#watson twins

[kingofthewebxxx]

Since my inbox seems to be clearing itself, this is the response to the aesthetic meme, hope you enjoy!

@watson-twins

[golivebyfaith]

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” –Psalm 9:9

If there was ever a nation that understood what it means to be a refuge for the oppressed, it ought to be the United States. The inscription from Emma Lazarus on the base of the Statue of Liberty has meant far more than words to millions. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

As a nation, by and large, composed of immigrants and their descendants, many of whom were fleeing persecution or oppression in their own nations, we have been a land of refuge. The United States truly has been a stronghold in times of trouble for many.

Though this is a proud heritage and a significant part of who we are as a nation, we have always served as a refuge imperfectly. Some groups were more welcome than others. Some arrived and wondered if they were, in fact, better off here. We still struggle with what it means to open our national doors to others.

The good news is that the Lord is a perfect refuge, a perfect stronghold in times of trouble. He is a refuge, not only for individuals, but for a nation as well. When a nation turns to God, He will be a refuge for them. In the midst of the chaos of current events, whether it is financial collapse, terrorism, vandalism, or war, how comforting to know that God wants to be a stronghold for our nation.

Prayer Points

Ask the Lord to turn the hearts of the citizens and leaders of the United States to Himself.

Invite the Lord to be your refuge and your stronghold.

Pray that our nation will increasingly see that God is our only refuge in the midst of the troubles of this world.

My Prayer

Father, I am so grateful that You are my refuge and stronghold. I come to You today longing more and more to experience Your Presence and to rest in Who You are. Show me more of what it means for You to be my refuge in the midst of the storms of this life.

What I ask for myself, I also ask for my nation. Help us not to trust in our finances, our technology, or our military might. Lord, You are our refuge, our stronghold in times of trouble. We come running to You, Lord! Forgive us of our self-sufficient spirit. We need You, Lord.

Author of the Watson Twins

and Gaius the Centurion mysteries

[musicallymaniacal]

Mood. Been beat up and battered 'round Been sent up, and I've been shot down You're the best thing that I've ever found Handle me with care Reputations changeable Situations tolerable Baby, you're adorable Handle me with care I'm so tired of being lonely I still have some love to give Won't you show me that you really care Everybody's got somebody to lean on Put your body next to mine, and dream on

[unmannedmissiontothemoon-blog]

but i still believe and i will rise up with fists (rise up with fists) and i will take what’s mine (mine, mine, mine) there but for the grace of god go i

[golivebyfaith]

“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you.” –Proverbs 4:6

Proudly watching over New York Harbor and the nation, stands the majestic Statue of Liberty. Liberty is portrayed in this statue and elsewhere as a lady. Such a precious commodity as liberty is rightly given human attributes. It is fascinating that the book of Proverbs does a similar thing with wisdom. Wisdom too, is called a lady, and is portrayed with human characteristics.

In the above passage from Proverbs, Lady Wisdom promises to protect and watch over us. It is a promise given with a condition. We must first choose to love wisdom and not forsake her. Thus embraced, wisdom will bring protection and watchcare over a people.

Biblically speaking, wisdom is looking at things from God’s perspective and making the right choices based on that perspective. How critical it is for a nation that wants to experience God’s protection to love and embrace wisdom! As the United States increasingly accepts a secular mindset and rejects divine revelation as a basis for our laws, we move farther away from the protection offered by wisdom.

Prayer Points

Thank God for the gift of wisdom, and for the ability to see things from His perspective as we turn to His Word.

Repent on behalf of our nation, because we have turned from making Scripture the basis of law, leaving behind wisdom, and looking to ourselves for truth.

Cry out to the Lord, asking for godly wisdom to be loved and embraced once again by this nation.

My Prayer

I thank You, Lord, that You are a God of wisdom and revelation. You do not hide wisdom from us, but rather have told us that we only need to ask and You will freely give it. So, Father, we ask You for wisdom this day. We embrace the wisdom from above that allows us to see matters from Your perspective.

What we ask for ourselves personally, we also ask for our nation. Forgive us, Lord, for turning from Your ways and the wisdom that is Your Word.

