When struggling with temptation in our lives, sometimes we just don’t know exactly how God would have us deal with it – not to say we shouldn’t:  We should!  But sometimes situations lend themselves to a temptation element but are not easy to go against because of extenuating circumstances.  Someone’s reputation might be compromised; someone’s friends or relatives may appear to look bad.  Sometimes we really don’t know what to do.

I knew someone one time who was caught in a web of not only temptation, but sin.  How did this person get out of this web?  By using God’s Word, the scriptures.  This person made God’s Word her mantra during the difficult time.  Although it is unknown as to how she used the Word, she perhaps memorized it, reviewed it constantly, stuck to it, put herself under its authority in her mind and actions.  Perhaps the constancy of it is what she found most useful.

But she had to choose to do these things.  When dealing with our oh-so-human ability to get caught up in undesirable actions or thoughts (although seemingly so desirable), we have to choose “right.”  The right.  If we don’t make conscious choices about it, right-ness will stay just out of reach, like a gold ring on a silver wand, attached to our foreheads. 

Even in our pro-life service, we may need to choose the best, the positive, over what seems perhaps more interesting or more enjoyable.  Not that this is sin, or even temptation in the strictest sense of the word; but there may be a type of temptation to do less than God’s will and more of what we feel is more appealing.

Lord, let us not get into a habit of ignoring Your best.  You Yourself, Lord, dealt with temptation – but not sin!  Help us to know how to deal with the sin and temptations in our lives.  Help us be true to Your Word and to claim it for ourselves over and over and over when we need it the most.  Help us to not run away from it or ignore it, for then we are ignoring You in our lives, Lord.  Help us use Your words for strength – not as something to brush aside so we can go on in our own wayward ways.

Topics:  Pray to use God’s Word in every way possible to strengthen our witness for Him in pro-life work and all other done in His name.
The United States Marines, to have a pro-life outlook in their plans and activities

How encouraging this scripture passage can be. 

Let’s consider this to mean steps of a good person, not just a man; ladies can enjoy the ordering of their steps by God also.  Let’s also consider that a good person is one who is dedicated to God here.  Otherwise, how could one’s steps be ordered by the Lord?

I wonder how many millions of steps an average person will walk in an average lifetime.  Any guess?  Well, maybe billions. 

Let’s imagine that each one of those steps was “ordered” by God.  No step ever got out of bounds; no footprint can be seen pointing a few degrees off center.  Wow.  What a walker.  If one could be so fortunate to walk in this manner, what marvelous achievements would be brought about in his lifetime!

Well, why can’t we make this a goal?  What would it mean to each of us if we kept in mind that God can order our steps.  What father would not want to be able to direct a child on a pathway that delights himself as the father?  When our Father is God, we know that we will never go off of the planned pathway, that pathway that will always be good in and of itself, and rightly oriented.

To think of ourselves walking such a road is exciting.  Wow.  Maybe I can make even more of a difference here in this world than ever thought.  Why?  Because my steps are being planned by the Maker of the universe.  This is not only exciting, but very comforting as well!

Lord, help us to know how to work into our pathways Your perfect desires for our lives.  Help us to know how to listen to You so that we will know each foot print to leave in the sands of our lives.  Just help us listen, Lord!  And when we consider our plans for pro-life happenings, help us listen especially for Your voice.  Then we can step out knowing that we are heading perfectly in the right direction, millions or billions:  Yours.

Topics:  Pray to listen to God for direction in our lives.
Local boards of education to remember LIFE as created.

Yes, a good man’s way is guided by the Lord.  But even then there may be things that grab his attention unexpectedly – seemingly at random.  I saw such a thing today.  It was a photo of a baby shoe that had been bronzed (to keep for “posterity,” a sort of retro way of preserving memories of our little children.  The shoe looked very pretty, and it was positioned on some type of base along with the ashtray. 

The ashtray!  The ashtray??!

Yes, an ashtray.  This baby memento was mounted on a base next to an ashtray.  Not that the maker of the piece should not sell such an item; that is their business.  But I could not help but be struck by the incongruous message seen by my glance there:  A memory of a new or young life; a picture of potential death through smoke.  It took me by surprise.

Yes, in our world, even when our steps are ordered by God, we run into rather odd combinations in life.  Of course, we just keep on walking when the odd combination is of little real importance, such as this ashtray thing.  But maybe we need to pray that these arrangements made by human beings are really the lesser things that they are, and also we could pray that babies being birthed soon will never pick up a cigarette or other form of tobacco.  We certainly don’t want a little one’s baby shoe mounted by their own smoking-gun killer.

