Monthly Archives: December 2014

I am praying for you and with you

Today I am praying especially for law enforcement officers including all of the men and women who serve in the city, county, state, and national agencies. If you serve in one of these agencies, “Thank you.”

Most of us know, by name, people who serve in these agencies. Pray specifically for them. Pray for their families as well. Over the next several days, these servants will be extremely busy with all of the holiday traffic and happenings. This is on top of their everyday stressors and obligations.

In a day when there seems to be a growing divide between law enforcement and the general public, let’s remind ourselves to treat them the way we want to be treated. Here are three passages of Scripture to help guide your prayer time.

Matthew 7:12 ”Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Romans 13:1-7   “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

If you are traveling over the next many days, be alert, be safe, and be attentive to pray for and respect our law enforcement officers.

Take care

I am praying for you

As I pray this morning, I pray for those who have experienced a divorce. My heart and my prayers go out to the offender and the offended. However, I am most focused on the offended.

Divorce is difficult in so many ways. It is a violation of a promise made. It is rejection to one of the highest degrees possible. It is the shattering of a trust. It is a form of abuse. It causes us to ask the question “How did I get here?

For those who have been divorced, please remember one thing. Even though God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16), He loves people. He loves you. He hates divorce because of what it does to people but He does not hate you. He loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16; Romans 8:35-39; 2 Thessalonians 2:16).

If your divorce is recent, I pray you will find the courage to locate a support group like DivorceCare. It may be difficult to attend the first few nights but find the courage and the resolve to participate. If your divorce happened somewhere in the past, the pain may still be there but I trust you are pressing on in the Lord. Regardless of your particular situation, know that someone is praying for you today.

If you would like to send this link to a friend who needs to read this, click here and put their name in the “To:” area. Thank you for thinking of them.

I am praying for you

Today I am praying particularly for those of you who are going through a storm. Storms I speak of may be physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual in nature. Storms come in variations of intensity and outcome. Here are just a few of the many types of storms we face in life.

  • Financial difficulties
  • An unexpected surgery
  • An accident
  • An illness not responding to treatment
  • A problem in the family
  • A separation or divorce
  • A difficulty at work
  • Personal disobedience
  • A recent loss of someone or some thing
  • A personal struggle you do not talk about

If you care to, write me about your particular storm and I will pray for you even more specifically. Sometimes it is hard to discern when God is allowing or causing the storm. Let’s think of two well-known storms in the Bible.

  • Storm #1: A storm that God caused. In Jonah chapter one, Jonah finds himself in a storm due to his own disobedience. In Jonah 1:4, we find these words: “The Lord sent out a great wind on the sea …” If it has been a while since you have read the Jonah account, you might want to take a few minutes and do that.
  • Storm #2: A storm God allowed. This happened when Jesus and the disciples were in a boat. This storm is mentioned in all three of the Synoptic Gospels. Notice how the three gospel writers speak of this same storm.
    • “a great tempest arose” (Matthew 8:25)
    • “a great windstorm arose” (Mark 4:38)
    • “a windstorm came down” (Luke 8:24)

In all three of these references, the storm is presented as something that just happened. Sometimes the storms in life just happen. Our Lord used this storm to teach a power lesson. These two storms are weather related storms. I trust you see how they illustrate to the non-weather storms we face in life.

Sometimes storms are big and they last a while. Sometimes they are little; they flare up and then they pass. You know the difference between a big storm and a little storm. A big storm is something that happens to us. A little storm is when that same thing happens to someone we do not know.

Regardless of the intensity of the storm you are facing today, our Lord God is the answer. A few minutes ago, I read Psalm 107. It is one of the longer Psalms but powerful and insightful concerning storms in life. I noticed a recurring theme in the Psalm. Take a few minutes, read it, and see if you can draw out that recurring theme. As you do, remember, I am praying for you today.

I am praying for you

Today I am praying for people who are currently experiencing rejection. There are two types of rejection – covert (passive) and overt (active).

An example of covert rejection is what Joseph and Mary experienced in Bethlehem when “there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). The innkeeper did not know Joseph and Mary and did not actively reject them. The inn was full. The town of Bethlehem was overcrowded with people. There was simply no vacancy. He did not reject them because they were Jewish. He did not know the Savior of the world was about to be born.

