Devotions @ 3 on 10-19-18

3 a.m. prayer:

Most gracious heavenly Father,

Proverbs continues to compare righteous and wicked lives. GOD KNOWS the ACTIONS of MEN! His favor can make all the difference in the world in a man’s life. “A good man will obtain favor from the Lord, but He will condemn a man who devises evil” (Proverbs 12:2). (A moral, ethical person can be sure of the Lord’s favor. A man of wicked intentions can be equally sure of His condemnation.) Your choices today will either be good in His sight, or they will be wicked. The New Testament says, “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you” (James 4:10). “For, the one who desires life, to love, and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1Peter 3:10-12). To love life and see good days: Do not be a fool! Be good; and do good! *****

//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 any man who may be experiencing a marriage dilemma or conflict with his wife this day, consider this: “Women respond well to a loving and gentle touch; a calm and reasonable voice, one that is not argumentative, never impatient, not arrogant or unbearable…and if all those things are in place a resolution is bound to happen. Women need to know that their opinions matter, too. One way in which a man can provide for his wife is to really listen to her, not with ears, but with the heart. A man who listens in such a way will be guided with wisdom from Above. A woman’s language and communication is at it’s best when the man in her life shows tenderness at every crossroad.” (Author, Kittye Sharron) And, we pray.
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*>NEW Prayer Requests: *>A dear man asks us to remember a 20+ year old man who is in a drug treatment program. Hopefully, he will be able to get himself into a church group with people his own age, and we pray. *>A young girl received a concussion during a sporting event at school on Wednesday night, and we pray.*>A dear man is having issues with his wife in deciding what to do about his current job situation; therein exists some unspoken needs, and we pray.*>A stepmother prays for her stepdaughter who has been diagnosed with stage 4 liver fibrosis and may need a transplant, and we pray. *>A dear widow is having car trouble and needs to have it repaired at a reasonable cost by a qualified mechanic, and we pray.
**<PREVIOUS Prayer Requests: <**Addiction: ** <A dear lady is trying to quit smoking, and we pray. **>A dear mother prays for her son who is an alcoholic, struggling to stay sober; he is also battling drug dependency, and we pray. **Aging:**>A friend prays for a friend’s 90 year old mother who recently sold her house and will be moving to a temporary unit on October 27th; she is hopeful to be in her permanent apartment before Christmas, and we pray.**<A dear lady prays for her daughter-in-law’s aged grandfather who is under Hospice care. Praying, too, for his devoted wife of 60+ years, and we pray. **<Battling Cancer:< **Update:A dear 32 year old, mother of three, whose colon cancer is in remission, now is suffering with pneumonia. After almost 2 weeks, she is still very tired, weak, and has a cough, but is healing. She is gaining strength and stamina; is able to do more and more each day, and so we rejoice, and for continued healing, we pray. **<A dear wife continues to pray for her husband who has a rare, aggressive cancer (appendiceal adenocarcinoma), who is suffering beyond words. The cancer has now spread to his lungs. He is trying to stay hydrated; and for his peace, comfort, rest, safety, and protection, we pray. **>Update:>Continuing to remember a dear man who suffers with progressive kidney cancer. He was to start clinical trials at the end of the month; however he recently received word that, because of heart damage, he is not eligible to have the clinical trials at this time; maybe in another 6 months. Now, he will once again consult with his oncologist to explore other options. The man and his wife are planning to leave today on a trip to visit their son, and we pray. **<We continue to lift up a dear lady who has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and we pray. **Biopsy/Testing Results:<A son-in-law prays for his mother-in-law who is awaiting results from a biopsy which was done on the 9th when her gallbladder was removed, and we pray. **Caregivers:**<A dear lady holds down a full time job and has to rearrange her work schedule, including travel plans, in order to help her aged parents. Wednesday she spent in the hospital waiting room as her mother was undergoing a very serious surgery. Her father also has medical needs which often requires the dear lady’s presence, and we pray.