Tuesday, October 26

prayer or politics?

This is the title on the devotional I am doing with our church. Our church is in the beginning of a trust journey. As a body we are doing a 35 day devotional. We are on day 9. They are quick little devotionals written by some of our members. Though they are quick and short they are thought provoking and challenging. I find it ironic that we are doing this trust journey with our church while we are in the biggest trust journey with the Lord in our personal lives. With our adoption we are having to learn how to solely rely on the Lord more than we have ever done before. We have always made it our priority to trust in the Lord in all things but as sinners we fall short. I am quickly realizing that in the journey of adoption there is no room to fall short. And it is hard to lay your plans and life down and trust the God knows the path you are supposed to take and he is guiding our every step. (This is a whole n'other blog post in its self.)

Today's devotional moved me. I didn't think it did at first but as I began to process it and think about it and pray over it, I began to feel a burden for our nation. I also began to relate this in my own life. I will retype the devotional below for you all to read. (I hope this is ok)

Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord. 

In Dueteronomy 17, the Lord told Israel that a time would come when their would enter the promised land and have a king rule over them. God told them that the king was not to accumulate horses, wives, or gold. Most of Israel's kings violated all three of God's directives. 

The problem accumulating those things was that the kings or the nation itself would begin to depend on horses (military might), wives (alliances with other nations through marriage), and gold (economic power) rather then God. The bible declares that every great person and every great nation must trust in God more than anything or anyone else if they are to stand. Asa a nation, we stood alone at one time honoring God as the creator and the king who ruled over nations. We even printed "In God we trust" on our money. God blessed us. We were given victory in war. Our economy was the envy of the world. God gave us leadership among the nations of the earth. 

But now we have removed prayer from our schools, the Ten Commandments from our courthouses, and at times we give more courtesy to false religions than to Christ himself. We have come to trust in military might, political correctness, the American dollar, and stranger alliances with those who hate the name of JESUS. our economy is crumbling. We fight in wars that have no victory. Our influence on earth is diminishing. Woe to those who do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek his help. Pray for our nation that we might look to God again and remember that what is true for nations is true for individuals as well. If we trust in our power, our wealth, or our alliances with the world, then we too will crumble and our plans will fail. 

Father, will you exalt your name and the name of Jesus in the land again and draw us back to a place of trusting you as a nation. May you exalt your name and your Son in my heart as well. Amen. 
-Written by a member at MidCities Community Church


It is hard to not trust in your own power. With the journey Phillip and I are on, I struggle with control. I want to control how quickly paper work gets filled out and mailed off, I want to control how quickly things get translated and mailed back, I want to be in control of situations and referrals. It is so hard. It is so hard to let it all go and let God work and let him do the controlling. We I take this process in my own hands and try to do it the way I think it should look I loose sight of what he has called us to do. Then his voice gets foggy with my flesh desires and I completely jack things up. I feel like I have heard god speak to my heart on the things that I am supposed to do. I know it is God because I would have never come up with any of it on my own. They are things I never saw for me in my future. I know that God planted these things in me and in my husband. Now that I have these plans God has given me I am at a cross roads on what to do with them, where to begin, which avenue to take first. It is all very overwhelming.

Over the last couple of days I have learned that I must at all times be tuned into the Lord and his strive to hear his voice. I have to silence my "self" in order to hear him clearly. I cannot be lead by emotions, though, emotions spark awareness. I have made some spontaneous decisions that have confused those around me and even myself. I am learning and I am figuring this out. If God does not stay above me and my "power, wealth and alliances" then I am crumbling and my plans are failing. I do not want to fail at this I want to succeed. With out God this cannot work and cannot happen. I have tried for too long to control this adoption but now I am really laying it down at the Lords feet. The desire to adopt came from Him and it is His. He is the one who will guide my next steps. My prayer is that God will show us which path to take right now, He will give us peace about the decision we are making and he will give those who are working with us peace. This whole process is foreign and scary but Phillip and I are learning along the way.

1 comment:

  1. I'm moved by your writing and by how honest and thought provoking you are. . . I'm in prayer for you and your adoption process and I'm standing in faith with you through this.
    I love you my sweet friend.
    Holly

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, love and encouragement.
It is always so appreciated.
jennaknight@gmail.com