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A Prayer for the Weary Watchmen



On your walls, O Jerusalem,
    I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
    they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
    take no rest,
and give him no rest
    until he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes it a praise in the earth.
(Isaiah 62:6–7)


My dear watching friends,


As we watch for the Lord’s return together, I want to pray for you.  As the days turn into weeks, the weeks turn into months, and the months turn into years (for some of us!), it’s easy to get distracted with the cares, concerns, and lures of this world.  Perhaps even easier, we can fall prey to melancholy.  When our eyes are open to the stain of sin in the world, it’s hard not to see everything as corrupted!  We know of, and long for, the perfection we were created to enjoy.  It’s like the black claws of the evil one have torn into everything that God made “very good”, and everything is broken.  How it feels like we have overstayed our welcome on earth!  The world wants to boot us out, and we just want to go home.  I know it’s hard some days, when all we are wondering is - “is it today?  is it today?  is it today?” - but we are called to persist - to occupy until He comes!


Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
(Hebrews 12:1–3)


It’s the last leg of the race. Push ahead so as to win the prize!  It’s in our grasp.  The finish line is near.  Gather every ounce of strength you have left, and pour it into serving our King.  Draw near to God like never before!  Ask Him - plead with Him - to sustain you.  Get on your knees and pray, children of Zion!




I hope each day that we hear the precious call of Jesus - “Come up here!”.  I long to hear the trumpet sound and call us to assembly.  In the meantime, while we watch together, let’s cast off everything that distracts us from Jesus! 

God wants to be first and foremost in our lives, not out of control, but out of LOVE. He loves you so very much that he wants you to bask in His love. He wants you to be enveloped in it, comforted by it, reassured by it, and empowered by it. This is why His greatest commandment is to love Him best, first, and most of all. This is how you will experience His love! Everything in your heart that is a barrier between you and God, today is the day to get rid of it.  Release it all to Jesus!

- - -

Dear Father,


How we long for You.  Thoughts of You consume our minds and our hearts, and we desire nothing more than to be in Your presence.  Nothing in this world compares with what You have prepared for us!  We believe that You have readied a place for us, and that You will call us home to be with You soon.  The Spirit within us cries - “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

It is the desire of our hearts that Your kingdom come and Your will be done as it is in heaven.  We long to see the restoration of all things, and groan along with creation as we wait.  Lead us not into the upcoming time of trouble, but deliver us from the evil one.  We trust in Your goodness and Your mercy towards those who love You.

Please forgive our thoughts, words, and deeds, where we have wandered from Your will.  We long to cast off this body of sin and death, so that we will no longer wrestle with doing what we don’t want to do, and not doing what we ought to do.  We recognize that You, and You alone, are our Savior.  We come before You and humbly bow our knees.  Please clothe us with Your righteousness, and wash our hearts as white as snow.  Thank You for Your faithfulness, which endures throughout the generations.  Hide Your word in our hearts, that we might not sin against You.

Jesus, we pray for conviction in our hearts over anything that doesn’t please You.  Reveal to us if we are harboring secret sins or temptations.  Everything that is hidden in darkness, bring into Your glorious light.  Shine Your Spirit in our hearts to break the chains that bind us!  Give us Your power to defeat the sins that entangle us.  Addictions, gossip, lies, coveting, jealousy, rage, pornography, lust, unforgiveness, theft, idols, gluttony, pride, and envy - we command the power of these over us to be broken in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ!  The Name at which every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that You are Lord.  We take these sins and we nail them to the cross of Christ.

Fill us to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit that there is no room in our hearts for anything else!

We pray for opportunity to witness to those who may not have a saving knowledge of You.  Please open the eyes of our loved ones to see You.  Open their hearts to understand the depth of their sinfulness and their need for Your salvation!  We plead with You, Lord!  Save them!!!!  We know You hear our cries, and we know Your hand moves when we gather together in prayer.  So tonight, right now, we all stand together in unity, praying for the salvation of those You have impressed upon our hearts.

Teach us to be good ambassadors for Your kingdom.  In this world of ungodliness, where people are calling good evil, and evil good, may we be beacons on a hill - shining the light of the gospel clearly and brightly.  Give us discernment in these dark days.  Let us not lose sight of our main purpose, which is following You and making disciples of all nations.  We want to love you best, more than everyone and everything else, and to pour out Your love to those around us.  Flow through us!  Guide us into abiding in You.  Ripen the fruit of the Spirit in us - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  As we put You first in our lives, we trust You to provide our daily needs.

