Devotions @ 3 on 9-20-18

3 a.m. prayer:
Most gracious heavenly Father,
Proverbs continues with contrasts between right and wrong! GUIDED by INTEGRITY or CROOKEDNESS! “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them” (Proverbs 11:3). (The integrity of upright people will guide them on the right track. The crookedness of the unfaithful is their downfall.) The wise man strives to do right, looks for integrity in leaders, and desires it for oneself. Commit to this: Honesty! It is still the best policy. *****
//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.
And so we begin, “Just for Today”: For anyone who is struggling with a seemingly impossible task, we pray.
*>NEW Prayer Requests: *> One among us is seeing a podiatrist today for pain in her ankle; also has a toenail which needs to be removed, and we pray.
**<PREVIOUS Prayer Requests: **Addiction:**Update:<A dear mother prays for her son who is an alcoholic and struggling to stay sober. Apparently, he says he can kick the habit himself; has no interest in getting outside help. The dear mother is even more concerned now since for the last few days her son has not been returning her phone calls and hasn’t been going to work. She learned yesterday that he has a horrible sinus infection, and we pray. **<Battling Cancer: **<A dear wife prays for her husband who has a rare appendix cancer, now has fluid around the lungs; this dear man is suffering beyond words with no relief in sight, 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 lady continues to encourage 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 continues to worry 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 widow is going through a rough time, is still missing her dearly beloved husband, and feels so alone, not wanting to do anything, and we pray.**<Health Problems: **Update:<A dear lady has been diagnosed with severe degenerative disease which, if left untreated, can affect her arms, legs, and organs. She is considering a second opinion from a neurologist. Hopefully, her chiropractor will be able to provide relief; she is extremely depressed and has much pain. She and her husband were to consult yesterday with her doctor, and we pray. **<Update: Among us is a grieving widow who suffers from loneliness and chronic bouts of Irritable Bowel Syndrome; also has difficulty sleeping due to chronic nervousness and heart palpitations. All her friends live out of state, she goes through every day alone, and is striving to get back her joy. She is enrolled in an upcoming, online class to help her, and we pray. **<Update: A dear man with Type 1 diabetes and vascular dementia has been undergoing tests for his debilitating headaches. A previous MRI revealed some blocked sinuses. Another MRI is being done today to check the back of his head, neck and upper spine. The doctors have not yet determined the cause of his severe headaches, and we pray. **Update:<A 20 year old man who has had deep muscular, skeletal problems started his physical therapy treatment yesterday, which only gave him partial relief; he will have another treatment today. He has also been experiencing debilitating pain in the chest, left arm and leg; has an appointment to see a cardiologist on October 3rd to find out whether any of his symptoms are related to his heart. 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, and we pray. **<Infections/Injections/Injuries:**< One among us continues to have much back pain, difficulty walking, and suffers from high blood pressure. She is not a candidate for surgery at this time; can only use medications which offer little or no relief. She has begun receiving laser treatments 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. **<Justice for all:*<Update: A dear grandfather prayed justice would be served in the trial of a man accused of killing his infant granddaughter 2 years ago. Yesterday the accused was found guilty of 2nd degree child abuse and manslaughter. Sentencing is scheduled for next month. For peace and closure for the dear family, 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: **>Continuing to remember a 23 year old man; also a 20 year old woman who have been in treatment at a mental hospital, and we pray.**<Pregnancy Crisis: **<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 which showed much improvement, 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: 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