Day of Prayer

Today (May 5^th 2011), in Christian “gathering places” across America, is the National Day of Prayer. George Washington, father of our country, started this day of prayer, but it was not until 1952 that it was formally established by Congress. Of course, things were far different in 1952, but even then some atheists and imposters fought the idea. Prayer had been the accepted practice in Congress from its very beginning, our forefathers spent much time in prayer.

The phenomenon of prayer was a mystery to me as a child. Born and raised in a Christian home, never exposed to anything but Christianity, I believe my mother told me I started going to church when I was only two weeks old. Both of my parents, all of my grandparents, all of my great grandparents were involved in the same church, which was built by these same ancestors. My young mind was mystified by these real men standing and praying out loud above the congregation... my relatives going to the alter in the front of the church and kneeling in prayer, the pastor on his knees in prayer. Later, I found that this was the greatest power and need in their life. In the supernatural, mystical action, they showed for time and eternity, their faith..... faith, action based on belief, sustained by confidence.

Having lived a long active live, I now understand this definition of faith. I know that God only listens to believers, the only prayer He hears from an unbeliever is a prayer of repentance. The academics, the atheists, those just playing church, those who think they have God fooled are just wasting their time. God requires one thing from us, and one thing only, TRUST. He is in charge of everything, HE IS BOSS.

Once, years ago, already blind, but owning several entrepreneurial businesses, with one of my employees driving, I took several of my managers in my Cadillac up the country to the home where I was born and raised. I showed them the community where my parents, grandparents, etc had farmed for hundreds of years. I remember pointing out to them, from memory, the large consolidated school where I went for 12 years, the smaller school which my father attended, the two-room school which my mother and grandmother attend, and the beautiful old country church which my ancestors built in 1874. Then, at the home place, I showed them the beautiful old home which had been in the family for a very long time.

On the way back, pointing out the large, old cemetery and other things. I said, “can you imagine me plowing mules in these fields? Cutting wood in these extensive woodlands owned by my family?” They were all very quiet, they had never been exposed to family legacy, family heritage. They had never heard their mother pray at the table before a meal. They had finally seen the results of prayer in Christian America. They finally knew that my life had not been accidental, that it is not an accident, a quirk of nature, human beings evolving from pond scum, that many of us have committed our lives to prayer. That our parents, grandparents, ancestors had consecrated their yet unborn progeny through prayer many years ago, that men such as me were just fulfilling the goals that God had already designed and chosen me for...and they, if they had been willing to submit to God, rather than to the world, the flesh, the devil. You serve one of two masters: God or the devil. You cannot serve both, choose you this day whom ye will serve (Joshua 24:15).

Alfred Lord Tennyson, in his poem Morte D'Arthur, said, “more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” Perhaps because of my blindness, perhaps because I live alone, perhaps because I have no one else on whom I can depend, I have very definite need for prayer in my life. As long as I can remember, I get up very early in the morning and have a time of prayer about everything, about today's activities, my employees, my family and friends. I know that many of them do not want me praying for them because they do not want God involved in their lives (and that is their problem). I have a time of communion, the Lord's Table, I have a small piece of bread, asking God for healing and the healing of all those who need healing, even the earthquake victims in Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Haiti, the recent tornado victims.

God took all our sicknesses and infirmities to the cross, along with our sins and the sins of the world, the full wrath of God. The wrath that should be imposed on us was afflicted on His only Son, whom He loved (Isaiah 53). The apostle Paul tells us and showed us that Christianity comes with a price, the “marks of the Lord Jesus.” (Galatians 6:17) We are told to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Even our blessed Lord, who had put on a tent of human flesh, dwelled among us, lived a perfect life, had need for prayer, and taught us how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13).

The greatest privilege, the greatest power, that we as Christians (those who claim the name of Christ), have in this world, is prayer. It is not necessary to have a long prayer, Peter said, when He walked on the water, “Lord help me.” If any of you smart people, you academics, you lovers of Satan find a better way, please let this weak, old man know! I have unbelieving family members, relatives, friends who have nothing to say to me anymore because I have told them about their lost condition. Some, who are Democrats, who support the Democrat political machine, may still think they are praying, but anyone who supports the heathenism of abortion, the Satanism of same-sex marriage, the paganism of tax enslavement, Christ has already said, “cannot be His disciple.” (Luke 14:26, Luke 14:17, Luke 14:33).

When you have government, you have government what government can do. When you have education, money, idols you have what they can do. When you have prayer, if you are Christian, and you are doing what He has told us to do, you have what God can do. If anyone reads the newspapers, listens to news broadcasts, has eyes to see what is going on in this world, ears to hear what is going on in this world, and does not think that we need what God can do and claims to be a Christian, you should obey and pray.

Police State

After my father died, a farm, barns, houses full of memories from several generations, I asked about my father's ancient banjo acquired from his grandfather, who died in 1912. I understand his grandfather, bed ridden for a year before death, would pluck at the banjo singing old hymns, my father would do much of the same. I still have my mother's piano in my house, but would have liked to have his banjo.

