Warfare Wednesday

"And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  Mark 16:15

Today is Wednesday! And at least I'm remembering that it's Wednesday on the right day this week!  I don't think that I need to be long and lengthy with this week's prayer reminder.  Today is the day set aside to specifically remember to pray for our government, and our leaders, and for situations around the world as the case may be.  While I continue to pray for the continued safety and protection of the Obama family, and for Godly counsel for President Obama, my eyes, ears, and heart are still solidly with the precious people of Japan.

The earthquakes there have not stopped, with aftershocks climbing well into the 6.0 range on the Richter scale. I cannot imagine what it must be like to live there... food and water is becoming more and more scarce.  People who live in a part of Japan that is unaffected by natural disaster are being affected by the nuclear crisis and the food shortage.  I know of people who are leaving the country, hoping to lower their stress load for a while- and feed their family.

The prospect of finding survivors is getting less and less as the days go by, and as I look at the pictures of the search and rescue teams doing their job, I just am overwhelmed by the magnitude of what they're trying to do.  May God bless them for their efforts, and may those who are still buried in the rubble, losing hope, cling to Jesus in their time of great need. 

In a time like this, when there is real suffering and pain and tragic loss, I am almost overwhelmed with how we should pray.  It seems obvious to pray for the nuclear situation, that God would perform a wondrous miracle and stop the meltdown altogether.  I pray that those brave people who are working in the thick of it would do their jobs to the best of their abilities, and that they would find a way to fix the problem.  But more than that, I pray that all this radiation exposure that they are experiencing would not affect them one bit.  I pray for supernatural protection for their physical bodies, that they would walk away from this experience healthy, whole, and able to live a long, full life, knowing that God spared them and blessed them for their dedication.

As I read the verse above this morning, I thought about how I can't go into all the world and preach the gospel.  I can't just put myself in Japan and lend a physical hand to these people, but I can pray for them.  I can pray for the Great Comforter to sweep across the country and heal the pain and the suffering.  I can pray for miracles and joy- even in the midst of a sorrowful time.  And I can pray that as this nation looks ahead, looks to what is next, that they would do so through the eyes of Jesus.  I can pray that the nation of Japan would turn to God for the answers to their problems.   May a Godly nation rise from the ashes of this past week, and proclaim the goodness of God over all its people.