Lead us into Your truth, and teach us by Your Spirit.  Teach us to fear You, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom.  Open our minds and our hearts to the knowledge and understanding of the scriptures.  Thank You for Your word, it is more precious to us than diamonds.


In Jesus Name we pray,


Amen

- - -

Stand firm, my dear brothers and sisters.  He is near, even at the gates!


Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  So we do not lose heart.  Though the outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 
(2 Corinthians 4:1, 6–10, 16–18)



Post A Comment

34 comments:

  1. That was very much needed , thank you and God bless to you all my Brothers and sisters in Christ . God is good all the time and all the time.

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  2. This was a great encouragement. Thank you Stephanie.

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  3. Amen and amen, Maranatha!

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  4. Thank you so much for the encouragement! I think a lot of us need to hear this right now. All the evil and sin being accepted now in this world, brothers and sisters having to hide to worship our Lord, - sad. I know it won't be long. Sometimes it is really hard. Blessings to all!
    Cathy

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  5. Thank you! Much needed here!

    Revelation 3:10-12
    Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
    Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
    Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

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  6. Awesome! I agree and Amen! the prayer. We are so close. So blessed that God has knit us watchers together. Maranatha! 😇

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  7. Oh, thank you, sister! How precious is His Word to revive our waiting hearts!

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  8. Thank you dear sister for expressing what lives in our hearts and prayers daily. Everything you mentioned in your article is how we feel. I just spoke with a sister in faith and we long daily for the lords return. I truly hope many readers will read this article before it’s too late. Maranatha.

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  9. Thank you for your lovely prayer, to which I can say a big AMEN! I have had what people call a near death experience in my life and believe absolutely that I was taken to the third heaven, as spoken about by Paul the apostle. I can not describe the beauty, and love, that was in that place and pray constantly that I will do what the Lord calls me to do while on this earth.
    God bless you as you continue to serve the Lord.

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    1. I have not had a NDE but I was given an experience where I was taken to what I perceived to be a garden type setting (although I was largely unaware of the surroundings) in a place that was unlike this Earth. I was sitting on what I perceived to be a garden seat (although I was not clearly given a look at it) when I sensed a Man standing behind me. I believe He was our Lord Jesus. I did not turn to look at Him but I knew He was there. He reached out to me & placed His hand on my shoulder for a moment. I felt the most incredible love, total acceptance & peace flow through my body. I knew in that moment that I was totally, absolutely loved & accepted by Jesus. I was far greater, far, far stronger than anything I could ever try to describe that I've seen or experienced on this Earth. Total & complete acceptance. That was given to me at a very difficult, trying time in my life when I really needed just what I was given. But that experience has carried me through everything since then, even to what is happening today in our world. I hope that it will encourage you as it has me until that day when we are finally with Him for all eternity. It is totally indescribable as Brenda has said. Brenda could you share, for the encouragement of all the readers, something of your experience?

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    2. Fred, every feeling you have spoken about is what I experienced, and I know that my experience transformed my life completely and brought me to seek the Lord that my Father had spoken about when I was younger. If you would like to read about my experience it is on the right sidebar of my blog, at the top end. My blog can be accessed by clinking on my picture or going into www.lighthousevision.blogspot.co.uk If you scroll down to a few years previous you will come to a post called My Testimony which will lead you to an audible disk on which you can hear some of my experience. God bless you Fred as you, and all of us, put our trust in our beautiful Lord.

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    3. Sorry Fred, i should have said if you click on my name, not my picture, you will have access to my blogs.

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    4. Thankyou Brenda, I will check it out. May God bless you and your family. May God bless & keep all the remnant believers as we patiently wait for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

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    5. Amen Fred, and may God bless you and your family, and all my brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, as we patiently wait for Him to return.

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  10. Dear faithful sister in Christ, You have hit the spiritual nail on the head, so to speak. You have captured the essence of what lives in my heart and soul, especially in this end time! It's so nice to see that lives in many others also! I always tell my brother in faith, if we couldn't speak of the Lord everyday, which we do, i feel my soul would die! What you just wrote last night makes my soul want to just fly home right now! I have read your words of Love for the Lord three times already since last night,can't get enough! I would just like to add what Apostle John said at the end in Revelation: He which testifieth these things saith,"SURELY I COME QUICKLY". Amen. May the GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ continue to be with us all! Thank you Stephanie, We're almost home!!! God bless you always!

