Pray for the Peace of Israel

It has been a back to back weekend and today may be short – a little rest is in order.

As Jerry and I were driving to Sunday morning service I was reminiscing other Sundays, lessons taught, comments made and etc. On the movie screen of my memories, I saw myself as immature and silly – even embarrassing. And before I could change scenes it was if the Holy Spirit began to correct and instruct me. He played another scene for me – a little girl learning to walk. She held on for the longest time to the coffee table and the sofa, gingerly inching her way around and then finally letting go she took a wobbly step, halted to balance herself and then a big smile; a wobbly step, halt and a big smile. And on and on she went. And me, what was I doing? Watching with glee, clapping and cheering. It was as if Father gently said, you watched your babies (and now your grand-babies) grow and every little step, every accomplishment was celebrated, even the tiniest achievement was applauded — remember? You would not have dreamed of being embarrassed by their efforts, nor would you have described their efforts as silly or immature. Why are you accessing your spiritual advances any differently? Why can you not humbly applaud those steps you made? I do.
And with that my thoughts turned to you, my dear IDOK Family. And I wondered if you have done the same; if you have criticized yourself as you remember your spiritual journey from infancy to where you are today? Have you looked back with embarrassment? Have you criticized your progress? Have you bemoaned that as a toddler you could not complete English 101?
Don’t!
Humbly applaud every step you have taken toward Jesus; humbly applaud every courageous step you have taken in Bible Study, in sharing The Word with others, every word of encouragement you have spoken to another, every unclean joke you refused to listen to, every gossip session you refused to take part in, every television program you turned off because of the unholy content, every movie theater you walked out of for the same reason – etc. Etc. Humbly applaud your progress and keep going – keep on keeping on!

Father, thank You. Thank You for Your Daily Words to us. Thank You for your encouragement, thank You for the applause, help us accept with humility and gratitude, for we know any steps to maturity in You we owe to You. Thank You. . . . And we bring those we love for whatever is needed today and thank You that we can come and receive Your help. . . . And our IDOK Troops we have them on our hearts too – wherever they are and whatever they need, You have for them and we ask You Holy Spirit to help them depend upon You. And we pray for their protection in mind and body and spirit and we pray that each of them will come home safe and sound and more in love with You than when they deployed. And all this we ask solely on the merits of Jesus our Lord.

¹⁰ “He found his people in desert country,
in a howling, wasted wilderness.
He protected him and cared for him,
guarded him like the pupil of his eye,
¹¹ like an eagle that stirs up her nest,
hovers over her young,
spreads out her wings, takes them
and carries them as she flies. Deuteronomy 32:10-11[source] 

Philippians 1:⁶ And I am sure of this: that the One who began a good work among you will keep it growing until it is completed on the Day of the Messiah Yeshua. [source]

2 Peter 3:¹⁷ But you, dear friends, since you know this in advance, guard yourselves; so that you will not be led away by the errors of the wicked and fall from your own secure position.¹⁸ And keep growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah. To him be the glory, both now and forever! Amen. [source]