Kids of the King, Arise!

A story for children: By Elizabeth Poulsen

As Danni waited for the continuation of the story, the boy from Africa began to talk about his own reaction to it. He said when he was first told this story he began to weep when he heard about the death of the Son of Father/King.

He realized that people all around him had been prisoners of the evil servant. He had been waiting for the answer to their problems to become more clear by listening to hear all about what the Son would do. However, he began to lose hope when the kind lady who fed him told of the death of the Son.

But, he said, something else was happening to him as well. All along, as he was listening to the beautiful story, his own life seemed to be filled with a new understanding. He was able to see himself as one of the children of this wonderful Father. He had begun to recognize that he too was not free in this world. He was just like the other children of Adam and Eve.

He said that he had also become aware of his “inside eyes” as he listened to this true story and for the first time he knew that he could trust someone to guide him onto the right path. It was like having a father that you had never met but you just knew that when you did you would know he was your father. That is how he was feeling about Father/King. He just knew that Father/King was his father too. A new sense of excitement and strength had been welling up inside him and he felt he was in this story along with all the other children of Adam and Eve. He asked if anyone else in the room felt this way to put up their hand.

Danni’s hand shot in the air as he realized that he felt exactly the same way! He noticed that lots of kids had raised their hand as well. There was a girl in front of Danni who took the same bus he took to school. She raised her hand too.

Well, said the boy, you will love the next part of my story……

The evil servant was suddenly so weak he fell to his knees and with barely the strength to raise his eyes he looked upon the One he thought he had destroyed.

There before him stood the Son of Father/King holding the keys to death and hell. They looked different now. When he held them they were black and heavy. Something had transformed them and in the Son’s hands they had become red and golden. You could see a rainbow shining through them. Was this the promise he had seen so often in the sky?

As the Son stood before him the evil servant was powerless to stand. He was aware of prison doors opening. He knew he had lost this battle. His kingdom had ended. All he thought he had accomplished was crumbling before his eyes. The power of this One was too great. All around him poured the fragrance of love. Oh how he hated that smell. He knew of its power – power to bring life where death was at work; power to melt chains of every kind.

No longer the god of this world, he watched his prisoners walk free! Powerless, he watched his army cower and faint in His presence! The evil servant could not speak. He could not flee. He could only kneel at this One’s feet as his kingdom of pain and death was washed with love from the Son

And just when he thought it was over, the Son turned to him and with a gesture of his hands, those hands that had been nailed to the cross, the weapons and amour the evil servant had carried were suddenly removed. Not only did he feel powerless, he now looked powerless!

This evil one had not only lost this battle, but could never again hold creation a prisoner. Life and love had entered this place, life eternal. It had come in the form of the Son of the Father. The evil servant knew that the life of the Father was in this Son. He recognized the greatness of His power. Though he would never choose to surrender to it, he could not stand against it, for it was the power of love-

         ~The love of Father/King for all He had created~

This love was flowing over the earth, renewing it and washing it from the curses that had come over it long ago. The people could not see nor understand what was happening… not yet. Many were still very sad, thinking that the Son was dead. They did not know that death could not hold him. Nor did they know that He was busy taking back all things stolen by the evil servant. They knew strange things were happening all around them. Many families were experiencing an indescribable change taking place, but they didn’t understand. Not yet…  All they knew that they missed their kind friend and leader.

Finally, on the third day, it happened! News came that He was not where they had placed His body! Where was He? What had happened?
As they were talking amongst themselves and worrying…

Suddenly the room filled with light, and there He was! He had come back to tell them that the Father had kept His promise. He had made the way for them to once more live as His children. Their eyes would see the truth and the truth would keep them from becoming prisoners again.

Danni, along with the other children in the room, let out a loud, “YES” as his arm shot into the air. Excitement filled the air as the children waited to hear what this news would do to the kingdom of Father/King. Danni also knew this was going to affect his life. Somehow he just knew……
 …to be continued

Kids we need your help! You play an important part!

