First Thursday Call to Prayer, March 2nd, 2017Posted by Anne Graham Lotz 0sc on February 27, 2017











Hear us…Forgive us…Heal us
For the Glory of Your Great Name 




JEHOVAH ROHI: THE LORD MY SHEPHERD 
The Lord is my shepherd…[1]
How we love and trust You, Gentle Shepherd.  You are a “right-now” God.  For such a time as this we need You, and therefore we have You. You are not only the Light that guides us through the darkening and threatening storms of life, You are our spiritual GPS system.[2] You lead us on the right path and get us to the place we need to be. One day You will take us safely Home.  We trust You completely.
You are Jehovah Rohi, who takes full responsibility for the welfare of Your people.  For our safety. For our necessities.
         You guard the young.
         You seek the stray.
         You find the lost.
         You guide the faithful.
         You right the wronged.
         You avenge the abused.
         You defend the weak.
         You comfort the oppressed.
         You welcome the prodigal.
         You heal the sick.
         You cleanse the dirty.
         You beautify the barren.
         You restore the failure.
         You mend the broken.
         You bless the poor.
         You fill the empty.
         You clothe the naked.
         You satisfy the hungry.
         You elevate the humble.
         You forgive the sinner.
        And You raise the dead! [3]
One day, in our flesh, we will see You face to face.  Until then, we fix our eyes of faith on You, our Good Shepherd: Jesus. [4]
As we draw nearer to the National Observance of the National Day of Prayer on May 4th, we are asking that You direct every step, give wisdom for every decision, equip and empower every one involved in the planning, so that this year’s observance will truly move Heaven and change our nation. Stir the hearts of those You have chosen to attend nationally and locally so that tens of thousands of Your people will gather with one heart and mind as we cry out for You to hear us…forgive us…heal us.
For the glory of Your great name
Amen


[1] Psalm 23:1
[2] I lifted the analogy of our Shepherd being our spiritual GPS system from Tony Evans, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas.
[3] Adapted from Just Give Me Jesus, Anne Graham Lotz, Word Publishing, Nashville, TN, 2009, p.145
[4] John 10:11

by Anne Graham Lotz
​
23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Great God of creation. We bow before You boasting of Your greatness and Your glory. No one compares to You.  No one is Your equal. We look at Your creation and marvel at the infinite power and wisdom that are Yours.  Nothing is beyond Your reach. “You bring out all the starry host one by one, and call them each by name. Because of Your great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing…You pitch a tent for the sun…It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat…Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.” [1] There is nowhere in all the Universe where You are not. Surely Your arm “…is not too short to save, nor [Your] ear too dull to hear.”[2]
God of our fathers. Lord of the nations. Our hope is not in man or in a government or in this nation.  Our hope is in You.
You are the One who will bless us as we come in and bless us when we go out. You are the One who will grant that the enemies who rise up against us will be defeated before us. You are the One who will send a blessing on everything we put our hands to. You are the One who will grant us abundant prosperity. You have promised us all these things and more if we “make You the head, not the tail” … If we pay attention to your commands and carefully follow them.[3]  So on this day, we choose to place our hope in You.  We choose to obey You.  Because we fully trust in You. 
Therefore, in 2017, if “…the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord,”[4] we trust in You. If “…the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging,”[5] we trust in You. Though …”nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall…,”[6] we trust in You.  When …”the wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright…,[7]” we trust in You. We trust You.  We trust You!
And now, God of grace, as we pray for the New Year, we ask for a smooth transition of power in our local, state, and national government. Yet underneath our earnest prayers for our nation is an even greater prayer for the church.  Please.  Send down Your Holy Spirit in fullness. Ignite the fire of revival in the hearts of Your people. Hear us.  Forgive us.  Heal us.  Bless us as we remain obedient and alert while we keep on praying. And as we keep on watching. Is 2017 the year of Your return?  We hope so!  Come Lord Jesus![8]
For the glory of Your name…
Amen

​16th Annual Ozark Mountain Prayer Breakfast™ Celebrating the National Day of Prayer, Thursday, May 4, 2017 Branson Convention Center • 6:30 am -8:30 am
Full Hot and Hearty Breakfast begins at 6:30 am. Program begins promptly at 7 am. INSPIRATIONAL SINGING • PRAYERS • PRESENTATION OF THE KINGDOM BUILDER AWARD • A VITALLY IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM ALAN SEARS •
Alan Sears serves as founder of Alliance Defending Freedom, an organization that was founded in response to the Christian community gaining awareness that the threats to its freedom were multiplying. The legal system, which was built on a moral and Christian foundation, has been steadily moving against religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family, and very few Christians were showing up in court to put up a fight. By funding cases, training attorneys, and successfully advocating for freedom in court, Alliance Defending Freedom is changing all that. Hear from nationally recognized Christian leader, Alan Sears, as he brings us up-to-date on what America faces next.

The Hope of EasterEaster (Resurrection Sunday) is fast approaching and I'm comforted by the reminder that our Savior remains as present in our world today as He was when He walked the earth more than 2,000 years ago.  This is a wonderful time of year to reflect on the unfailing reality of "God with us" and to rediscover our adoration for the Lord.
Psalm 89 says, "I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations." 
In our home, one of our favorite traditions at Easter, after attending services, has been for each family member to reflect and share at least one blessing for which they are especially grateful. It is a time for appreciating each other and most importantly, for appreciating God; often, many of us are brought to tears! These moments always remind us that Jesus has given us everything through his life, death, and resurrection. We have all we need in Him.  
Author Ruth Myers writes, "I find that my worship is richer when I offer the Lord praise and thanks for three things: who He is, what He does, and what He gives." At this very moment, what can you say about each of these? I urge you to review often the questions of who God is, what He does, and what He gives. I pray that your answers every day will be a little richer, a little stronger, and a little more powerful in the grip they hold on your heart's affections.
He is Risen Indeed!

Mrs. James C. Dobson (Shirley)
Chairman - National Day of Prayer Task Force