Repost: A Prayer on Patriot Day

 

Graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

 It was 2017 when I first posted a link to a prayer for hope and healing on Patriot Day.  I seldom repost things, but this is so pertinent and meaningful that I've shared it several times since.  It's meaningful  not only for September 11,  but for the current troubling times in which we find ourselves.  Today I would again like to just share that prayer and quote a few lines from the accompanying post written by Paige at Dayspring.com. Again this year,  I was so encouraged by this post: A Patriot Day prayer for hope and healing that I just need to share it.

I would also like to share a link to this post: The Day Has Come, by Ivan Pentchoukov of The Epoch Times.  Ivan was a high school student in New York City on September 11, 2001.  His school was located across from the Twin Towers.  It has taken Ivan 25 years to come to the point where he can share his memories of that day.  As one of the thousands impacted by the attacks, Ivan and others like him are among those we should pray for on this day.

Paige wrote:

"On [the] anniversary of that sad day in our history, we honor the memory of those who lost lives and loved ones. And, we give thanks for those who had the courage to serve in the face of danger.

"And, while Patriot Day (9/11) is recognized as the official day of remembrance for this tragic event, we know that any day is a good day to lift those most impacted up in prayer.

"Dear Loving Father,

We pause to remember the great losses and courageous acts of September 11th. We lift up those who are still affected -- Families of the victims, police officers, firemen, first responders and all who were involved. We pray for the light of Christ to flood the hearts of people everywhere. We believe you desire to redeem all your creation, and we trust that beauty will continue to come from the ashes of our darkest days. Surround us with your mighty angels of protection, give us compassion for one another in all life’s circumstances, and the courage to answer your call.
 
Amen."

"So when we ask ourselves, even today: What is happening to our country? Are we safe? Is it going to be ok? Here‘s what I know: God was there in the chaos, and He is with us in this moment. His heart may break for His precious children, but He is never surprised by our struggles. He goes before us; He can be trusted with every detail; and He is our safe place today, and for all eternity."

So I exhort my friends today: oh, let us all take courage from those facts!  As His children understand, God is with us in chaos, as He is in each moment of our lives. And just as Paige pointed out so beautifully, "He goes before us; He can be trusted with every detail; and He is our safe place today, and for all eternity."

And I'd say to my readers and friends again today, that we need to be reminded of these facts now, in 2026.  Our country is in trouble and in chaos once again.  We need to trust fully in our God, and we need to pray fervently for our beloved country and all those still reeling from the  impact of 9/11.

Happy 250th birthday, America!

 

This is somewhat of a repost from a previous year, but it still expresses my thoughts so I am sharing it.  I hope that each of you Americans reading this will have a glorious Fourth of July celebrating the 250th birthday of our beloved country! Whether you celebrate with family, friends, or church family, whether you are here on US soil or elsewhere, whether you're enjoying a picnic, a parade, or fireworks, I hope that each of you will take a moment sometime throughout the day to thank God for the land He has blessed us to be able to live in. Our country has many serious problems and flaws, but it is still a wonderful place to live and has many blessings which we often take for granted. Whenever I think of "America the Beautiful" these words come to my mind:

"America! America!

God mend thine every flaw.

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!"

Truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws -- but we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. 

Regarding the phrase "confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law" I'm reminded that as citizens we are often somewhat confused concerning the balance between liberty and self-control. Our land offers us many freedoms, yet we take them for granted and many times do not see the need to exercise self-control or self-restraint in any area of life. We want what we want, when we want it, and then when we meet the inevitable consequences of our lack of self-control, we expect our government to take care of us.

Let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, to ask for wisdom in exercising our freedoms, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land.

Mr. T is involved with an Independence Day parade this morning, and this afternoon we will enjoy a simple cookout at our cottage with family and good friends.  The weather sounds as if it will be a bit cooler too, which is a happy thought given the extreme heat we've been having. 

Have a wonderful Independence Day, everyone!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

 

 I would be remiss indeed if I didn't take a few moments to thank and praise our all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing great God for the grace and mercy He has showered on us as His people and as a nation.  We prayed that He would shed His grace on us, and He has done exactly that.  Things will never be perfect in our fallen, broken world, but He has graciously answered our prayers, and we will thank Him.

Take time to vote and pray!

 

Lovely image from Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

Today, if you have not yet voted, I  encourage you to get out and do so!  (Here in our state, we do not have early voting except for absentee, so Mr. T and I will be going to the polls at our local elementary school today.)   I hope that we've all been praying about this important civic responsibility for awhile now, since the primary, at the very least.  If you haven't already made up your mind, do a little research (and a lot of praying) before marking those ballots.  

