Devotions @ 3 on 9-16-18

3 a.m. prayer:

Most gracious heavenly Father,

The Bible’s book of Proverbs continues: Righteous vs. Wicked Lives! One of the most important lessons of the Bible is repeated: The righteous will be blessed and the wicked will be cursed! “The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not dwell in the land” (Proverbs 10:30). (God guarantees a dwelling place to the righteous, but the wicked will be exiles and vagabonds.) Blessed lives of the righteous are men and women who fear and love God, trust and obey His Word for every decision in life, and despises and rejects false and deceitful lifestyles of the world around them. In contrast, cursed lives of the wicked are men and women who fear men and love money, trust and obey the world’s ideas, and despise and reject the wisdom of God. Oh, how many have read the repetitive warnings and truths and how few have altered their lives to please Him and obtain His blessings! What will you do with this warning? Have a blessed Sunday. *****

//Standing Prayer: Always remembering our country, for restoration, our continued peace, and freedom; we ask that You grant wisdom and guidance to those who are in authority, and we pray; and for the protection of our men and women who are on the battlefield, we pray. Lord, heal our land, we pray. There are people in other parts of the world who need protection and relief as they are surrounded by war and poverty; also in need of rescue are Christians who are being persecuted, and we pray.
**REMINDER: **> This week, Wednesday, September 19th @ 11:30, several in the Devotions @ 3 group plan to meet and have lunch; details posted on the group’s Facebook page. For this upcoming gathering, we pray.
And so we begin, “Just for Today”: For all who are facing a heavy workload this week, we pray.
*>NEW Prayer Requests: *> It’s Sunday; pastors across our land and abroad will be preaching the Gospel and we ask You to protect them and their congregations as they join together in one body to worship You, Lord, and we pray. *>Over the last few days we have watched as an enormous hurricane hit several states along the Eastern shoreline. The death toll is not yet known,  homes and businesses have been destroyed, thousands are without power, many have evacuated and are in shelters, and rescue attempts are underway for victims. Even though it has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, much damage has been done which will continue over the next several days while the storm’s damaging high force winds, tornados, rain and flooding are worsening, and we pray. **Update:<A mother and father were full of anticipation and concern as they headed back to the hospital yesterday morning to be with their pregnant daughter whose labor had been induced on Friday . Last night, they became first-time grandparents to a healthy, 6# 15 oz. baby boy, and we rejoice, and as the new parents and grandparents adjust to a new life, we pray. **Update: <A dear daughter watched her 95 year old father die peacefully at home after he was released yesterday from the hospital. During the week ahead, as the family mourns and  makes end of life arrangements, we pray. *>A dear widow is going through a rough time, still missing her dearly beloved husband, and feels so alone, not wanting to do anything, and we pray. *>A wife prays for an upcoming benefit to raise money for her dying husband, and we pray. *>A dear grandmother prays for her unborn grandson who is not due to be born until October 9th, but doctors may have to induce sooner. Recent ultrasounds show abnormalities in the baby’s kidneys. Another ultrasound is scheduled for Tuesday, the 18th, and we pray. And for the father of this unborn baby who struggles with memories surrounding the death of his first child, we pray. *>After a family crisis, another grandmother is encouraging her son-in-law to get himself and his family back in church, and we pray.
**<PREVIOUS Prayer Requests: **<Battling Cancer: **< Continuing to remember a dear man with progressive kidney cancer; he is very fatigued, and we pray. **<We continue to lift up a dear lady who has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and we pray. **<Chronic Pain: <** Some have overall, unexplained pain, others have pain in specific areas of their bodies, and we pray. **<Divorce:< **A dear grandmother continues to pray for her grandchildren who are being exposed to an immoral living arrangement, and we pray. **<Epilepsy: **< A sister worries about her 64 year old brother with epilepsy who is drinking excessively, and we pray. **< Financial +:**< A wife is worried about her husband’s mental state and how his out of control spending is affecting their overall finances, and we pray. **<Continuing to remember the elderly couple whose life-savings account is in jeopardy, and due to dementia they are continuing to make some bad financial choices; it’s difficult to get through to them, and we pray.