Faithbase

Good morning, I'm coming to you from a different location than usual and I'm here sitting in my easy chair. I'm a little bit under the weather today and so I'm taking it easy, I guess you say, but I wanted to go ahead and spend some time in prayer with you this morning. I would also ask for your prayers, those of you who are participating in this daily prayer time. I had a heart attack back in February and have had some ongoing health issues, as those of you who have suffered a heart attack understand that there can be some things that are kind of ongoing. Along with that, I would covet your prayers to be able to be consistent in the diet change and exercise, the things that you got to do, and so I just would ask for your prayers if you remember me and your prayers. Also, by the way, and I think I mentioned this before, if you would like prayer requests answered or mentioned and if you'd like me to be praying for you, certainly message me and I'd like to do that for you. All right, we're looking at Psalm 7 and we're gonna be reading through verses 9 through 13 and we'll be praying through that section as well. And let me read, O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just. For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. My defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart. God is a just judge and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he does not turn back, he will sharpen his sword. He bends his bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for himself instruments of death. He makes his arrows into fiery shafts. Heavenly Father, we pray that the wickedness of the wicked would come to an end. Lord, you are the one who controls all things and we pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you would end the wickedness of the wicked. And I am thinking right now about the situation that's going on in Middle East and Israel and the atrocities that we've known about, but even more is coming to light, the atrocities of Hamas. Lord, I guess you'd say, we would say anyway, this is the very definition of wickedness. And so we pray that you'd bring an end to that, Lord God. On the other hand, we pray you'd establish the just, Heavenly Father. May we be among those that you establish as just. For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. Lord, we, apart from Jesus Christ, all of our righteousness is like filthy rags. Lord, you test hearts and minds. And we pray that we would be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind as we work hard to show the results of what Jesus Christ has done for us, that our sins have been forgiven. Lord, we don't expect to experience your judgment in this life, because we expect that we will walk in righteousness, in the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to walk in a Christlike fashion, Lord God. And so when we pray that you would bring judgment against the wicked, we don't do so as those who claim perfection or claim to be righteous on our own strength, Lord, but we claim to be righteous in Jesus Christ alone. And we ask for your judgment, that your power and your might might be known. Scripture tells us that you are a just judge, and you are angry with the wicked every day, Lord. There is much wickedness throughout this world, not just what we mentioned in Israel and with Hamas, but also, Lord God, in our own nation. There are many, many people who have rejected what we would call common sense. They have turned away from the things that are true. They claim that there is more than simply a man or a woman, and that a man can become a woman, and a woman can become a man. And your scripture is very plain, Lord God, that these things are an abomination to you. Lord, you are a just judge. You are angry with the wicked every day, Lord. You are angry, justly angry, Lord. And so we pray that we would have clarity and understanding as we pray for your action in this realm. Lord, we know that you primarily judge the individual in eternity, but there are consequences for sin in this life, and those consequences are designed to turn folks away from sin and turn them to Jesus Christ. And so our prayer is that those who have rejected truth, who have rejected you, Lord Jesus, that you would bring consequences into their life for that sin that would drive them to Jesus Christ, Lord. If you don't turn back, you will sharpen your sword, you will bend your bow, you will prepare instruments of death, you will make your arrows into fiery shafts. These all are consequences. These all point us to, they're illustrating for us the kind of consequences that those who turn away from you, both the individual and the corporate entity, Lord, they can expect to see judgment for sin, Lord. And we pray that you would do that. We pray that you would bring judgment against those who have turned away from you, Lord. We're not asking primarily, we're not asking that you destroy them physically. We're praying, Lord God, that you would kill the old man and draw them into the new creation of relationship with Jesus Christ, that they would become a new creation in Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that your good and just judgments would be evident and that the land would be from one end of this earth to the other, that people would understand that you, Lord God, are bringing judgment, that you're bringing consequences for the sin that people commit, for the sin that nations or people groups commit, Lord God, that you are the one and only true God. You're the one who has the right. You're the one who has the power. You're the one who is truly just and a good and righteous judge. And so I pray, Lord God, that your power would be made evident. Lord, we pray that our own lives would be shining examples of Christlikeness. Bless us, watch over us, keep us in your care, Lord, and enable us to to be that salt and light that this nation and this world needs. So we pray your blessings. We pray that your good and just judgments would be evident. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.