As I return to this place today, I pray that you would speak to me. Heal my spirit, and show me more of you.
Excerpts from the President at Prayer Breakfast
�I�m privileged to join you once again, as my predecessors have for over half a century. Like them, I come here to speak about the ways my faith informs who I am � as a President, and as a person. But I�m also here for the same reason that all of you are, for we all share a recognition � one as old as time � that a willingness to believe, an openness to grace, a commitment to prayer can bring sustenance to our lives. There is, of course, a need for prayer even in times of joy and peace and prosperity. Perhaps especially in such times prayer is needed � to guard against pride and to guard against complacency. But rightly or wrongly, most of us are inclined to seek out the divine not in the moment when the Lord makes His face shine upon us, but in moments when God�s grace can seem farthest away. � Empowered by faith, consistently, prayerfully, we need to find our way back to civility. That begins with stepping out of our comfort zones in an effort to bridge divisions. We see that in many conservative pastors who are helping lead the way to fix our broken immigration system. It�s not what would be expected from them, and yet they recognize, in those immigrant families, the face of God. We see that in the evangelical leaders who are rallying their congregations to protect our planet.�
Pray for the president and his family to seek God and God�s divine truth. Pray for the Holy Spirit to surround President Obama with spirit-filled friends and advisors who will direct him with wisdom.
Psalm 24 The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
It's pretty astounding when you think about it. God spoke and everything we see came into being. Well, maybe not "everything." But the universe. Everything that we build and "invent" comes from stuff that God created. Our creativity (one of the things that sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom) is derived from God's.
Have you ever stood and watched a magnificent waterfall? I have. The majest of God is so evident in the creation.
God created it all. Therefore, he owns it. It belongs to him. And he has not abandoned it, as some think. "He is intimately involved with sustaining it. He watches over what belongs to Him." That means he watches over me, too, since I am part of that creation. What a comfort that is!
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
"Past experience teaches believers to trust that the goodness and mercy of God will follow them all the days of their lives, and it is their desire and determination, to seek their happiness in the service of God here, and they hope to enjoy his love for ever in heaven. While here, the Lord can make any situation pleasant, by the anointing of his Spirit and the joys of his salvation. What he promises himself is goodness and mercy, all the streams of mercy flowing from the fountain, pardoning mercy, protecting mercy, sustaining mercy, supplying mercy. The manner of the conveyance of it is that it shall follow him, as the water out of the rock followed the camp of Israel through the wildnerness; it shall follow into all places and all conditions, shall be always ready."
Those are some precious words. God's mercy is, indeed, a tremendously wonderful thing!
They truly lived up to this nickname, too. For example, once when Jesus sent messengers ahead of him in preparation for a trip to Samaria, he was rejected by the Samaritans. James and John asked for permission to "tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them." (Luke 9:54) Jesus "turned and rebuked them."
Our Lord never desires for us to return evil for evil.
In the section called "Ask Yourself," there are several questions asked. "Have you ever become so indignant about a particular conviction that you lost all perspective of what you were really saying? Does winning your point become more important to you than the people involved? When is 'thunder' helpful, and when does it cause more harm than good?"
The first thing that comes to mind when I read those questions is Westboro Baptist Church. You remember, right? Fred Phelps, from Topeka, Kansas? He had a group of people picketing at the funeral of a gay soldier in 2006. Carrying signs that said "God hates fags." In fact, their home website carries the url, "godhatesfags.com."
Seriously??
Can this kind of sentiment possibly come from Jesus??
I am truly amazed that a "minister" who reads the words of Jesus Christ from any translation of Scripture (and I would bet a week's salary that Phelps uses ONLY King James Version) could possible carry on like that.
What you or I believe about homosexuality is irrelevant at this point. The crux of the matter is how we treat people!! Right or wrong, gay people are human beings with hearts and emotions. They live lives, they work, they even fight for our freedom. No one deserves to be treated like this. No one.
This is the kind of "thunder" that does harm for the cause of Christ. This is when expressing an opinion becomes more important than the people involved.
God help us.
I praise you, Lord, that you pursue me with goodness and mercy! Where would I be without your goodness and mercy chasing after me? Not here, that's for sure! There's no telling. But I am here, and I am praising and worshiping you, and looking forward to leading others to do the same Sunday morning. Sweet Mercies!! Ah, Lord! Your mercies are sweet, indeed! And they are new and fresh every morning for us! Praise your name! Hallelujah!
I praise your for your creation! I have seen a powerful, mighty waterfall, pounding away, and felt the cool splash of its water from hundreds of feet away. I have revelled in the beauty of your majestic creation in the Grand Teton Mountain Range and Yellowstone. I have basked in the glory of the ocean's surf pounding the rocks on both sides of our country. It still amazes me that anyone can see these things and insist that you are not there. You are. And you are more beautiful than the creation you gave us. Thank you, my God! Thank you.
Grace and peace, friends. And mercy.