On today, Memorial Day, I thought this prayer would be most appropriate. I received this from the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation (founded by, among others, Congressman Randy Forbes) . . . and I knew I had to send it on! God, help us! This was originally prayed by Pastor Joe Wright in the Kansas House of Representatives in January 1996.

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good, but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics.We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

In this excerpt from The Mark of a Man, Elisabeth Elliot writes to her nephew and observes four truths that we can discover in the account of Eve’s creation. These are simple but profound! Why is it that the simple things are being forgotten by our world?

In that little story, which takes up only seventeen verses, men and women can find their local vertical. Four extremely important events illuminate where woman stands in relation to man. I see, in them, who I am as a woman, who you are as a man.

1. She was made for the man. According to specifications, she was divinely designed to fit his needs exactly—an adapter, a responder.
2. She was made from the man, quite literally, constructed out of one of his own bones. He was her reason for being, her source, which is one of the root meanings of the New Testament word for “head.” If you miss the point in Genesis 2, you can pick it up in 1 Corinthians 11: “For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.” “Oh, well,” people have said to me, “you’re just interpreting things your way. There are lots of other interpretations.” Are there? Give three examples.
3. She was brought to the man. God made a present of Eve to Adam, not of Adam to Eve. She was his.
4. She was named by the man. The Old Testament authority to name was of immense importance. It signified the acceptance of responsibility. He was taking charge.

That’s the ancient story.

The following is a tremendous excerpt from Elisabeth Elliot in The Mark of a Man. She affirms that ultimately all of Christianity is a wonderful mystery that we cannot truly explain. She then challenges us to appreciate the mystery inherent in our sexuality—let’s celebrate and embrace our differences as men and women . . . not try to erase or ignore them! Enjoy . . .

Christianity is full of mystery. All the great doctrines of the faith are, in the last analysis, mysteries. Who can explain creation? (“He spoke and it was done.”) The origin of evil? (“By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin.”) The nature of God? (“God is spirit, infinite, eternal, unchangeable . . . .”) The nature of man? (“made in the image of God . . . and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”) Incarnation? (“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”) Passion? (“This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”) Resurrection? (“He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.”) Ascension? (“A cloud took Him out of their sight.”) Theology labels and describes these things. It does not explain them.

Sexuality is a mystery. It represents one of the deepest of spiritual mysteries: the relationship between Christ and the Church. We will get hold of this better if it is enacted. There are two “theaters” in which this mystery is played out: the Christian home, and the local church. This is the reason, I believe, why such clear and unequivocal instructions are issued regarding how men and women are to conduct themselves in those two places. They are actors in a play in which tremendous heavenly mysteries are being enacted on stage. We have got to stick to the parts assigned and follow the director, and in so doing we will discover, as we could not in any other way, our true nature and our destiny.

I was studying Genesis 5 recently, and I was struck by these observations about Enoch in verse 21-24:

--He was 65 when he had Methuselah . . . just about the time when people in our world are thinking about “winding down,” Enoch was just winding up!

--A possible meaning for Methuselah is “When he dies, judgment.” If you look closely, Methuselah apparently died the year that the Flood took place. What an amazing prophetic insight was given to Enoch to name his son this meaning!

--Enoch “walked with God” AND “had sons and daughters” . . . a close, intimate walk with God does NOT preclude or exclude an effective, vibrant, fruitful family life. It’s not either/or . . . but in Enoch’s case it was both/and.

--Enoch simply “was not,” for “God took him.” What a great way to end one’s life here on earth!

Men and fathers, may God help us to follow Enoch’s example . . . may we walk with God in an ever-increasing intimacy . . . and . . . may we bear the fruit of that intimacy in a vibrant, healthy, God-honoring family life!

May God transform our prayers today!

v. 50 Lack of discipline results in lack of readiness . . . and that results not only in no blessing, but total destruction (see Exodus 29:17 for a different use of the word “cut him in two”) and constant regret. May God help us not to be found in this state!

2 Kings 19:30—“Take root Downward and bear fruit Upward”

Ephesians 5:26

Acts 4:24-31

Acts 1:4, 2:1-4

Discipline/Exercise

Faith Walk

Trials/Tests/Tribulations

A word of encouragement—maybe you’re not that certain whether or not your children would write those kinds of things about you. Well, remember two things. First, we’re in a marathon . . . not a sprint. Your children may not write these things just today (because maybe they cannot write yet!) . . . but keep running toward the finish line, and I believe that your children will indeed rise up and call you blessed. Second, maybe there are things that you regret or need to change in your mothering . . . today is a great day to make a new beginning! It’s never too late to start anew! Let today be that day!

So . . . the next time you want to evaluate where you are in your spiritual growth . . . check out the “loving” scale in your life, as well as the “irritation” and “discouragement” scales . . . the answer will most certainly be humbling, but that’s not a bad thing, either, is it? :)