Later, I got the story, the black shoeshine boy in the barbershop where my father worked on weekends, was given the banjo. My father had taken a tremendous interest in him, he asked him how much he was paid for each shoeshine, I believe at the time it was 50 cents. He told him that he wanted him to give 10% of everything he makes each week to his church, and he wanted him to put 10% of his money each week in an account at the bank. I understand that later, the young boy was one of the wealthiest men in the city, like my father, he had learned the power of compound interest.

My mother and sister had kept all the dolls she received at Christmas in a trunk because they wanted to keep them nice. Like the banjo, when my sister looked for the dolls, they were gone. He had given all the dolls to children in the community, who, as he told someone, enjoyed playing with them. They were not for keeping, they were for using and playing.

Americans have been asleep, incrementally, their freedoms eroded. Like the famous frogs in a pot, heat slowly turned up, then comes Obama, who really turns up the heat, boiling water, sirens, the half cooked frogs have jumped out of the pot. Now they realize that they were being cremated. Has the thought occurred to you, yet?

I have been to most of the police states in the world: USSR, China, Yugoslavia, Middle Eastern, African, etc. Two women from Zimbabwe told me that it was all over before they realized what Robert Mugabe had done to them. I spent a week in the Seychelles Islands, a total police state, the most vicious law enforcement since Hitler's SS troops. The people were scared to death, none had ever known freedom, all lived or died at the behest of the government. Since these islands are an environmental paradise (Indian Ocean), beautiful wildlife (bird island, an island devoted entirely to birds), the inmates (citizens) were assigned work at the tourist hotels, I never saw one native woman or child smile the entire time I was there. The male employees had been beaten and so intimidated that were more like robots, much like the working man in America.

Life is for living, in my lifetime, I have seen life change from light into darkness. So little time and it is taken up just in survival. People have underestimated the dark side. Not knowing what they have lost until it is gone. There is a mystical union between heaven and earth. In the autonomic nervous system (fight or flight) attempt at survival, even Christians have forgotten that they have power beyond their imagination available: power that raised Lazarus from the dead, power that gave blind Bartimaeus sight, the same power that enabled a nation to cross a river and a sea on dry land...the power of God.

The mystical union becomes so apparent in communion with Christ at his table. The communion service should be more real to you than a stained glass window, reading of holy scripture to an anthem, prayer to a church supper. Many think that God moves because of a men's club, a woman's circle, a youth group, God desires the petitions. If you are fasting, praying, giving without it being an infusion of the holy spirit in your life, then you are still on the dark side. If you do not do so because it gives you joy, then something is very wrong and you are still on the dark side.

The Bible is silent about many things. Many things are “none of our business”, there is some mystery about heaven. Since there is no marrying or giving in marriage, I envision heaven has a place of sublime oneness and intimacy. Just as no disappointment about companions, no disappointment about family or friends who did not make it.

The soul and spirit are synonyms, we are who we are because of an invisible, weightless soul. Much is made of the dead body, but most at the funeral have no idea about death or the transition: last breath here, first breath there. We are accustomed to a world of pretending, not knowing the difference in the apostle's creed and the pledge of allegiance, not knowing the difference in the sights and sounds of this earth to the eternal security of eternal life. Like the people in the churches of revelation, lukewarm or just dead...country clubs or morgues with a steeple?

Almost as bad as the choice we have made with the dark side of the church, the dark side of democracy. Our ancestors wanted the government to leave them alone, having escaped the tyranny of a ruthless king. Their descendants want the government involved in every area of their life, telling them what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. While, at the same time, paying a large part of their hard-earned income for “nanny state guards”. If we were in prison, our food, our shelter, healthcare, entertainment, all would be furnished, free of charge. As disillusioned prisoners of the state, it is our responsibility to provide our own shelter, food, clothing, education, and then give most of our leftover money to the government for them to use for their friends and relatives.

We have the best politicians money can buy, the best government that money can buy, you deserve the government you have. I live in a county where the people actually voted for an increase in taxes...so totally misinformed, so gullible. BP gave more money to Obama than any other contributors, BP controls the world's oil supply, and subsequently, the world's money supply. BP, a foreign corporation, actually controls much of our government. Much of the blame can be laid at the conference table of British Petroleum, the floor of the ocean is not stable. The knew the instability of the ocean floor, the chasms of oil and gas under the floor, the oil and gas pollution of the sea water resulting in chemical reactions which caused chemical burns to plant life, disease to fish and animal life, and much like ground water, crossing pasture land of manure or leaking old sewer pipes propelling sewage into groundwater, a happening of ecological and environmental disaster.

Don't tell me you are a Christian, you are a patriot, if you support a political party which promotes abortion and homosexuality. If you are Democrat, and support Democrats, when will you awaken?