Beyond that, though, we all ought to be praying intelligently and specifically for our country every day.  I'm sharing an older post to encourage my readers (and myself!) in this, so if it seems you have read some of this information before, you probably have.   Feel free to skip the read, and just go vote.

Consider these words from the meaningful song "America the Beautiful":

"America! America!  God shed His grace on thee!" 

If our country ever needed God's grace, it is now.  I have come to believe that we are engaged in a struggle between good and evil -- a battle for the hearts and minds of our people.  Our liberty is truly at stake, friends.  This is not a battle between political candidates or between two political parties.  It is a battle between liberty and socialism and quite likely communism.  When one realizes that the leaders of one party are literally trained Marxists, it helps quite a bit in narrowing down our choices.

Mr. T and I are praying that evil will be exposed (and that it will be honestly and justly dealt with), that Americans will see the seriousness of our situation and that believers will pray faithfully for our beloved country.

For many years, I've prayed for our country every Thursday.  (I've shared about this before, but for those who may have missed it I will share the basics again.)  I begin by thanking God for the blessing of living in a free country.  I thank Him for the freedom to worship, the freedom to share my faith with others, the privilege of voting, and the privilege of living in a country with so many natural resources, such natural beauty, and a high standard of living.    I then pray for our president and other leaders, our men and women in the military, our judges and courts, my state and governor, and my town.

I still use the page below to pray for America every Thursday, but I have gone beyond that to pray for our country each and every day.

The printed page you see across the bottom of my prayer journal is from a pdf titled How to Pray for America.  It's a free download at Revive Our Hearts, and I have found it very helpful in praying for our country as a whole.   In 2016, these requests were printed in our church bulletin, and I clipped them out to use in praying for our country on a regular basis.  Below is a scan:

 

I have actually adapted this page and the one pictured from my prayer journal, to create a 31-day schedule of praying one request for each day of the month.  My hubby and I use this schedule to pray one request each evening for our country.  Thus, we are praying for American at least twice a day.

You will notice that one of the requests is for truth in the media.  Thankfully, there are a few independent news outlets where one can hear the truth.  We are not hearing it from the mainstream networks.  The Epoch Times is one that we have found trustworthy. We have also found many fascinating interviews and good news shows on Epoch TV.   If you subscribe to the newspaper, access to the interviews, etc. is free.  Check it out!

Another important request on this list is that people will be able to see truth, that error would be exposed, and that people with wicked agendas will be made weak.  I am actually praying that those who have wicked agendas will be caught in their own nets, thinking of some of the imprecatory requests that David prayed for the wicked.  Another great request is for God to overcome the enemies of truth and righteousness.  The Scripture verses for this request are pertinent:

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.  

"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies."
(Psalm 60:11-12)

 If you are not in the habit of praying for America, may I encourage you to do so?

  "America the Beautiful" also includes these powerful words:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"

I've often been reminded that truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws -- but we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. Our flaws have never been more obvious, it seems, yet never have I been more aware of how fragile our liberties are and how easily they can be snatched away.

  As we exercise our right to vote, let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land. Pray for His hand to be evident in the outcome of this election.  I'm so thankful today for God's sovereignty!

Don't forget to vote today ... but more importantly, don't forget to pray!

 

From Abby at Little Birdie Blessings.  Isn't it interesting that today's Election Day is the same?

I've been pondering what thoughts I might share for Election Day.  I encourage you to get out and vote, for sure!  But more importantly, pray about how you will vote.  I hope that we've all been praying about this important civic responsibility for awhile now, since the primary, at the very least.  If you haven't already made up your mind, do a little research (and a lot of praying) before marking those ballots.  

But we all ought to be praying intelligently and specifically for our country every day.  I ended up adapting an older post to encourage my readers (and myself!) in this, so if it seems you have read some of this information before, you probably have.   Feel free to skip the read, and just go vote.

Consider these words from the meaningful song "America the Beautiful":

"America! America!  God shed His grace on thee!" 

If our country ever needed God's grace, it is now.  I have come to believe that we are engaged in a struggle between good and evil -- a battle for the hearts and minds of our people.  Our liberty is truly at stake, friends.  This is not a battle between political candidates or between two political parties.  It is a battle between liberty and socialism and quite likely communism.

Mr. T and I are praying that evil will be exposed (and that it will be honestly and justly dealt with), that Americans will see the seriousness of our situation and that believers will pray faithfully for our beloved country.