Lord, this is a small instance of human indiosyncracy.  But there is no idiosyncracy in Your plans for every baby being carried in the womb today.  We just pray that you will help us humans limit our deadly dealings with illness and human-caused death so that every baby can live their potential life until the very end you have planned, without the attendant problems that can come from smoking and other habits. 
 
Topics:  Pray for healthy habits for all babies, throughout their lifetimes.
Our nation’s governors

When digging around in this scripture for meaning, there is a study in opposites.  It’s not the first one in this passage.  We know that God’s mighty arm brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt.  This is huge and great.  We also know that he took them to Himself, tenderly, to protect them.  This is smaller, more tender.  But now, look at another contrast.  He mentions to them that he has brought them to Himself, and in the same sentence, he says that He owns them as His special people, and then, “for all the earth is mine.”

They were His.  The world is His.  There is contrast.  He seems to go from close/personal on to the outreach of his arm over the entire Earth.  He speaks of drawing them close and that they are His above all others.  They can be His, in part, because the entire entity of the Planet Earth is His to own.  Personal, intimate God:  God who orchestrates the big picture.

It is the same for us.  He desires very greatly to draw us close.  When He is rescuing us from our trespasses, this drawing-close can mean something most special.  We as the failures that we often are in His sight, know how this feels on our end of things:  Most wonderful, to be taken back and held close.  And to be included in the same thought as the entire Earth being His – well, we just want to praise Him and say, “Thank You, Lord.”  We want this huge inclusion!

Lord, we can’t really understand all about this, and because that is a sign of your greatness, we really don’t ask to understand it here on this Earth.  Some day in Heaven, we’ll understand.  But for now, dear Lord, we just praise You that you think so much of us to claim us as Yours, as part of everything you own – which is everything.  We are so privileged, Lord, to know you in this way and to be thought of at all.  Please let women who are making choices about pregnancy know that you feel this way about us and want to include them in Your plans for Planet Earth and Your ownership of it.

Topics:  Pray for God to reveal through pro-life efforts how much He loves this world and wants to pull all of us into His endless love.
Community leaders

Perhaps we should take a closer look at the last sentence in this scripture, this word from God from Mt. Sinai.  God has already told Moses to tell the Israelites camped up close to the mountain that he has brought them out of Egypt and to Himself.  In this last sentence of scripture, he tells them they must hear his voice and keep His covenant, and they will be his “peculiar” possession above all people.  This might be thought of as special or distinctive. 

But first they have to listen.  “Oh.”  “Ok.”  Now that’s not such a demanding activity to meet.  All we have to do is listen to the voice of God.  Not so difficult.

But there’s more.  They are also, in God’s words, to “keep My covenant.” Now that is a bit more demanding.  Oh, yes, the keeping of covenants is entirely more demanding.  But here it is commanded that this one must be kept.

Why do we sometimes rail against being told to keep faithful to something, to a covenant?  What is it about us that doesn’t want to be tied down to something, to have something required of us?  We all know that it is our stubborn self-will.  Not that our wills are of no value – it is our wills that allow us to do the “things we will,” to accomplish things, to choose a pathway and walk it.  But when we get stubborn, especially against God, our wills can definitely get in the way.  In a big way.

God knows this.  He knew it about the Israelites before they ever set out on their journey to the Promised Land.  He knew they would run hot and cold toward Him, repenting and then sliding away from Him over and over.  And here, when He first speaks to them from Sinai, this subject is brought up, right in front.

What He says is great, though.  He is just telling his children (and Christians are His children also) that they will be His in a wonderfully unique and special way.  But they must listen and follow His ways. 

We, too, although not under the law of Moses, must do the same.  There is no greater happiness than when Christians are following their Lord’s directives and walking through life as cherished special persons.  It is a thing of joy.

And so, Lord, we ask you to help us keep your covenant with us, your law of love.  Help us to play it out as we serve those in pro-life work and in the lives of those who need help with LIFE issues.  Although we know that You forgive us when we stray, help us to be faithful children who enjoy Your presence in special ways because we have been willing to keep Your law and will.

Topics:  Pray for wisdom to keep God’s covenants and to thus remain very close to Him because we are keeping our lives in line with His will.
Community Impact teams in churches

In this Douay-Rheims older translation of the Bible, I like the wording about where the Children of Israel camped when they came to Mt. Sinai.  Other versions say they camped before, or in front of, the mountain.  But this translation words it, “over against the mountain.”

Why do I like this particular wording?  Here’s what it might be:  Israel “snuggled up” to God.

