We begin our prayer time in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. + Amen.
“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.” Martin Luther
‘Adoration’
Psalm 27:4; “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
It’s March and we are well into the season of Lent; Easter is the last Sunday of this month. This time of the year, our brothers and sisters in Haiti are experiencing the beginning of the rainy season and because of that, many of them are experiencing annual respiratory challenges. There are many gardeners and farmers in the Artibonite, Les Cayes, Jeremie and Plateau Central agricultural areas who are giving thanks for this time of year when the Heavens open and refill their cisterns and replenish the ground moisture; ain’t God good? Much of our moisture came in the form of snow. Our God is indeed good and while we consider all of His majesty, we need to place at the top of our list of wonders the fact that He has forgiven our sins through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
A time of ‘Adoration’ to our Heavenly Father.
· Please take time to sit and consider how our Triune God comes to us through His ‘WORD’ every day and how He has impacted your life.
· Think about the provisions, protection and love that surround you because of His unfailing love for you.
· Give thanks for where God has placed you and the gifts that you were given to use for Him along your journey.
‘Confession’
Psalm 51; “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.”
We were born, sinful and unclean, through no fault of our own, but because of the sins of our parents, grandparents…Adam and Eve.
God sent His only Son to die for our sins. Jesus did everything right while he was here on this earth. He loves you with a love that cannot be measured. He gave to the world when no thanks were returned to Him. He healed when there was no hope, and He died without complaint. Jesus did nothing wrong and everything right; all this for you. He lived for you and died for you. Our sins nailed Him to the cross on Calvary and kept Him there until His life on earth had ended.
· A time of personal confession.
Our sins are placed at the base of the cross...His cross, and we give thanks that the times we have fallen short in the eyes of our Heavenly Father have been washed clean and we have been forgiven through the Blood of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ.
‘Thanksgiving’
While we in the Midwest are thankful for the rain and wet snow, our brothers and sisters living in Haiti are thankful for the lapli (rain) that comes in March. School children walking to school on dirt roads bring their umbrellas and ponchos to protect them and their homework from the moisture. We are thankful for the safety our Heavenly Father brings to these children from the vodou priest, the gangs and cholera.
1 Corinthians 11:23-25; “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way after supper, he took the cup saying, “This is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Now may this true body and blood of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen and keep you in the true faith until life everlasting. Amen.”
Heavenly Father, we come to You now with hearts, minds and words filled with ‘Thanksgiving’.”
· We give thanks for our Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit.
· We give thanks for having a Savior who gave His life for our sinfulness; “your sins are forgiven”.
· We give thanks our providence; monetary, food, clothing, moisture and shelter. As we give of our first fruits may we also give a portion of our best to His children in Haiti who need the assistance we can provide.
· We give You thanks for the Haitian school children who are not only the prime purpose of Trinity HOPE but also Your missionaries for the future generations in Haiti who bring the true message of the season of Lent to lives who have never known.
· We give You thanks for the work that is being accomplished by the Haitian parents, teachers, school principals and Feeding Program Directors who are shaping the lives of young Haitian children this school year.
· We give You thanks for the directions for our Board of Directors. May their diligence feed more children and prepare more missionaries.
‘Supplications’
The timely rains that come from Our Triune God are so appreciated by people living in Haiti as it benefits their gardens and crops and the promise of more food on the table and at the local market. With the additional moisture comes mud into the schools with dirt floors and more laundry for mom. More time and energy will be needed to gather another bucket of water from the cistern, neighborhood well or stream to hand scrub shoes and socks so their children will appear respectable when they walk to school and begin another day of learning. The timely rains in Haiti do not prohibit the gangs from doing their evil deeds. Blocking streets to prevent parents from picking up their children from school. Burning tires in intersections to prevent the flow of commerce. Exchanging gunfire with police in their neighborhoods bringing fear into the lives of their families and also fear of losing their homes and personal items. Too often we fail to understand how blessed we are with our daily blessings and need to stop and consider what the parents of these young Haitian missionaries are going through to prepare their sons and daughters who are living in challenging and dangerous times; taking His Light into the darkness of their neighborhoods.
Romans 8:26-28; “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Heavenly Father, we bring our supplications before You;
· Heavenly Father, please continue to lead and bless Trinity HOPE feeding programs with Your loving hand; may the number of children increase and may we always strive to accomplish Your will.
· Lord, may ample rainfall quench their gardens and crops.
· Heavenly Father, continue to protect Your children and their families living in Haiti from the evil of vodou and neighborhood gangs.
· Father, may Your Holy Spirit bring an end to the evil spirits that are bringing waves of evil challenges into the lives of Your children and impacting their schools and feeding programs. Protect and bring a Faith filled measure of courage into Your people; school children, their parents, cooks, teachers, principals, feeding program directors, pastors and Trinity HOPE donors and administrators.
· Lord, prevent the spread of cholera in Haiti.
· Lord, bring leaders who worship You, seek Your directions and follow them, into Haitian government and our government as well.
· Father, please be in the midst of the planning sessions between Haiti, the United Nations and the police from Kenya to help Haiti address the challenges with gangs that torment their country. May they help Haiti to bring an end to this evil chaos.
Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You sent it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:11-14; “Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints send their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.” Martin Luther
May God go before you to guide you; may His arms be beneath you to support you, around you to protect you and above you to bless you. And may the blessings of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always dear sister and brother in Christ,
In His love, Jay Brinkmeyer