For many years, I've prayed for our country every Thursday.  (I've shared about this before, but for those who may have missed it I will share the basics again.)  I begin by thanking God for the blessing of living in a free country.  I thank Him for the freedom to worship, the freedom to share my faith with others, the privilege of voting, and the privilege of living in a country with so many natural resources, such natural beauty, and a high standard of living.    I then pray for our president and other leaders, our men and women in the military, our judges and courts, my state and governor, and my town.

The printed page you see across the bottom of my prayer journal is from a pdf titled How to Pray for America.  It's a free download at Revive Our Hearts, and I have found it very helpful in praying for our country as a whole.   In 2016, these requests were printed in our church bulletin, and I clipped them out to use in praying for our country on a regular basis.  Below is a scan:

 

You will notice that one of these requests is for truth in the media.  Thankfully, there are a few independent news outlets where one can hear the truth.  We are not hearing it from the mainstream networks.  The Epoch Times is one that we have found trustworthy. We have also found many fascinating interviews and good news shows on Epoch TV.   If you subscribe to the newspaper, access to the interviews, etc. is free.  Check it out!

Another important request on this list is that people will be able to see truth, that error would be exposed, and that people with wicked agendas will be made weak.  I am actually praying that those who have wicked agendas will be caught in their own nets, thinking of some of the imprecatory requests that David prayed for the wicked.  Another great request is for God to overcome the enemies of truth and righteousness.  The Scripture verses for this request are pertinent:

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.  

"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies."
(Psalm 60:11-12)

 If you are not in the habit of praying for America, may I encourage you to do so?

  "America the Beautiful" also includes these powerful words:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"

I've often been reminded that truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws -- but we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. Our flaws have never been more obvious, it seems, and never have I been more aware of how fragile our liberties are and how easily they can be snatched away.

  As we exercise our right to vote, let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land. Pray for His hand to be evident in the outcome of this election.  I'm so thankful today for God's sovereignty!

A Blessed Independence Day to You!

 

 (This is pretty much a re-post from last year, but my thoughts are still the same, so I am posting it again.)

I hope that each of you Americans reading this will have a glorious Fourth of July celebrating the birthday of our beloved country! Whether you celebrate with family, friends, or church family, whether you are here on US soil or elsewhere, whether you're enjoying a picnic, a parade, fireworks, or possibly even a meaningful visit to a cemetery, I hope that each of you will take a moment sometime throughout the day to thank God for the land He has blessed us to be able to live in. Our country has many serious problems and flaws, but it is still a wonderful place to live and we enjoy many blessings here which we often take for granted. The wonderful song "America the Beautiful" includes these powerful words:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"

I've often been reminded -- and it happened again when we sang this in church this morning -- that truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws -- but we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. I've often thought, too,  how so many of our citizens are so confused concerning the balance between liberty and self-control. Our land offers us many freedoms, yet we take them for granted and many times do not see the need to exercise self-control or self-restraint in any area of life. We want what we want, when we want it, and then when we meet the inevitable consequences of our lack of self-control, we expect our government to take care of us.

 Our flaws have never been more obvious, it seems, and never have I been more aware of how fragile our liberties are and how easily they can be snatched away.  Let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land.

Today I'm also sharing a few links to previous Fourth of July posts that might be fun or encouraging reads on this meaningful day.

From 2019: Independence Day Medley

From 2018: Praying for our country

From 2017: July 4 Hodgepodge

From 2016: This Land is Our Land

Hope you'll enjoy them!

Praying for America

 

Beautiful graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

 Often, it falls to my hubby to change the wording on our church's sign out by the road.  We usually brainstorm together about what Scriptures or other inspiring words to put there.  Throughout 2020 we haven't changed the sign as often as we ordinarily might, because there seemed a need for the particular Scriptures that were posted to remain in place for awhile.  We've included verses pointing to God as our refuge and to His sovereignty; we've used Scriptures pointing us as a nation to Him; we've shared that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.  

In the weeks leading up to the election we pondered what words to use on the sign that we had not already put there.  As you might guess, space is limited.  We finally settled on "Pray for America" on one side of the sign.  On the other side we placed these words from the meaningful song "America the Beautiful":

"America! America!  God shed His grace on thee!" 

If our country ever needed God's grace, it is now.  I have come to believe that we are engaged in a struggle between good and evil -- a battle for the hearts and minds of our people.  Our liberty is truly at stake, friends.  This is not a battle between political candidates or between Democrats and Republicans.  It is a battle between liberty and socialism and quite likely communism.

Mr. T and I are praying that evil will be exposed, that Americans will see the seriousness of our situation and that believers will pray faithfully for our beloved country.

