IDOK DEVOTION FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009

What if we read this passage seeing the enemies and adversaries the Psalmist is penning about as cancer or some other illness, or some fearful, hurtful circumstance you are living through right now.

ABBA, as our dear and precious IDOKs read this passage I ask You HOLY SPIRIT to make it come alive to them, to apply it richly to their circumstances, to the diseases and illnesses they or family members are experiencing now. Just open this passage I pray. Make it as liquid empowerment pouring over them, saturating every pore and soaking into bones and marrow, giving them strength and courage, joy and peace, a knowing more than before of the height, width and depth of Your Love for each of them and added to that even healing and restoration of minds, bodies and spirits. Holy Spirit, interpret this WORD to them this morning as only You can. Make it personal for each of them I pray.

Psalm 27 NASB

¹The LORD is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the defense of my life;

Whom shall I dread?

²When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,

My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

³Though a host encamp against me,

My heart will not fear;

Though war arise against me,

In spite of this I shall be confident.

⁴One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the LORD

And to meditate in His temple. (wouldn’t doing this cause us to actually LIVE through it all?)

⁵For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;

In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;

He will lift me up on a rock. (look what happens when we believe, HE WILL. We can then say I WILL.)

⁶And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,

And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice,

And be gracious to me and answer me.

⁸When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,

“Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.”

⁹Do not hide Your face from me,

Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

You have been my help;

Do not abandon me nor forsake me,

O God of my salvation! (and when you have been praising and doing well and you get hit again like a ton of bricks and your flesh does not understand and it screams He must be mad at me or He would not have let this happen, you will renew your minds-spirits again with His Word and you will rise to praise Him again.)

¹⁰For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

But the LORD will take me up.

¹¹Teach me Your way, O LORD,

And lead me in a level path

Because of my foes.

¹²Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,

For false witnesses have risen against me, (could this false witness be a test report? Read on!)

And such as breathe out violence.

¹³I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD

In the land of the living.

¹⁴Wait for the LORD;

Be strong and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for the LORD.

Our IDOK Sister, Helen, requested that we pray for her for wisdom in an employment decision; a vote is to be cast tomorrow. It is a serious vote that will affect families and their livelihood.

And another request from our IDOK Sister, Jodi: Ashley runs the Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Childrens Hospital here in Columbia. Her mother, Tammy B, found out she had a curable thyroid cancer and was receiving treatment. Yesterday she had a full body scan and they have found that it has spread everywhere. Ashley lives 2 hours from her parents and is having a terrible time with this (as expected). She told me yesterday that she doesn’t know how much longer she can live with all of the things going on in her life. If you could please add Tammy B and Family to the list. And a woman named Jackie K, she has lung cancer and it does not look good. She started chemo today and I just ask that you will add her to our prayer list. Thank you so much! Cancer is such a terrible thing and I feel like its affecting everyone around me.

I feel the same.

And I read this morning a late night email from our IDOK Sister Kathy: Kathie…just an update…Mother went to be with the Lord this morning. It has been a hard struggle for her and she is finally at Peace. I know she has been made perfect and is walking those streets of gold and praising God! Praise God! Thank you….Thank you for all your many prayers, support and kind words of encouragement! We want to continue to pray for Kathy and her family at this time.

We are waiting upon You ABBA and we are allowing our hearts to take on courage. Helen is concerned about this vote, how to vote and what is best. She wants Your Wisdom, she wants to know how to vote and so we are asking You to tell her how to vote tomorrow and we are asking You to cause others to vote that way too so that what is Your Will will be in this situation.

And we pray for Tammy and her family and Jackie, we pray these dear women and their families will be empowered to live this passage of Scripture, particularly in these ‘evil’ reports that have come to them. We know Satan means these reports for evil but You LORD mean them for GOOD and we wait to see Your Goodness this side of Heaven and even more there with You. We know You are comforting Kathy and her family as they attend to a memorial service and all that goes along with this time and we thank You. And we thank You for the practical helps of friends and neighbors to come along side them. And in particular we pray for our IDOK Troops for their safety and protection today; we pray for Israel’s Peace and Protection and for the surrender or defeat of all their enemies and we pray for America. America deserves Your wrath and judgment but I am asking You ABBA for grace. I am asking You to pour out You, HOLY SPIRIT, upon the American People and bring repentance. I am asking You to raise up Your Church as an instrument of Holy Change in this Nation. I am asking You to search me and remove anything in me that is keeping me from affecting more and more people with Your Gospel.

