Devotions @ 3 on 9-22-18

3 a.m. prayer:
Most gracious heavenly Father,
Continuing in Proverbs, comparing right and wrong. WALK STRAIGHT or CROOKED! “The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness” (Proverbs 11:5). (The blameless man is directed by righteousness, the ideal guide. The wicked man will fall, a victim of his own wickedness.) The blameless man is not faultless, but has an upright standing with God, and is perfect in Christ. The wicked are evil-doers who have chosen to follow a crooked walkway; they will stumble and fall into ruin and destruction, into hell and damnation, because of their own sinful ways.  *****
//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 has a loved one who is going down the wrong path, we pray.
*>NEW Prayer Requests: *>A family and friends are mourning the death of a dear, Christian lady who entered into glory on Thursday. As the family prepares for end of life arrangements, we pray.  *> A dear grandmother is experiencing problems with jealousy issues between her two adult daughters, and we pray. *> A dear lady has been diagnosed with some heart abnormalities; she is facing more testing in a couple of weeks, and we pray.
**<PREVIOUS Prayer Requests: **Addiction:<A dear mother prays for her son who is an alcoholic and struggling to stay sober, 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. **<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. **< Continuing to remember the elderly couple whose life-savings account is in jeopardy, and we pray. **Grieving:<**<A family is grieving the loss of a dear 78 year old man who died Thursday of a massive heart attack, and as they make end of life arrangements, we pray. **<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:**< A dear lady is in need of foot surgery; however, it’s delayed because of the pain she is experiencing in her hip. Recent x-rays show bursitis and arthritis, and we pray. **<A dear lady who has been recently diagnosed with severe degenerative disease had more x-rays and advanced blood tests. She is being referred to a doctor who specializes in the study of nerves. Also, she will be having a sleep study, and we pray. **< Among us is a grieving widow who continues to suffer from loneliness and chronic bouts of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and has difficulty sleeping, and we pray. **<NEED AN UPDATE: A dear man with Type 1 diabetes and vascular dementia has been undergoing tests for his debilitating headaches; awaiting results of recent MRIs, and we pray. **<NEED AN UPDATE: <A 20 year old man who has had deep muscular, skeletal problems has been having physical therapy treatments and other testing. He also has an infection in his intestines, will need an expensive antibiotic. He had a colonoscopy yesterday; awaiting results. 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, 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. Her only relief is through medications. 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. **<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; also they are working hard to build up 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 a year away, and we pray. **Memorial: <A family is having a memorial/picnic gathering tomorrow to pay tribute to a dear 86 year old uncle/grandfather who passed away a couple of weeks ago, and we pray. **<Mental Health: **< Continuing to remember a 23 year old man who is at home after being treated for mental disturbances, and for continued healing, we pray.**<A  20 year old woman who had been in treatment at a mental hospital is out on her own but, not making good choices, 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, now showing NORMAL 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:**<Storms are now occurring across the Midwest, and we pray. **<Due to recent storm/hurricane, flooding is still a major issue in many areas along the Eastern shoreline; cleanup is underway, and we pray.
**<Surgeries/Prior: **<One is healing from cataract surgery, another from back surgery, two had knee surgeries, and for continued healing, we pray.
**<Surgeries/Upcoming: **<NEED AN UPDATE: 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, and we pray. **<A dear sister prays for her brother who is scheduled for cataract surgery in October, and we pray. **<Update: Continuing to remember the elderly lady who is battling health problems, has blocked arteries, and an open wound on her heel. She recently tripped, fell, and scraped her legs while walking up the steps; the daughter is concerned about another injury to her extremities, as well as the pain and agony she already endures. 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