An example of overt rejection would be what Joseph (in the Old Testament) experienced when his brothers threw him into that pit and sold him to the Midianite traders (Genesis 37:18-36). They wanted him dead (at first) and then decided to sell him into slavery. They wanted him out of their sight. They overtly / actively rejected him. They wanted to never see or hear from him again. Jumping ahead, the egg on their face came later.

We experience both types of rejection. Both are painful. When a person rejects you covertly (passively), they may not know what they have done. They are so absorbed in their life and their plans and their goals they are oblivious to the pain they have inflicted. It is no less painful.

However, when a person rejects you overtly (actively), they know exactly what they are doing. They are seeking to inflict as much pain as possible. People who overtly reject other people have one or more of several possible illnesses working out from the inside. It could be:

  • Jealousy
  • Prejudice
  • Inferiority
  • Immorality
  • Immaturity (just to name a few)

They could even be suffering from an undetected physical illness. The way they can feel better about themselves is to reject another person. They are living out the adage, “misery loves company.” They are miserable and want others to feel miserable as well. In their twisted thinking, if they can hurt another person, they can have a few minutes of relief. However, the relief is short-lived. They will need to look for another person to reject to get another fix. They will remain in their sickness until they get some professional help.

Just remember, if you are a child of God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you have been accepted by the One who really counts. Paul the Apostle reminds us in Ephesians 1:6, we have been “accepted in the Beloved.” Because of what Jesus has done and is doing for us, we have been accepted with unconditional acceptance. Stop and meditate on that truth for a few moments.

Pray for your rejecter and even thank the Lord for them in light of Matthew 5:11-12. As you do so, for sure walk on in victory today knowing you have been “accepted in the Beloved.” Do not let Scrooge spoil your Christmas.

Have a great day!

I am praying for you

Today I am praying for people not attending church today either because they cannot or will not. Here are some of the many reasons why people cannot attend church today:

  • An illness (yours or a loved one)
  • Recuperation from surgery
  • Recent birth of a child
  • Work situation
  • Mobility issues
  • Military service obligations

There may be other reasons why a person cannot attend church today that otherwise would attend. Please write to me if your situation is not included here and I will be glad to pray for you. tom@tomsavage.us

Many people will choose to not attend church today. This could be because they:

  • Have never attended church
  • Have experienced a death in the family
  • Have lost the desire to attend and just do not want to
  • Have been deeply wounded by people in the church
  • Have fallen spiritually
  • Do not believe it is of any value

If you will choose to not attend today for another reason, would you write me and let me pray for you as well? My email address: tom@tomsavage.us.

Regardless of your situation, I am praying for you today. If I can be of any help so you may return or start attending church, please write me and let me know. I close with this verse from Psalm 100:4. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”

I am praying for you

Today I am praying for people who are feeling especially lonely. Loneliness is a horrible feeling. I recall reading, many years ago about a lady who put a classified ad in the paper trying to sell something. She did not really care whether she sold the item. She just wanted someone to call her and talk to her.

In these days, Pat and I have been reading together The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp. It is a book to read the twenty-five days leading up to Christmas. It “just so happened” the reading for December 12 spoke of loneliness. Here is what the author wrote.

“There are advent moments when you’d like nothing more than to order a Christmas miracle. The one you need when it feels like no one really sees you. No one sees how alone you really feel. How overwhelmed by the work and unappreciated by the people. No one sees that you just want someone to cup your face and look into your eyes and say your name from somewhere deep inside, like a calling home, like a belonging – like a holding that has you around all the fragile places and won’t leave you.”

Then she closed that days’ reading with these words: “The miracle of gifts is never not coming. When your Father’s hand isn’t readily apparent, it’s only because He’s readying gifts. Gifts always come out of the unseen and hidden places.

May God be especially near you today. Maybe He also enlighten you as to how you could be a blessing to a lonely person today. If you are able, I am praying you will be attending worship tomorrow in a Christ-honoring church.