**<Health Problems: **Update:<A dear man has been undergoing tests for his debilitating headaches; also has Type 1 diabetes and vascular dementia. Friday, he had an MRI of the brain; awaiting results, and we pray. **<A 20 year old man who has had deep muscular, skeletal problems will begin physical therapy treatment on the 19th. The cost is all out-of-pocket and adds much financial strain to the family, and we pray. **<Heart Related +:** <A sister prays for her brother who has an inoperable tumor near his aorta which doctors believe is benign, and we pray. **< A dear lady endures much verbal abuse from her fatally ill husband who has a bad heart, and we pray. **<A dear lady has difficulty sleeping due to chronic nervousness and heart palpitations, and we pray. **<Homebound: **<One among us is disabled and can’t get out much due to a previous stroke, and we pray. **Identity Crisis: **Update:<A dear grandmother prays for her 16 year old granddaughter who is struggling with gender identity. The parents are heart broken; the grandmother is reaching out and sharing her faith even to her other relatives who are unchurched, and we pray. **<Infections/Injections/Injuries:**<One among us continues to have much back pain, difficulty walking, and suffers from high blood pressure. Being that she is not a candidate for risky surgery at this time she is on medications which offer little or no relief. On the 18th she will begin laser treatments twice a week; and on the 25th is scheduled for a needle injection in her back. Much of her treatment is not covered by insurance which puts a financial strain on this elderly lady, and we pray. **<One among us continues to suffer from tendonitis in her left heel, happy to report she is being helped by the brace, and for continued healing, we pray.**<Job Market: **Update:<One in our group has been working with a job recruiter to, hopefully, gain suitable employment; she recently heard of a job close to home and is waiting to hear back this week from a supervisor; hopefully it will be a job with benefits, and we pray. **<Making Progress: **<The dear couple who stepped out on faith several months ago, to ‘begin again’ are continuing in remodeling their newly acquired older home. They are working hard at building their online business which has picked up some, and for continued success, we pray.**<Marital Crisis:**<There are at least 3 couples who are having difficulty in their marriages, and we pray.**<Mental Health: **>An aunt prays for her 23 year old nephew who continues to be in treatment at a mental hospital, and has been undergoing some serious testing and evaluation. The parents are having a difficult time watching their son adjust to the 30-day treatment program, and we pray. **<Continuing to remember the 20-year-old young lady who was treated for major depression, now seeing a therapist twice a week, and we pray. **<Respiratory: <**Several in our group have loved ones in their family who continue to suffer with symptoms from colds, flu, and/or allergies, and we pray.
**<Surgeries/Prior: **<A dear lady had her 2nd cataract surgery on Thursday, and for continued healing, we pray. **>An aunt continues to pray for her niece who is home now and doing well after a successful back surgery on Wednesday; and for continued healing, we pray. **<Continuing to remember a dear man who had successful knee surgery on Tuesday, and for continued healing, we pray. **<Continuing to remember the lady who had a hysterectomy a little over a week ago, and for continued healing, we pray. ** <Continuing to remember another dear man who had knee replacement surgery a little over a week ago, and for continued healing, we pray.
**<Surgeries/Upcoming: **<A dear wife prays for her husband who has many health issues, and is still waiting for a surgery date in the removal of a cancerous growth from his nose. He had an MRI on Friday and as results unfold, we pray. **<A dear sister prays for her brother who is scheduled for cataract surgery in October, and we pray. **<Continuing to remember the elderly lady who is battling health problems, has blocked arteries, and an open wound on her heel. Surgery is scheduled on October 17th for a Bi-femoral artery bypass, and we pray. **< A dear lady suffers much pain due to bone on bone in her hip, also has severe curvature of the spine. Surgery for hip replacement is scheduled for November 28th, and we pray.
//Travel Mercies: **<>This is an ongoing prayer request for all who are on the highways and byways. Lord, we ask that You daily keep our travelers safe from harm, and we pray.
For these and the many unspoken requests we pray all in Jesus name. Lord bless our homes. AMEN