Danni’s story needs pictures!
Can you draw a picture to illustrate something in this part of the story,(OR ANY OF THE OTHER CHAPTERS)
You can respond in the comment section of the blog and we will
let you know how and where to send it.
When you do we will put the pictures in the story on the Blog!
We can’t wait to see what you come up with!!

Kingdom Living – Lesson 1
by Stephanie McIntyre

Length of Lesson:  30 – 45 min
Ages: 8-12 year olds
Bible basis: Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 2:51
Key theological concept: Living as God’s child means obeying Him and submitting to Him.
Bible verse:  Matthew 7:26

Materials:
Volunteer to be a “Herald” for King Jesus, scroll for the herald to read
2 paper houses, one built on sand, one taped to rock
Spray bottle filled with water
Copies of activity sheet OR cards with information & personal journal
Bible for each student
The Chronicles of Narnia DVD, cued to coronation scene at the end
TV or LCD projector, DVD player

Objectives:
Students will…
 Know:
1. that relating to God requires obedience to Him as our King
2. that King Jesus commands us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbour as ourselves
3. that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength includes: loving God more than money (Matt. 6:19), trusting Him to provide for all our needs (Matt. 6:25-34)
4. that loving our neigbour includes: not being angry with a ‘brother’ (Matt. 5:22), not desiring what is not ours (Matt 5:27), telling the truth (Matt. 5:33), “giving to the one who asks you, and not turning away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matt. 5:42); loving our enemies and doing good to one who hates you (Matt. 5:44); not judging others (Matt. 7:3)
 Feel:
1. convicted of a specific sin or sins
2. empowered by the Holy Spirit to choose what is right
 Act:
1. Write letter to God asking forgiveness for sin.
2. Make a plan to do what is right in a specific situation.

Spiritual Formation:
Confession of sin, Holiness

Focus:
1. On a poster or whiteboard, write the questions:
“If you were king or queen for a day, what would you do?” 
    As students enter, ask them to think about this question and write a list of ideas.
2. When all students have arrived, ask volunteers to share their ideas.  Have fun with it.
3. Tell students that today we are going to talk about Christ as our King, and what that means.

Procedure:
1. Show clip from “The Chronicles of Narnia” where Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy are crowned kings and queens of Narnia.

2. Divide students into groups of 4. 
Tell them to imagine that they have just been crowned the kings/queens of Narnia.  What laws will they make for the citizens of Narnia?  Remember, they are the ones that are completely in charge of everything and their laws must be obeyed. 
Allow 10-15 minutes of brainstorming, and then have groups present the laws for their kingdom.
3. Explain that although we have been pretending to be kings and queens and gave some fun (and serious) ideas of laws for our kingdom, Christ is the real King in our lives today, and He has set laws for His Kingdom.  When we are friends with Christ and belong to His Kingdom, we are responsible to know and obey His laws. 
4. SKIT:
   At this point, have a “herald” enter, blowing a trumpet and announcing the laws of King Jesus
   (use one of the older students, if   possible):
  “Hear ye, hear ye, citizens of the Kingdom of Jesus.  You must know and obey these laws, commanded by the King Himself:
  Law #1: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
  Law #2: Love your neighbour as yourself.
     Whoever obeys these laws is like a sensible man who builds his house on a rock.  When  rains fall, rivers flood, and winds blow strong against his house, it will not collapse because its foundation is on the rock.  Whoever hears these words and doesn’t do them (ahem…disobeys) is like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand.  The rains fall, rivers flood, and winds blow strong against the house.  It will collapse because it is built on sand.  Citizens of the Kingdom of Jesus, do not be foolish.  Obey your King!
     (“Herald” exits, blowing trumpet)
     Note: If you wish, you can have the herald, (or a volunteer that comes in at the same time as the herald), demonstrate the crashing of a house by cutting out two houses out of paper beforehand.  Tape one to a large rock.  When he blows on it and sprays water, the house will stay. Have the other house sitting on a pile of dirt or sand.  When he blows and sprays water on that house, make it collapse.
5. ASK: “I guess we’ve heard what King Jesus has set as the laws for His Kingdom.  Does anyone remember what they were?” (have volunteers repeat)
6. ASK: “What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength?  Or to love your neighbour as yourself?” 
7. Explain that the gospel of Matthew talks about Jesus as King, and Jesus describes life according to His Kingdom’s laws in Matthew 5-7.  This passage is often called the “Sermon on the Mount,” because Jesus went up to a hillside and preached this message to large crowds.  In this sermon, Jesus gives some examples of what it means to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbour as ourselves.
8. ACTIVITY: Have students do activity sheet 1.
(For kinesthetic learners, you can write these on cards and have them sort the cards into the appropriate categories.  You should have the column headings written on cards, too.  This could also be done in groups or pairs as a game. 
(If done as a game, have students respond in a journal about which command they find hardest to keep and why.)
9. Read to students from Luke 2:51-52.  Explain that even Jesus had to learn obedience – obedience to his earthly parents and obedience to His heavenly Father.  He understands our weaknesses.  Still, He was able to live without sin because He had the Holy Spirit’s power working in Him.  When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, He overcame temptation using the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit living in Him.  That same power is available to us, and we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us to obey King Jesus’ Laws of Love.