Our country has sought wisdom and direction from polls and surveys and other nations rather than looking to You. We have called Your wisdom “myth” and have called that which is foolishness “wisdom.”

Author of the Watson Twins

and Gaius the Centurion mysteries

[golivebyfaith]

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” –Proverbs 1:7

This well-known passage of Scripture is typically used for individuals, and rightly so. The principle, however, can be applied to a whole nation. If a nation is characterized by the fear of the Lord in its dealings, both internally and internationally, it will be a nation known for wisdom and not foolishness.

A wise nation takes into account the Word of God as it makes laws. Even a cursory reading of the history of the founding of the United States demonstrates that our founding fathers seriously endeavored to base our nation's laws on their strong Judeo-Christian beliefs.

Secularists today often counter that many of those men were, in fact, Deists, and not strong Christians. Their own beliefs aside, our Founders, almost to a man, insisted that laws were based on divine revelation and not on human wisdom alone. Even as strong a secularist as Thomas Jefferson said powerfully,

“And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep for ever.” (Paul Leicester Ford, ed., The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, 10 vols., Notes on the State of Virginia (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1892-99), Query XVIII, 4:232.)

A significant shift has taken place in American political and cultural thought over the past fifty years, replacing God’s Word as the source of morality, ethics, and law, with the rule of polls and surveys. This is exactly what Proverbs warns us against. A nation that rejects the Word of God as the basis for right and wrong has become a foolish nation that despises wisdom and rejects discipline.

Prayer Points

Pray that the United States will repent of its corporate rejection of the Word of God as the basis of law.

Pray that a holy fear of God will sweep across our nation, leading us back to a place of wisdom.

Pray that courage born of wisdom will be given to Christians in places of leadership in government, the courts, and law schools across the nation so that they will stand for a godly basis for law.

My Prayer

Father, I give You thanks for the godly foundation of my nation. Thank You for instilling the fear of the Lord into our Founders, so that our laws were based on Your Word. Imperfect though they were, the original documents of government for the United States made a real effort to reflect Your will and Your truth.

Forgive us for drifting from Your ways. We have turned from the fear of God to the fear of man. Our laws change with the shifting winds of human opinion. We have embraced foolishness and rejected Your discipline. We confess our desperate need for Your truth once again to become the foundation for our country. Pour out a hunger for truth and righteousness on everyone from preachers to professors to presidents. Raise up a standard of righteousness across this nation that honors Your Word and exalts Your name.

Author of the Watson Twins

and Gaius the Centurion mysteries

[golivebyfaith]

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” –Isaiah 40:31

The promise of renewed strength makes this a favorite Bible verse for many believers. The picture of a soaring eagle brings hope to those who are weary. Also, another soaring eagle has brought hope to many. The picture of America as a soaring eagle, proud, fast, sailing above the clouds, has captured the imagination of millions, here in our homeland and around the world.

But note that Isaiah 40:31 likens the eagle to those who hope in the Lord. Is that a picture of the United States today? It’s a question not just for our government, but for us as citizens. Where is our hope? Is it in whomever currently occupies the White House or Congress? Is it in our military or economic strength?

There is nothing sadder than a crippled eagle, one that can no longer soar. Healing, however, can come to damaged wings. It involves the redirection of hope. The American eagle can soar again when we learn as a people to place our hope in the Lord.

Prayer Points

Thank the Lord how the biblical picture of a soaring eagle fits the symbol of our nation.

Ask the Lord to help you put your hope and trust in Him alone.

Pray for our nation, that we would once again soar as an eagle as we place our trust in the Lord.

My Prayer

Father, thanks for this picture from the prophet Isaiah of an eagle soaring and how well that helps me as I pray for my nation today. Forgive us, Lord, for the pride that has often marked us a nation. That pride has caused us to put our hope in our own strength and might and not in You. Forgive us.

If we are to run and not grow weary as a nation, it will be only because we have turned back to You as our hope. Help us, Lord, to hope in You!

Author of the Watson Twins

and Gaius the Centurion mysteries

[lyriquediscorde]