**<Chronic Pain: <**Some have overall, unexplained pain, others have pain in specific areas of their bodies, and we pray. **<A sister prays for her sister who gets little or no relief from medications for her chronic pain; and her doctor thinks it’s all in her head (how sad; I’ve heard that comment before!), 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 lonesome and prone to drinking excessively; there have been no changes, and we pray. **<Family Affairs: **< A dear mother is experiencing problems with jealousy issues between her two adult daughters, and we pray. **Financial +:**<Continuing to remember the elderly couple whose life-savings account is in jeopardy, they have ongoing problems with dementia; efforts are being made to help them handle their finances which is becoming extremely difficult due to the progressive dementia, and we pray. **Grieving:***<A dear lady and her sister are laying their dearly departed, beloved brother, in his grave this day, and as they grieve, we pray.**>A young wife, who buried her infant son less than a year ago, is now grieving the death of her 26 year old husband who was killed in an automobile accident. The funeral is today, and we pray.**>Although much time has passed, a dear widow continues to grieve; she is still missing her dearly beloved husband, and feels very alone, has no ambition. She continues to have good and not so good days, but has recently begun attending a new bible study, is really enjoying it, and for this dear one’s continued joy, we pray. **<Health Issues/Problems: **<A dear lady asks prayer for her brother’s granddaughter who recently gave birth. She is still in the hospital undergoing many tests due to high blood pressure and low pulse rate, and we pray.**>An aunt prays for her niece who has experienced problems with high blood pressure. It has gone down, but continues to occasionally spike, so now a monitor is being used to determine if anything is going on with her heart. She is also having bad headaches, and we pray.**>Update:A dear lady has an appointment to have genetic testing on October 30th. Her father, too, will be seeing his primary doctor for a referral to the same genetic testing center. They want to find out if they have inherited the rare gene, linked to cancer and numerous conditions, which runs rampant in their family, and we pray. **<In that same extended family, two brothers await the results of their genetic testing to find out whether or not they have inherited the same mutated gene. It’s a lengthy process, and we pray.**<A dear lady prays for others but has multiple health issues herself, and we pray. **<A dear lady who was recently diagnosed with severe degenerative disease, has also been having leg cramps. She will soon be starting physical therapy and aquatic therapy. She is off the strong medication that she was on, and has a much clearer mind. She is involved in a small group at her church and has a very good rapport with the leader, and is hopeful to receive further counseling. She has a sleep study on October 29th, and an appointment with a nerve doctor/orthopedic surgeon on November 5th, and we pray. **<Among us is a grieving widow who continues to suffer from loneliness and chronic bouts of Diverticulitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and has difficulty sleeping, and we pray. **<Heart Related +: **<A dear lady prays for her aged father who has an implanted defibrillator. Recent reports show that several times his heart is getting shocked back into rhythm. He is scheduled for a chemical stress test on Tuesday, October 23rd, and we pray. **>Update:>A wife continues to pray for her dear 80 year old husband who has only 25% heart function. He had a nuclear stress test on Tuesday to determine the best medical treatment. The doctor saw something on the lower part of the heart and the dear man is scheduled for a heart catherization on Thursday, October 25th, and we pray. **>UPDATE NEEDED:>A dear lady has been diagnosed with some heart abnormalities, and is facing more testing to determine if there are any blockages. Two weeks ago she had more testing and is awaiting results. Her doctor has also ordered a sleep apnea test. Furthermore, she will be seeing an orthopedic specialist on November 5th about her shoulder pain and immobility in her right arm, and we pray.**>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. **<Hurricane:<**Remembering those who are suffering the effects of the recent hurricane, and we pray. **<Identity Crisis: **>A dear grandmother prays for her 16 year old granddaughter who is struggling with gender identity. The grandmother is prayerful that her granddaughter’s parents would begin applying tough love instead of giving in and enabling the young lady to make bad choices. Hopefully, a weekly, Wednesday, Bible study group will help to bring restoration and togetherness of these hurting hearts, and we pray. **<Infections/Injections/Injuries: **<One among us is suffering with a rash on her arms and chin from poison ivy, and we pray.