For many years, I've prayed for our country every Thursday.  I've shared about this before, but for those who may have missed it I will share the basics again.  I begin by thanking God for the blessing of living in a free country.  I thank Him for the freedom to worship, the freedom to share my faith with others, the privilege of voting, and the privilege of living in a country with so many natural resources, such natural beauty, and a high standard of living.    I then pray for our president and other leaders, our men and women in the military, our judges and courts, my state and governor, and my town.

The printed page you see across the bottom of my prayer journal is from a pdf titled How to Pray for America.  It's a free download at Revive Our Hearts, and I have found it very helpful in praying for our country as a whole.   In 2016, these requests were printed in our church bulletin, and I clipped them out to use in praying for our country on a regular basis.  Below is a scan:

 

You will notice that one of these requests is for truth in the media.  Thankfully, there are a few independent news outlets where one can hear the truth.  We are not hearing it from the mainstream networks.  Another important request on this list is that people will be able to see truth, that error would be exposed, and that people with wicked agendas will be made weak.  And that God would overcome the enemies of truth and righteousness.  The Scripture verses for this request are pertinent:

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.  

"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies."
(Psalm 60:11-12)

 If you are not in the habit of praying for America, may I encourage you to do so?

  "America the Beautiful" also includes these powerful words:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"

I've often been reminded that truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws -- but we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. Our flaws have never been more obvious, it seems, and never have I been more aware of how fragile our liberties are and how easily they can be snatched away.

   Let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land.  Thanksgiving is the perfect time to do that, it seems to me.

A prayer on Patriot Day

Meaningful graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

It was 2017 when I first posted a link to a prayer for hope and healing on Patriot Day.  I seldom repost things, but this is so pertinent and meaningful that I've shared it a couple of times since.  It's meaningful  not only for September 11,  but for the current troubling times in which we find ourselves.  Today I would again like to just share that prayer and quote a few lines from the accompanying post written by Paige at Dayspring.com. Again this year,  I was so encouraged by this post: A Patriot Day prayer for hope and healing that I just need to share it.

Paige wrote:

"On this 17-year anniversary of that sad day in our history, we honor the memory of those who lost lives and loved ones. And, we give thanks for those who had the courage to serve in the face of danger.

"And, while Patriot Day (9/11) is recognized as the official day of remembrance for this tragic event, we know that any day is a good day to lift those most impacted up in prayer.

"Dear Loving Father,

We pause to remember the great losses and courageous acts of September 11th. We lift up those who are still affected -- Families of the victims, police officers, firemen, first responders and all who were involved. We pray for the light of Christ to flood the hearts of people everywhere. We believe you desire to redeem all your creation, and we trust that beauty will continue to come from the ashes of our darkest days. Surround us with your mighty angels of protection, give us compassion for one another in all life’s circumstances, and the courage to answer your call.
 
Amen."

"So when we ask ourselves, even today: What is happening to our country? Are we safe? Is it going to be ok? Here‘s what I know: God was there in the chaos, and He is with us in this moment. His heart may break for His precious children, but He is never surprised by our struggles. He goes before us; He can be trusted with every detail; and He is our safe place today, and for all eternity."

So I exhort my friends today: oh, let us all take courage from those facts!  As His children understand, God is with us in chaos, as He is in each moment of our lives. And just as Paige pointed out so beautifully, "He goes before us; He can be trusted with every detail; and He is our safe place today, and for all eternity."

And I'd say to my readers and friends again today, that we need to be reminded of these facts now, in 2020.  Our country is in trouble and in chaos once again.  We need to trust fully in our God, and we need to pray fervently for our beloved country.

A glorious Fourth of July to you!

I hope that each of you Americans reading this will have a glorious Fourth of July celebrating the birthday of our beloved country! Whether you celebrate with family, friends, or church family, whether you are here on US soil or elsewhere, whether you're enjoying a picnic, a parade, fireworks, or possibly even a meaningful visit to a cemetery, I hope that each of you will take a moment sometime throughout the day to thank God for the land He has blessed us to be able to live in. Our country has many serious problems and flaws, but it is still a wonderful place to live and has many blessings which we often take for granted. The wonderful song "America the Beautiful" includes these powerful words:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"

I've often been reminded that truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws -- but we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. I've often thought, too,  how so many of our citizens are so confused concerning the balance between liberty and self-control. Our land offers us many freedoms, yet we take them for granted and many times do not see the need to exercise self-control or self-restraint in any area of life. We want what we want, when we want it, and then when we meet the inevitable consequences of our lack of self-control, we expect our government to take care of us.