Closure:
1. Play a song such as “Refiner’s Fire” or “Create in Me a Clean Heart.” 
Have students write a letter addressed to King Jesus, asking forgiveness for breaking one of His laws of love.
2. Have students suggest ways they can “turn around” from their old ways – e.g. If they had difficulty loving enemies, they can write a note of encouragement to someone they don’t really like.  If they had difficulty with anger, they can practice saying “The Lord is my Shepherd” 10x’s to themselves before saying anything when they start to feel angry.
3. Close with prayer, asking for the Holy Spirit’s help to obey King Jesus’ Laws of Love this week.

Laws of love- Activity Sheet

1) Match the Bible verese with the example it gives of ” loving your
neighbour”

     Verse                                     Law of love                                  

A LITTLE GIRL WITH A BIG MESSAGE

By Bobby Connor
I was in New Zealand for a conference with a couple of thousand leaders. As I walked into the conference hall, a very young girl around five years of age came up to me and said in a sweet childlike voice “I can preach!” Trying to humor her I knelt down and patted her on the head and said “oh sweetie that is wonderful that you can preach”, almost in a joking tone.

However I was stunned because she said back to me in a very firm and confident tone. “No! I can preach”! She said it with such boldness that I was almost knocked down. So I said to her. “Ok then, what is your message?”
She looked me straight in the eye and said my message is- 
“Pray!” Listen!” “Obey!”
I said to her, ” O.K.You are preaching tonight.” 

That night the place was packed with church leaders from around the nation. I had been speaking for about fifteen minutes when I looked out in the crowd of people and saw the little girl sitting with her folks. I stopped speaking and said to her “Honey do you still want to preach?”
She said “yes!”
Coming forward I picked her up and holding her in my arms, high on the platform so that all in the conference hall could see her. I placed the mike before her lips and she said in a strong voice,
“My message is “Pray! Listen! Obey!”

When she said this, hundreds of people were knocked out of their seats on the floor, weeping and seeking the Lord.
This is the message that God is saying to the Church today. 

 

A Key that is very close to thanksgiving in the Kingdom is something called Contentment.

When you picture someone being content what do you see? Draw what comes to mind in your journal before you go on. For me it would be sitting around a fireplace with a cup of tea and my WHOLE family there, everyone getting along and talking.  Now since that only happens maybe once every few years, since my family is scattered all over the place, what about the rest of the time?

I was looking for a picture and came up with this one… a contented boar. NOT quite what I was looking for but hey he’s cute sort of.  O.K. this guy loves his apples and is “purring” but what about us?

