“The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all the generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.
“From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth— He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” (Psalm 33:11-15)
Hearing from the Lord
God’s promises prevail, always. He is the God who keeps His word. Though it feels like the world is falling apart and there is so much turmoil and chaos, we must never forget the promises of God.
Too often, we question where God is. Many times the thought has crossed our mind that God has turned a blind eye to all that is taking place. We have longed to hear God’s voice like in the times of the Old Testament. Sometimes I have wished that He would speak like He spoke to Moses and Elijah.
The thing is, there isn’t a need to wish because He has already spoken to us. We find His promises in the Bible. If we long to hear from Him, we must open His word. God’s voice is crystal clear from the moment you read the first page of Genesis all the way through the last page of Revelation.
Turning to His Word During the 40 Days
When we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, we are reminded of who God is. We read that God’s promises prevail in all times. He has never given us a reason to not trust Him. He has never failed us nor has he abandoned us. Throughout scripture, He has been a good Father and a faithful God.
Keep praying for our nation, for those who are affected by abortion, and pray that many people’s hearts are softened. Hold on to this Psalm and to all other scripture that holds His promise.
Praise God that His plans will stand forever and that the purpose of His heart will be fulfilled through all the generations. Thank you again for all of your prayers and your dedication to go out to pray.
Devotional for Day 14
Scripture: “In the days when Christ was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” ~ Hebrews 5:7-9
Reflection: Think about this. We know and believe that Jesus Christ IS the only begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, Fully Human, Fully Divine. This is what the Church teaches. So we as his disciples must follow his example, right? The scripture above states: “he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” We are not only called to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow him, but also to OBEY him. No disciple is greater than his master, Jesus said this himself. If he suffered, we must suffer, if he offered prayers and supplications so must we. How could Christ, who was already perfect, be made perfect by learning obedience through suffering? For whatever reason, God the Father chose to redeem mankind, through the suffering of His Son. God can’t violate his own order, which He has established. Christ, the second person of the Triune God, chose to be obedient to His Father, and undergo suffering; and through the completion of that suffering, completed the work of salvation, which God had planned long ago. When we obey Christ we will receive eternal salvation, though we may still have to suffer, as did the Master. However, what happens when we don’t obey Christ? Abortion continues in El Paso. Lord Have Mercy! Now it has bled over into Santa Teresa. Lord Have Mercy! Obedience to Christ is critical not only for eternal salvation, but for peace, truth, and love to reign right here in our community. Look what happened when the community of believers came together to pray, fast, and keep peaceful vigil in Las Cruces. The Whole Women’s Health Clinic closed up shop and left town. This can happen in El Paso and Santa Teresa as well!
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, turn our hearts from heart of stone to hearts of flesh. Help each of us to see where we have been disobedient to you, and bring us to repentance and conversion. Help us to do what you want us to do, and not what we want to do. We pray in a special way for all of those in our local government, and for our State Representatives and Senators, who have forgotten you and have had their consciences so dulled that they cannot even see evil staring them in the face. Send forth the fiery arrows of your love and truth to pierce through the veil of darkness, which has clouded their minds and hearts, and bring them to repentance and conversion. We pray this out of love Lord, for you love them and want them in the fellowship of your Kingdom. We pray this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