 Our flaws have never been more obvious, it seems, and never have I been more aware of how fragile our liberties are and how easily they can be snatched away.  Let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land.

Today I'm also sharing a few links to previous Fourth of July posts that might be fun or encouraging reads today.

From 2019: Independence Day Medley

From 2018: Praying for our country

From 2017: July 4 Hodgepodge

From 2016: This Land is Our Land

Hope you'll enjoy them!

Last night, we arrived home from our vacation.  This morning, I read this from Rachel Wojo: Faith Like Fireworks.  The photo with Rachel's post reminded me of something fun that we did on our last evening in Nevada with the grandkids: we all lit sparklers and stood in a circle waving them into the darkness until they went out.  As Rachel points out, "As Christians, we must not be afraid to shine God’s light into the night sky, revealing the beauty of the Gospel to a dark world."  It truly seems as if our world has never been darker, so let's be sure we are faithfully shining God's light into the darkness.

Happy Independence Day to all of you!

A blessed and glorious Fourth of July to you!

Lovely photo and graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

 (If you think this post seems a little familiar,  as if you've seen it before -- well, you probably have.  Nearly all of it.  I've updated it just a little.  This was last year's Independence Day post, and it seems even more appropriate today.)

From 2019: We're wishing all of you a most blessed and glorious Fourth of July!  I spent a busy few hours in the kitchen while Mr. T worked on his woodpile. Then we headed off to a favorite picnic spot by a river.  But we are near the lakes, you say.  Yes, yes we are.  But no local in their right mind would be trying to picnic anywhere near a lake today.  Hordes of people!  We enjoyed our time by a rushing river instead, with only one other family at a picnic table nearby.  They told us they'd been planning to go to the state park, but weren't able to get in (those hordes of people again) so they decided to go exploring and found this nice spot with picnic tables beside the river.

Taken at the riverside picnic spot last Saturday.  The water was rushing much more that day.

May we all take time to thank the Lord today for the blessings that are ours living in a free country, and to pray for those brave and committed men and women who are serving right now to protect our land and keep our nation free.  May we take a moment to pray for our country, so deeply divided and so much in need of the healing that only God can truly bring.

Do you pray for our nation regularly?  I take some time every Thursday to pray for some specific requests -- very appropriate as the Fourth of July is on Thursday this year!  (Of course, I pray for America on other days too when the news is particularly bad or there is an urgent need.)

I begin by thanking God for the blessing of living in a free country.  I thank Him for the freedom to worship, the freedom to share my faith with others, the privilege of voting, and the privilege of living in a country with so many natural resources, such natural beauty, and a high standard of living.    I then pray for our president and other leaders, our men and women in the military, our judges and courts, and my state and governor.

The printed page you see across the bottom of my prayer journal is from a pdf titled How to Pray for America.  It's a free download at Revive Our Hearts, and I have found it very helpful in praying for our country as a whole.  If you are not in the habit of praying for America, may I encourage you to do so?

Later today we will be attending a Fourth of July gathering at the home of friends.  There will be food, fellowship, and very likely fireworks as well.  Hope all of you will also enjoy a blessed day celebrating with family or friends!  Happy Fourth of July!

A blessed and glorious Fourth of July to you!

Lovely photo and graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

Wishing all of you a most blessed and glorious Fourth of July!

May we all take time to thank the Lord today for the blessings that are ours living in a free country, and to pray for those brave and committed men and women who are serving right now to protect our land and keep our nation free.  May we take a moment to pray for our country, so deeply divided and so much in need of the healing that only God can truly bring.

Do you pray for our nation regularly?  I take some time every Thursday to pray for some specific requests.  (Of course, I pray for America on other days too when the news is particularly bad or there is an urgent need.)

I begin by thanking God for the blessing of living in a free country.  I thank Him for the freedom to worship, the freedom to share my faith with others, the privilege of voting, and the privilege of living in a country with so many natural resources and such natural beauty.    I then pray for our president and other leaders, our men and women in the military, our judges and courts, and my state and governor.

The printed page you see across the bottom of my prayer journal is from a pdf titled How to Pray for America.  It's a free download at Revive Our Hearts, and I have found it very helpful in praying for our country as a whole.  If you are not in the habit of praying for America, may I encourage you to do so?

Later today we will be attending a Fourth of July gathering at the home of friends.  There will be food, fellowship, and very likely fireworks as well.  Hope all of you will also enjoy a blessed day celebrating with family or friends!  Happy Fourth of July!