Devotions @ 3 on 9-19-18

3 a.m. prayer:
Most gracious heavenly Father,
Proverbs continues with contrasts between right and wrong! WHAT IS RIGHT; WHAT IS WRONG? Show Humility; Be Submissive to God and Man! “When pride comes (arrogant attitude of self-importance) then comes dishonor (emptiness and shame), but with the humble (those who are teachable and have gone through trials and have learned to walk humbly with God) is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). (First, pride, then a fall; then comes shame connected with the fall. But to the humble and down-to-earth the danger of stumbling is greatly reduced.) A man’s pride will bring him low for it leads only to shame and disgrace, but wisdom remains with humble people.*****
//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: **> Today, @ 11:30, several in the Devotions @ 3 group plans to meet and have lunch; details are posted on the group’s Facebook page. For this gathering, we pray.
And so we begin, “Just for Today”: For all who have financial woes this day, we pray.
*>NEW Prayer Requests: *> A dear elderly lady who has been confined to a nursing home for several years is not doing well, hasn’t been eating; it appears her body is shutting down, and we pray. *>A dear grandfather is praying justice will be served in the trial of a man who stands accused of killing his infant granddaughter, and we pray.
**<PREVIOUS Prayer Requests: **Addiction:**<A dear mother prays for her son who is an alcoholic and struggling to stay sober. Presently, he has gone for 67 days without a drink, but feels it’s getting harder every day, and for one day at a time, we pray. **<Battling Cancer: **<A dear wife prays for her husband who has a rare appendix cancer, now has fluid around the lungs. The procedure to drain the fluid is very painful; this dear man is suffering beyond words, and we pray.**<Continuing to remember a dear man with progressive kidney cancer who is very fatigued, and we pray. **<We continue to lift up a dear lady who has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and we pray. **<Biblical Issues:**<After a family crisis, a dear grandmother is encouraging her son-in-law to get himself and his family back in church, and we pray.**<Chronic Pain: <** Some have overall, unexplained pain, others have pain in specific areas of their bodies, and we pray. **<Divorce is so bitter:< **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 prays for an upcoming benefit on the 29th to raise money for her dying husband, and we pray. **< Another 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 we pray. **Grieving:<A dear daughter who watched her 95 year old father die peacefully at home, has now put his remains to rest and breaths a sigh of relief her own self, and we pray. **<A dear widow is going through a rough time, is still missing her dearly beloved husband, and feels so alone, she is not wanting to do anything, and we pray.**<Health Problems: **<A dear lady has been diagnosed with severe degenerative disease which, if left untreated, can affect her arms, legs, and organs. It may very well be related to a previous mental diagnosis. She is considering a second opinion from a neurologist. Hopefully, her current doctor will be able to provide relief; she is extremely depressed and has much pain, and we pray. **<One among us suffers from chronic bouts of Irritable Bowel Syndrome; also has difficulty sleeping due to chronic nervousness and heart palpitations, and we pray. **<A dear man has been undergoing tests for his debilitating headaches; also has Type 1 diabetes and vascular dementia. Last week he had an MRI of the brain; still awaiting results, and we pray. **<A 20 year old man who has had deep muscular, skeletal problems will begin physical therapy treatment today, which is none too soon, physically the dear man is having a rough time. 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; won’t get a second opinion until he changes insurance at year end, and we pray. **< A dear lady endures much verbal abuse from her fatally ill husband who has a bad heart, and we pray. **<Homebound: **<One among us is disabled due to a previous stroke, and we pray. **Identity Crisis: **<A dear grandmother prays for her 16 year old granddaughter who is struggling with gender identity. The parents are heart broken. The grandmother has been reaching out and sharing her faith, even to her other relatives who are unchurched, and we pray. **<Infections/Injections/Injuries:**<Update:One among us continues to have much back pain, difficulty walking, and suffers from high blood pressure; is not a candidate for risky surgery at this time. She is on medications which offer little or no relief. Yesterday she had her first laser treatment (no relief yet), and laser treatments will continue twice a week. On the 25th she is scheduled for a needle injection in her back. Much of her treatment is not covered by insurance which puts a financial strain and worry on this elderly lady, and we pray. **<One among us continues to suffer from tendonitis in her left heel which is being helped by wearing a brace, and for continued healing, we pray.**<Job Market: **< One in our group has been working with a recruiter to gain suitable employment with benefits; her husband’s insurance runs out in February, 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 very hard at building their online business, and for continued success, we pray.**<Marital Crisis:**<There are at least 3 couples who are having difficulty in their marriages, and we pray. **<Marriage Plans: **<A dear couple has set a wedding date which is planned for a year away, and we pray. **<Mental Health: **>Update: An aunt prays for her 23 year old nephew who has been in treatment at a mental hospital.. A diagnosis has been made and an effective medication is available and being used to treat him; it’s helping tremendously. He is being released from the hospital today and will continue treatment with a psychiatrist, and we rejoice, and for ongoing healing, we pray. **<Update:Continuing to remember the 20-year-old young lady who was treated for major depression, and was seeing a therapist twice a week. Unfortunately, she has decided to break away from treatment and family; has begun being a stripper, and we pray. **<Pregnancy Crisis: **Update:<A dear grandmother prays for her unborn grandson, not due to be born until October 9th. Previous ultrasounds showed abnormalities in the baby’s kidneys; however, another ultrasound was done yesterday which showed much improvement, and we rejoice, and for the continued development and health of this precious, unborn baby, we pray. And for the father of this unborn baby who struggles with memories surrounding the death of his first child, we pray. **<Respiratory: <**Many are suffering with symptoms from colds, flu, and/or allergies, and we pray. **<Storm Disaster: * *<Dangerous times: While the storm rages on, the death toll climbs; flooding is still a major issue in many areas along the Eastern shoreline; the worst may be yet to come, and we pray.
**<Surgeries/Prior: **<A dear lady is healing from cataract surgery, and we pray. **<Another had successful back surgery and for continued healing, we pray. **<Remembering the two men who recently had successful knee surgeries, 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 last week; still waiting on results, and 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; she is experiencing much pain and having difficulty sleeping. She goes weekly to the wound clinic one day, and to the pain clinic the next day. 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