Oh, I know this seems a bit poeticized, but in a real sense, it may also be at least a bit accurate.  Why?  Mount Sinai was used by God greatly to speak to the Israelites, through Moses and in a show of fiery smoke, thunder and lightning, along with a trumpet blast, to the people watching the mountain when God spoke to Moses.  Of course, when the people were pitching their tents for camping, they didn’t know all of what would go on from this mountain.  But still, perhaps the mountain in some way afforded protection in the way they were over against it.  Picture it as up against it. 

God made mountains; he used this particular mountain to further His plans for Planet Earth; he allows us to have a mountain of protection in our lives:  Him.  Try to envision it:  God, our Mountain of strength, waiting for us to come and come up against it (Him) for all types of interactions and protections.  Envision us as camping close, over against Him, close-up.  We can feel the solidity of the mountain’s foundation.  We can look up to the towering thing that is the mountain.  We can know that in our lives, God’s mountain of love transcends all earthly means of protection or stability. 

Lord, we so often do not want to nestle up to you, our Strength.  We want to camp a bit farther out, in the far-out foothills or on the plains.  But the Israelites found themselves camped right on your doorstep, so to speak; and then they received messages from You, close-up.  Help us to camp close to you and so be effective in sending out your messages to all who seek to know your will, especially in pro-life issues.

Topics:  Pray for the willingness to camp up close and personal to God, so that He can protect and bless greatly.
Our nation’s churches – God knows their existence and will bless.

A larger meaning of this scripture, other than concerning God’s divine transportation of us as on eagles’ wings, has to do with His dealings with the Egyptians prior to the release of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.  When they approach Mount Sinai, that mountain so prominent in God’s plans, God calls to Moses and speaks to him about the exodus: and the words of this scripture are what He tells Moses –  they have to do with his care of the Israelites and their being drawn to God by Him, Himself. 

Would these words have been predicted by anyone?  If someone had predicted, would they have perhaps said that God would have presented Himself as “larger,” to have brought attention to all of His plagues used against the Egyptians, perhaps presenting the litany of them one by one?

But no.  He likens Himself to an eagle, carrying the Israelites safely; and He presents Himself as loving, them, drawing them near.

“In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.”  (KJV)

Our God is a God of many dimensions (All dimensions!).  Here his power and his loving care are presented together, from the words of His mouth.  We can’t comprehend it, but it certainly is wonderful.  We are taken care of, loved; we are protected by a Mighty Hand.

Lord, help us to live our lives beautifully before You, knowing that you actually describe Yourself with power and with tenderness.  We ask that you show these characteristics of Yourself to families in the throes of LIFE situations, those old or young, continually and with Your graciousness.

Topics:  Pray for all struggling with LIFE decisions to know God’s power and love.
The United States army, for leadership to believe in created LIFE. 

Sometimes words just seem to fly off of your Bible page and into your consciousness.  The metaphor of God bearing us on the wings of eagles, as these noble birds do when teaching their young to fly, is powerful.  We can just feel God’s strong wings carrying us in the heights, up and down.  We have never a fear.  (I see, amusedly, that the use of the word “fly” when speaking of the words in our Bibles, fits quite well with the words about eagles!)

But there is more here, something close and personal.  We are told that God not only carries us, He brings us in unto Himself.  He takes our weight onto His holy wings.  And He also brings us to Himself.  He carries us; He holds us close.  He’s mighty; he’s tender. 

In carrying us, we see his majesty and power, his strength.  In bringing us in close, we see his nurture and care.  Those wings of strength surely must fold around us, holding us secure in the warmth of God’s arms.  The really astounding thing about this scripture is that God himself says he brings us to “Myself.”  What other relationship could ever offer as great a protection and love as this?  None.  Ever.  We are brought in close; we are important in this way, to our God.

Lord, help us to know that you want to bring us in to Yourself, and help us to realize that you want to do the same with every individual on Earth, even those who are preborn.  Help us to picture ourselves, as well as them, safe in your arms, those arms like wings that hold us up as we fly, and then bring us in for fellowship with and protection from, You.

Topics:  Pray to understand how much God loves us and wants to carry us and to protect us, just as He does unwed mothers and babies that are a surprise to their families.
The United States Air Force and the attitudes toward LIFE that the members carry with them

Pray as you are led directly from God or from postings on prolifeunity.com and the Prayer Pivot for Life.  Choose as led, any or all topics, events, groups, organizations, states, Pro-Life Action Calls, Prayer Action Calls, Peter and Patrizia Shinn and more.  With information about what is going on “out there,” we can pray more knowledgeably and with focus.  God hears from Heaven.  He moves valiantly in Heaven and on Earth.

2 Chronicles 7:14
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  RSV
[Scripture quotations are from] Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.  (Read this scripture and more at http://prayerpivot.com).