Wednesday
9-2-15 (Home in Modesto)
Scripture
reading: Eze. 17-19 Rev 7
S=Scripture O=Observation A=Application P=Prayer SOAP for
the soul.
S. Ezek 17:2-4 Son of man, tell this story to the people of
Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: A great eagle
with broad wings full of many-colored feathers came to Lebanon. He took hold of
the highest branch of a cedar tree and plucked off its topmost shoot. Then he
carried it away to a city filled with merchants, where he planted it. NLT
O. The prophet Ezekiel is given
parables to speak to the Israelites. This one tells of a powerful eagle
that plucks off a shoot from a cedar and carries it far away to plant it in
good soil with plenty of water. The shoot flourishes and becomes a
healthy tree, but then, even though it is well supplied, it reaches out toward
another eagle giving it credit for its sustenance. It is a story of
ungratefulness and unfaithfulness to one’s Creator. Apparently each story
had specific applications to individual kings and events, however they carry a
message that we can learn from as well.
A. The Continental-Confederation Congress, the legislative body that governed
this fledgling nation from 1774 to 1789, issued several "national days of
prayer, humiliation, and thanksgiving." George Washington and
President Adams both reemphasized this. Abraham Lincoln officially
renewed it during the terrible civil war. In 1941 President Franklin D.
Roosevelt signed a bill, making the date of Thanksgiving a matter of federal
law and fixing the day as the fourth Thursday of November.
But Israel had ceased to thank the true and living God
and was bowing before their man-made gods. Today the atheists of America
are spreading their religion in our nation by forcing their god upon our
children in public schools. Who do our self-made atheists friends thank
on the fourth Thursday of November?
P. Lord God of heaven and earth,
I am thrilled to be part of a nation that was plucked out of a great cedar,
carried far away and planted in fertile soil. While we gave credence and
gratefulness to You, we have been blessed far above any other nation on earth.
But now our leadership has officially banned You from our schools, our courts
and governmental offices. You have been declared persona-non-grata.
Our officials have forgotten their Maker and mine and have practically spit in
Your face. Today I do not pray for justice. I pray for mercy.
I pray that You would give us a second chance to lift up our hands to You for
our salvation and to give You the thanks You so awesomely deserve. Amen
Ralph