I ask You for traveling mercies for my brother and my sister-in-law(love), get them here in peace and safety tomorrow. Thank You for this visit, my soul is dancing with joy at their coming.

And ABBA as I send this and post it I ask You to let now Your Word come back void but to do what You have sent it forth to accomplish. Amen and amen. A SPECIFIC UNSPOKEN. Unspoken Requests – situations so close you can only speak to Father about. Tammy B and Family. Jackie K. Trisha and Jayden. L. Brian T. Ricky M. Chloe Melissa Hennis. Linda and Family. Joe. Michael H. Linda W. Debbie W. Mike and Vickie. Family of Ann J. Moriah and her family. Natalie. Kathy and family. Tommy and Raye. Doug. Woman of Sadness. Frank. Jeanette. Mia and family. Joy and Evan. Gina. Francis T. Cathy T. Cathie R and family. Jacqueline and Sons (River and Jackson) Emily. Walt. Phillip. Margie and Craig. Sandra. Terry and family. Dot B. Julia O. Ann C. Stan and Jowanna and Family. Carolyn. Mary. Mabel. Amy, Kevin and Girls. Joan. David T’s Family. Kimberly. Shay and Emma’s Kids (orphanage in Zambia) Ministry. Susan D. Jason A and his mother. Wayne B. Melinda H. Trisha. Patti’s Family. Brennan and his family. Joshua. Branson. The O’Brien family. Kim and her Fiancee. Jonathan. Mabel’s Aunt Lou. Heather and Brandon. Darlene and Torkel. Edie G. Rachel. W C and family. Maggie and Family. Dylan. Joseph Toomey and Family. DeLois. Terri. Kim T. Kevin and the children. Katelyn (B). Janie B. Vickie. J Lloyd and family. Janet and Steve. Cathy. Caleb and family. Bay and family. Jennifer B. John and Carolyn and Family. Larry and Claudia and family. Taylor & family. David & Allison. Jeanette and Earl and family. Callie. Ruth. Cynthia. Martha F and Bob. Allyson and Glyn and family. Brittney and Kersten and family. Sheila and Andy. Carrie and Rachel and Jacob and family. Billy and Gina and boys. Lance and family. Grace and family. Tressa. Brad, Lindsay, Karah and Haley. Chuck. Windy and Jared and families. Helen and Dan and family. Jen and Larry and family. Mollie and family. Julia. Bobbie. Erin. Alan. Tj. Zack. Phillip. Jessica. Larry. Lance. Candance and Family. Laura and family. John and Sandy. Bill and Judy. Andrew and Daughters. Lee. Sharron and family, Linda and family, Bev and Family, Mollie B. Friends at work. Public and Private School Teachers. Every IDOK and every IDOK son and daughter and grandchild.

Every IDOK Pastor and Family. Every IDOK church.

IDOKs Military Families.

IDOKs Troops (foreign soil) – Ethan. Christopher. Raul. Robert. Billy. Buddy. Mark. Josh W. James. Bryan. Nick. Brant W. Christopher R. Joshua M. Brent. Drew. Justin G. Michael K. Sgt. Bozicevich. Bay N. T. Palin. John L. Richard M. Adam M. Bobby G. (added 12/16/08) Tommy T.

IDOK Troops leaving shortly for foreign soil: Brandon B. Kyle N. (3/26)

Serving Stateside: Jonathan. Jasmine B. Shaun. Bay. Danny. Lee. George. Travis N. Hawk. Justin G.

Injured: Lukas S. (11/30/08)

http://www.strafford1st.com/page25/page26/page26.html

Military at home – Tim. Mack. The 226. Troy. Brad. Tommy. Desi. Edward J. Lyndon A. Jason G. Captain Tran Josh.

And specifically those emotional/spirit wounds that only God and Time can heal

The Peace of Israel.

Revival in America.

As I post this it is 74°F and scattered clouds in Al Asad, IQ (Airport) & the time there is 3:57 PM AST on March 19, 2009.