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  11. Thank you Stephanie! God Bless and continue to Lead us through our stewardship here until He catches us away. Amen.

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  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  13. Terrific encouragement and much needed by the weary Body of Christ. The signs we see are incontrovertible, yet the jeering and mocking continue unabated. All is exactly what scripture assured us would happen, " . . . they were eating, drinking . . . " Take heart and I join fully in prayer with all who read and appreciate the article. Maranatha - Our Lord Comes! Blessings - Sherry

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  14. Stephanie, your words are like "apples of gold in settings of silver"!! Amazing how your prayer touched everything I'm feeling right now...truly led by the Spirit. Bless you and thank you!

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  15. Thanks for the awesome prayer!

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  16. Yes, EXACTLY and thank you.
    We do know what's coming and we're being given the gift of TIME beforehand. So, while we do know what's coming and are anxious for it to happen, what about all those folks who don't know? We need to be doing something about it - otherwise it's like getting a birthday present, and even though you're grateful and appreciative, you stick it in the closet.
    A BIG part of running our Christian race is what we do along the way - it's the race that counts as much as the finishing.
    We all know the stories of athletes who've stopped to help others' along the way, often to their own detriment - at least when it comes to winning. But, we all know them to be the TRUE winners!
    I'm NOT a pastor or a preacher, but I can print off articles and hand out Bible tracts (Now the End Begins has a good one.) I'm at a point I don't care about all the folks who've become exasperated with me for going on and on about end time signs and the Rapture. (I've actually been holding back this past year or so...) My hope is that even if they don't accept the Lord before the Rapture, that once it occurs they will KNOW what has happened and do so then - better late than never!
    So, while we're counting the days, let's make our days COUNT!
    * * * * *
    I see all the evil and wickedness going on in the world and I absolutely HATE what we've become as a people. Yet, paradoxically, I still want people SAVED.

    "He drew a circle that shut me out,
    Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
    But love and I had wit to win,
    We drew a circle that took him in."
    Edwin Markham

    Use your time - draw BIG circles!

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  17. Dear sister Stephanie, thank you very much for the uplifting! May your reward be great in Heaven! I want to add some practical protection and provision in the daily life of all our brethren worldwide: Food and water, shelter and clothing, energy and communication are most needed to still be able to get the TRUTH out in a time as this when the harbingers of the Revelation 6 seals and the internet restriction and censorship of free speech in general are underway already and heavily attacking. In some regions, even some normal work to make a living for the family is not anymore possible without being forced to compromise our faith as Christians today because Satan has corrupted EVERY aspect of our lives on earth. May Jesus support and protect all of His sheep in every kind of miraculous ways during these very last days of the church and the already visible rising of the antichrist and false prophet beast system. He could feed Elijah by a raven, may He continue to extend His mercy on all who are desperately waiting for Him. AMEN! MARANATHA!

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  18. I will stick with the Our Father.

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  19. Outstanding! Thanks, Stephanie

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  20. note that nba finals / raptors and warriors both have a number 9 and a number 23. no other number is duplicated. and a raptor is originally a snatcher and the word is related to rapture in that way.. God is good!

    www.itwasaplan.com - it was a plan dot com

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  21. Most excellent encouragement Stephanie! You definitely described how so many of us feel, both tired and excited at the same time. Thank you =)

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  22. This should be required reading for the body of Christ.

    I mean on a daily basis.

    I hope this gets taped to a few bedroom mirrors.

    It will mine.

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  23. Oh my yes Stephanie! I am so grateful for this spirit led prayer that has so touched my heart! It is as if you have spoken the words I yearned to speak but could not find. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the encouragement and cleansing tears in the Lord! Hallelujah!

    Yes Greg L... taped to my bedroom mirror, bathroom mirror, kitchen cabinet, photo notes on my phone, etc etc...

    We so long for you Lord! Please please come !

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  24. Enthralled by the author's capacity to write in this heavenly way.
    Christian so Prayer

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  25. This all I need when a little frustrated with the delay: Youtube:when I get where I'm going, Brad paisley and Dolly Parton

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