Warfare Wednesday: Giving Thanks

"If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all" Isaiah 7:9

This morning, as I sit down to pray for the President of The United States as well as other governmental leaders, I am reminded to be thankful. I am thankful, because in a few minutes, I will begin the school day with my kids, and as part of our school day, together we will recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge, which contains the words "under God", and last week, one of our courts ruled that the words were indeed, constitutional.

The 9th Circuit Court also ruled that the words "In God We Trust" remain our country's motto, and as such, can remain on our dollar bill and on our coins. Thank God for these victories! While they may seem small, they are actually rather huge, and I'm a little surprised that we have not heard more about these monumental decisions by the court. I am so thankful that these men and women ruled in favor of God. Our country was founded on Godly principles, and every single one of them should remain intact.

Yet we also need to pray fervently for our country. We need to pray for the recent actions of the House of Representatives, who passed a version of a health care bill on Sunday, which was subsequently signed by the President. While it was monumental that any agreement came out of this piece of legislation, there is still so much work to be done on it. I just pray that as the process goes on that the arguing and the fighting does not become ugly, as it's been in recent months. A country divided cannot stay strong, and we must pray that our country can come back together and unite under one banner: Under God.

I see firsthand how a divided country at the top trickles right down to the bottom. The small community I live in is facing an election in the next few weeks, and the community really seems to be divided on so many issues. Where in the past, these issues may have been worked through, it seems as if each person is mounting their horse and refusing to budge on anything. The art of compromise or even thinking outside the box to come up with a complete alternative doesn't seem to be on anyone's radar. And that's a shame, because unless we can raise up and work together as one, we will start to see that attitude trickle down even farther. Between neighbors, businesses, and even on the schoolyard.

May the God of Peace rule and reign in my community. And may He sweep through this country like a refreshing spring breeze, cleaning out the bad and filling us with goodness and compassion instead. Because we dearly need goodness and compassion.