Call 2 Fall

Remembering D-Day.

On the night of June 6, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt went on national radio to address the nation for the first time about the Normandy invasion. His speech was a prayer:

"My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas -- whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them--help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen."

𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒: 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑙𝑖𝑛 𝐷. 𝑅𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑡 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝐿𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑢𝑚

Love your enemies.

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?" (Matthew 5:43-48). In today's reading in 1 Samuel 26, we see a practical demonstration of this same biblical teaching to love our enemies.

Many years ago, I had someone in my life who I believed was trying to make me miserable. The truth is, they weren't, but my response was not loving. I did the opposite of what the Bible teaches in Matthew 5:43-48. My lack of love for that person brought unforgiveness into my life, and as a result, I began hurting people around me. I was heartbroken when the Holy Spirit showed me my error and brought conviction. I confessed my sin to the Lord and asked for His forgiveness, as well as forgiveness from others.

1 Samuel 26 shows us we can acknowledge that there are people who will try to hurt us or cause trouble, but we must remember that our enemy is not of flesh and blood. In the middle section of this chapter, we see that our response should be one of showing mercy to those we perceive as troublemakers in our lives. In the last part of the chapter, we see that our ultimate response should be to trust God with those we might consider our enemies while loving them unapologetically. Today, as our nation reels from several senseless, evil shootings, the family and friends of those killed have a decision to make about forgiveness, as well. Let us pray for the believers among them, that they will bring their grief to God and allow Him to work a miracle of forgiveness in their hearts even as they grieve.

Today, you may be dealing with hurts brought about by your family, co-workers, neighbors, or someone at church. In my situation, I never set out to intentionally hurt or cause trouble, but I admit I did and am genuinely sorry for the hurt I caused. I ask the Lord to daily show me how to love everyone around me and not view anyone as an enemy. I encourage you to ask the Lord for an opportunity to bring healing to whatever strife you have in your own life. Do not try to do this on your own but under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. I want to testify that loving others brings victory in my life and in the lives of those around me. I recommend you study Scripture and ask the Holy Spirit for healing and reconciliation. I also recommend reading "Choosing Forgiveness" by Nancy Leigh Demoss and "Total Forgiveness" by R.T. Kendall.

As we seek to grow in relationship with God, we ought to be reading the Bible every day. We are about to begin 2 Samuel as part of FRC's two-year, chronological Bible reading plan. If you are not yet participating, now is a great time to join with us. (frc.org/bible)

𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝐽𝑎𝑦 𝐽𝑜ℎ𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛, 𝐹𝑅𝐶'𝑠 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛

Obedience matters!

Today's reading is in 1 Samuel 15 and 16. I encourage you to read both chapters and invite the Holy Spirit to show you insights as you seek to honor God. Earlier in 1 Samuel, God chose Saul, and Samuel anointed him to be the first king of Israel. In chapter 15, we read of Saul's disobedience as he rejected God's commands. The same Samuel who anointed him was also the one to confront Saul for reinterpreting Scripture and becoming self-absorbed rather than relying on God's Word to lead the people. As a result of his disobedience, God rejected Saul.

Saul received specific instructions, which is a reminder to us that communication with God--through prayer and His Word--is vital as we seek to live godly lives. Saul understood his assignment but decided to obey only a portion of the instructions rather than being completely obedient to the Lord. He thought he could justify his disobedience, but as we read in this chapter, Samuel rebuked him because he was more interested in himself than others. Ultimately, Saul was replaced by a man whose heart was for God.

Samuel provides a valuable lesson in this chapter that is best summed up like this: obeying the Word of God is better than offering a sacrifice. Heeding the voice of God is better than offering the fat of rams.

In whatever decisions come your way today, may you seek the Lord and stay in His holy Word. Through your submission to Him, you will be able to remain obedient to the work He has called you to.

frc.org/bible

Today is the . We encourage you to take time today to pray for our country.

The National Day of Prayer shares how to pray for America here: https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/prayforamerica

Use FRC's prayer guide for the Supreme Court case that could overturn Roe v. Wade: https://prayvotestand.org/dobbs

Tune in this evening to the 2022 National Day of Prayer broadcast at 8:00 PM ET: https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/2022broadcast

What a gift!