Take care

Praying for you today

Today I am praying for those who are going through a transition in life. There are so many possible scenarios. Here are just some of the many possibilities:

  • The ending of a friendship and/or the starting of a new one
  • Physical relocation due to work, heath, or a family need
  • Aging parents and all the care associated with their needs
  • The death of someone very close to you
  • The empty nest syndrome
  • Time to find a new church
  • Job or career change
  • Mid-life crisis

If I missed your particular situation, write me and let me know. I will take your particular situation or need to the Father.

Whether I touched on your situation or totally missed it, know I am praying for you. This is a time to seek God. Seek Him just to be near Him (see Jeremiah 29:13). As the Proverb says, “… there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

Seek Him for wisdom and direction. Often in life transitions, we are tempted to make decisions we will regret later. Seek Him for the wisdom you need.

Spend time with Him in His Word. In life transitions we are super attentive to information but we really need truth. When we are empty and do not know where to turn we need illumination. In the Bible, we find occasions where people were “filled with fear.” God would have us be “filled with the Spirit.” Being filled with God’s Word and filled with the Holy Spirit is a powerful combination regardless of the situation you are facing.

If you have a relationship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, remember and draw strength from these words in Romans 8:35-39. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord..”

Stay close to Him today

Praying for you today

Today I am praying for those who have experienced termination. Maybe you were caught up in a downsizing, the company failed and had to close its doors, or you had to endure those dreaded words “your services are no longer needed.” Your situation may be very different. Regardless of your particular situation, many of us know what you are going through.

Because of that, your Christmas may be a little different this year. I am praying God will give you fresh insight and fresh ideas to make this Christmas special. Remember, it is not the amount of presents under the tree but the One who died on a tree (the cross) who makes Christmas what it is.

Once again, remember, I am praying for you. My heart aches for you because I know what you are going through. No one likes to feel rejected and in many cases, that is exactly what this is. Any of us can tend to go bitter. Guard against those feelings. Bear in mind those important words found in Hebrews 12:15. Also, claim the promise of Philippians 4:19. Hang in there, be actively pursuing His next assignment, and see how the Lord will direct. May our Lord bless you today.

Praying for you today

Today I am praying specifically for those who are separated or estranged from a friend or loved one. This could be due to such things as

  • Work obligations (yours or theirs)
  • Military service
  • Misunderstanding
  • You just do not know where they are, etc.

Life is complicated. That is an understatement. When the complications of life include separation or estrangement, it can be paralyzing. Your situation may be the result of the “isness” factor – that “is” just the way it “is” right now. Maybe it was something they did, you did, or simply life happening. You woke up one morning and asked yourself “How did I get here? What have I done? Where did time go?”

In your situation, has the Lord prompted your heart for steps to take? If so, follow His lead. If you do not know what to do, seek Him, seek out a friend, a counselor or a coach for some help. Write a letter or an email if that would be applicable in your situation. In our day of technology, there are many ways to reconnect with friends and loved ones. Just remember, be sure your motives are pure. Please do not forsake your family and your present relationships to go back and rekindle a love from days gone by. I trust you hear my heart here.

Christmas time can be tough for those who are separated or estranged from friends and loved ones. The enemy can heap tons of guilt upon us. We find ourselves wishing we could back up time, undo past mistakes, and start all over.

Do you need to say, “I am sorry” or “I was wrong?” If so, do that. Many of you have tried to repair the breach only to be rejected or spurned. Just know that I have been and will be praying for you. As you press on in life today, remember these words from the Word. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1Peter 5:6-7).

Praying for you today

Today I am praying for you who have experienced the death of a child. The pain you have experienced is more than I can imagine. I wish there was something I could do to minimize your pain. My prayer for you is threefold.

First, that God would comfort your heart. Lean heavily on your heavenly Father. He knows exactly what you are going through. He experienced the death of His Son. In John 3:16 we find the words, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Please know He knows and many people are praying for you today. We are praying your sorrow is a bit less.

Second, look forward to the day you can see your child again. When King David knew in his heart a child of his would soon pass from this life, the Bible records he mourned for many days. When the child passed he said, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me (1 Sam 12:23).” David knew his child was safe in heaven and he looked forward to the day he could see and be with his child again.

Third, pray for others who are experiencing what you have experienced. You know what they are going through. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 we find, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

I am so sorry you have experienced this. May God be with you in a special way today.