness. Yet why does it still seem so hard?

Jeremiah 6:16 says, Thus saith the Lord: Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old way, which is the good way and walk therein. And ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not harken.

Don’t be like the ancient Israelites that continued to wander in a dusty desert when God is offering an oasis. Go back to your roots. The days of our Grandparents was called the Greatest Generation. They loved God, Mother, and Country. Many of us today love neither. But go back even further and be that generation that seeks God’s face. Let Jesus take your burdens and take on the yoke of Christianity. Work hand and in with Jesus for your own future and for the Kingdom.

Please watch the Chris Tomlin video for “Give Us Clean Hands”. I think it’s a great song for today.