...And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment - let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace - a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Prayer to/with the American people - Fireside Chat - 12/8/1941
There are four windows, five if you count the back door, facing somewhat west at my house. It's an old farmhouse, and I can't help but think it was situated that way on purpose. Only one tiny window faces North. The big picture window faces the rising sun. Smart. We don't eat breakfast in the dining room and this way, no sun in one's eyes while eating the morning meal. The house, planted on an old, stone foundation, captures the light as it travels, during the day, warming the rooms, first one side, then the other. And those windows are good at directing cross-breezes. They open at the top or the bottom, probably optioned as much for ease in cleaning as manipulation of air.
We live just east of a Great Lake, not written with capitals as commentary, but rather properly, it is one of our five Great Lakes. Clouds, storms, and wind usually come from the West. It makes sense, having a lot to do with temperature and water. Lots of water. Sometimes, we live in our own little weather system. I like it.
I like the unpredictability of the weather here. I like to watch the clouds roll, low on the western horizon, like ocean waves, over the fields and hills, blue sky like punctuation.
I watched them form and roll yesterday, from my upstairs window. The western edge, gray and ragged, beckoned me. I briefly considered taking a drive out to see if the sky beyond was as Arizona-blue as it seemed. Like finding the end of the rainbow, I suppose. But I had promises to keep and places to go, and busy-ness to do.
Next I looked and the clear horizon had been replaced by another edge, another blanket of gray, not spread across the heavens, but rolled up like a rug, pushing toward the east. And then another. Ocean waves of clouds.
This political season. The climate in our nation. Unpredictable. Rolling across us, marching across us, filling our blue skies with clouds.
It has been heart-wrenching to witness: de-humanizing, name-calling, un-friending, mean-spiriting. Wave after wave of darkness and hatred. This season has not brought out the best in us, and I can only describe how I feel as deep sadness. Heart grief.
Yet.
Yet, I choose joy.
Today I will remember that God is sovereign.
Today I will remember that His plans are for us, that He loves us, and that only He can bring light from the void.
Today I will remember that He sent his perfect Son, to die on the cross, in order to redeem me - to redeem us, from our sins. Through Him we are washed clean and made new. I believe this. I believe that he not only washes me, but washes and redeems others. He is so very capable that way.
Only Jesus can bring light from the void of our own darkness. And He can bring light from the void of the darkness of others. A reason to call him Savior.
Today I pray for our leaders; past, present, and future. I pray for our world leaders, and our local leaders, for our church leaders, and for our lay leaders. Today, I pray for all people. For relationship, and community, for understanding. Today I pray for love and I pray for joy. Jesus said His love and His joy are in us - believing in Him. Today I pray for that belief. I pray for His healing hand.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
Linking with Rosalind, Kristin, and Jenn