In Joshua 18, there is a land distribution taking place. Joshua asks the Israelites why they are delaying taking possession of the land the Lord has given them. The Israelites have not had permanent dwelling places in generations, so while they may have reasons for their hesitation, they are neglecting a gift, freely given to them. Perhaps you have received a gift from someone and, after unwrapping it, you put it away or delayed using it. The greatest gift we have is our salvation and, as hard as it is to understand, many who have received this gift have not done anything with it.

Today is a good day for us to examine our hearts and see where we are in our relationship with Jesus. If you have received the gift of salvation, we encourage you to seek the Lord daily and share your faith with others. If you have never received the gift of salvation, confess your need for a savior and invite Jesus into your life today.

Read Romans 3:23; Ephesians 1:7; John 3:16; Luke 13:3; John 14: 6; Romans 10:9-10; John 10:10; and John 14:3, and then tell someone about your decision to follow Jesus.

What do these stones mean to you?

Over the last several weeks' assigned readings in FRC's Stand on the Word Bible reading plan, we have read in Deuteronomy and now Joshua. Multiple passages have touched on teaching and testifying to children the things the Lord has done in our lives. In Joshua 4, we have another such reminder:

"Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, "Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So, these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever." Joshua 4:4-7 (ESV)

The purpose of this memorial was so the people of Israel could teach their children about God's great and mighty work, and those children would continue to teach future generations about the miracles God performed.

I know of a church in Central Virginia where the pastor often referred to this passage of Scripture to remind the people of the work God was doing in their midst. The church was building a multi-purpose building and the children were asked to submit names for the building. An overwhelming number of submissions were made for the name, "Twelve Stones." When the children were asked why they wanted the name to be Twelve Stones, they responded that the building would be used to minister to the community. They believed the name would offer opportunities for them to tell others about the mighty work of God.

You may want to consider getting twelve stones and stacking them in your front yard, on your desk, or some other place as an opportunity for others to ask, "What do these stones mean to you?" I pray you have many opportunities to testify about God's work in your life.

𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝐽𝑎𝑦 𝐽𝑜ℎ𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛, 𝐹𝑅𝐶'𝑠 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛

In Deuteronomy 26:16-19, we read that God commands us to observe His statutes and ordinances. The passage continues, saying we must be careful to do them with all our heart and soul. Have you ever attempted to complete an assignment when your heart simply was not in it? I think we all have a testimony we could share.

We are called not only to observe these commands given to us by God but also to do so wholeheartedly. I am reminded of the hymn of faith, "Trust & Obey," written by John Henry Sammis:

When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey,
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.

This hymn conveys the blessing we experience when we trust God's Word and do His will. Today, I hope these verses and lyrics encourage you to lean into God with all your heart and soul. God is our hope, and we can trust Him as we surrender in complete obedience to Him.

𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝐽𝑎𝑦 𝐽𝑜ℎ𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛, 𝐹𝑅𝐶'𝑠 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛

"As people of prayer, I am calling on you to pray and engage others to pray for the United States Senate as they consider Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination."

A Call to Pray and Stand for Human Life During the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, the judge was asked the following question by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.): “Can you provide a definition for the word ‘woman’?” After a pause, Jackson responded, “No, I can’t....

In Numbers 30:1-2, Moses reminds the people that making a promise to God is a serious matter. The promise must not be broken because it is an obligation to God.

What about you? Do you think carefully before you make a commitment to God? To others? Our words and hearts must be in sync. We pray that you will take the time to examine your heart before you speak. May the Lord Jesus work in our lives to help us earn trust in the eyes and hearts of all who are in our homes, our churches, and the public square. We all expect the Lord to keep His promises; I believe He expects us to keep ours.

Perhaps this brings to mind a time when you made a promise to God or someone else, but did not keep it. We urge you to bring that before the Lord to confess it and ask for His forgiveness. May this moment of repentance set you free to be a promise keeper.