**>A dear man continues to pray for his 84 year old friend and neighbor who took a bad fall fell a few weeks ago when he suffered paralysis in his right leg and was hospitalized. He is now at home, and is much better than he was, but is having to adjust to some changes. Now must use a walker, is moving very slowly, and for continued healing, we pray.**<An elderly woman who has many health problems asks prayer for her ‘whole body’, and we pray. **>Update:>One among us continues to have much back pain, difficulty walking, suffers from high blood pressure, but is not a candidate for risky surgery. Her only relief is through medications, physical therapy, and laser treatments twice a week. She has her last laser treatment today. Much of her treatment is not covered by insurance which puts a financial strain and adds more worry on this dear lady, and we pray. **Life’s Needs: **<A dear man asks others to pray for his forgiveness and guidance as he strives to transform into a better person, and we pray.**<A dear grandmother prays for strength and wisdom for her grandchildren, and we pray.**<A dear lady who has been caring for her sick husband, now requests prayer for her own rest, peace and strength, and we pray. **<Life’s Problems: **<A teenage boy is struggling with stress at home because of his father’s anger issues, which are also, adversely, affecting his mother and his girlfriend, and we pray.**<One among us has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and has been put on medication. She manages to hold down a full time job with long hours, has a heavy workload, but it’s really taking a toll on her, she is suffering from fatigue and mental stress, and we pray.**<A dear lady is having difficulties working with an online group, and we pray. **<Making Progress: **> The dear couple who stepped out on faith, to ‘begin again’ continues in remodeling their newly acquired older home. They have also been working hard to build up their online business. Sales are expected to increase over the next two months, which will keep them very busy, and for continued success, we pray. **<Marital Crisis:**> There are at least 6 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. **<Mental Health+: **>Update:Even though she hasn’t seen or talked to her granddaughter lately, she is hoping to see her sometime next week, The dear grandmother continues to pray for her 20 year old granddaughter who has had mental problems and works at a strip club. The grandmother is a believer and is trying to build a better relationship with her granddaughter, to hopefully influence her, and for continued communication between the two, we pray. >Also the grandmother asks prayer for the young lady’s parents who are involved in a cult, and we pray. **<Respiratory: **<Many are suffering with symptoms from colds, flu, and/or allergies, and we pray.
**<Surgeries/Prior: **<Several months ago we prayed for a dear man who had surgery to remove benign growths from his tongue. Recently, the growths came back, this time deeper under his tongue. Tuesday they were surgically removed and he has more stitches than the last time requiring him to be off work all of next week. He is awaiting results from the biopsy, and we pray. **>Update:>Continuing to remember the elderly lady who battles numerous health problems. Thankful for success on Wednesday when she underwent a 7 hour, Bi-femoral artery bypass, surgery, and now has blood flow to both feet, which saved her from having an amputation of the leg. Healing hurts, and the dear lady is beginning to feel like a pin cushion with all the needle pokes; also there have been problems with her IV port having to be changed out frequently, and for continued healing, we pray. **> A dear 49 year old woman is scheduled for a total hysterectomy on October 31st. She is expected to be off work for 3-8 weeks, and we pray. **<Continuing to remember the dear man who had a 4th surgery on his eye, and for continued healing, we pray.**<Remembering the dear man who had knee surgery on September 11th, remaining hopeful physical therapy will help, and for continued healing, we pray.
**<Surgeries/Upcoming: **<A dear lady prays for her brother-in-law who has an infection in his leg and will need surgery, 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.**>A truck driver will be covering his route alone this week and next; his co-driver is off work due to a recent surgery, and we pray. **>A dear couple leaves today for an out of town trip to visit their son, and we pray.
For these and the many unspoken requests we pray all in Jesus name. Lord bless our homes. AMEN