The Bible gives us a clue to the secret to our being content, ALL the time.

Let’s have a look at Paul, the man who wrote this verse and said that he found the secret of being content, NO MATTER what the circumstance was. Paul grew up wealthy and educated and was respected among the people he hung out with. He had it made. He was outspoken and a leader. Later on after he had become a Christian he became poor and during his years in prison he relied on others to support and take care of him. He was beaten a number of times, stoned, and whipped. He was ship wrecked THREE times, and lived to tell about it. He was often in danger. Some people told lies about him and ruined his reputation. He was unjustly put in prison. He was often without food or drink, without enough clothes, and cold and without sleep. And finally he was killed for following Jesus. WHAT WAS HIS SECRET that in spite of all that he could say “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstance?”

A clue is found in another verse:
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we can say with confidence, “The lord is my Helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”Hebrews 13:4-6

Remember we have shared in a previous Key of the Kingdom about how precious you are to God. The price God paid for each of us to be able to come close to him again was so high that even the richest man that has billions of dollars couldn’t pay it. We were so valuable to God that He allowed His own son to die for us. We often hear John 3:15 and can most likely say it by heart. (Recite it now) But take a minute and REALLY think about what it means. You were so valuable that Jesus willingly chose to give up his life for you to buy you back to God.

Do you realize that God is constantly watching over you? He saw you before you were EVEN born, and didn’t need X rays to see you! He sees everything that happens in your life. If something bad happened in your life it is not because God closed his eyes or because He made it happen. It is usually a result of people who are not choosing to follow God’s ways. When you are hurting, God is standing right beside you, you just need to look for him. He hurts when you hurt. He is happy when you are happy. He NEVER leaves your side.

Do you realize that because of Jesus, nothing can EVER separate you from God? You can fail and make mistakes, but it will never separate you from Him. Jesus is not only your example…he is your SAVIOR. When God looks at you He sees Jesus. He doesn’t see your failures, he sees Jesus.

The next time that you are in a situation that causes you to PANIC, or be AFRAID, instead of reacting to that circumstance, you can STOP, take the situation to the KING and ask for His strategies. You can keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, just like Peter did when he was walking on the water. Listen to him say to you, “It is O.K. remember I AM with you.

The SECRET to contentment is keeping your eyes focused on JESUS, His love for you and that He will NEVER leave you or forsake you.

 
Read Acts 16: 16-34 What was Paul’s response here when he was put into prison? What result did that bring? Maybe you being thankful in a difficult situation will be the WITNESS that will lead a friend to Jesus!

Key: Thanksgiving

This weekend was Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. The tradition here is to get together with family or friends and have a thanksgiving diner, which usually includes a Turkey and pumkin or apple pie.  We did and boy was it good! It is also a time to remember things from the year that we are thankful for. What are some things you are thankful for?   

ACTIVITY: You can print off and color this “Thanksgiving display” if you like. Around it write down some of the things that you thought of that you were thankful for.

But did you know some of us are not very thankful, but whine and complain like sour grapes. I wish I had a nicer bike, or I wish I didn’t have to eat THAT again today! Do I HAVE to???

Have you ever watched a T.V. program where there are birds circling over an area, often in a desert or wilderness? Well they are probably buzzards or some kind of bird of prey. What are they looking for? They are looking for anything that is dead or dying, so they can pick off the stragglers or feast on something that has just died. O.K. they serve their purpose, and God made them to do that, but some people are like that and let their minds hang around negative thoughts. NOT very pleasant. Now there is another bird, a humming bird that hums around and also hangs around desert areas, but what does she look for? Flowers in a cactus. In the middle of a prickly cactus she finds sweetness. My son was on a mission trip when he was 11 in Mexico. We went to an area to do a prayer walk, and one of the questions was, “look for a place where God’s glory was seen.” He came back awhile later and said,  “I saw a tumbled down house with barbed wire around it. But in the cracks of the house, I saw a beautiful rose.” Whew, many of us would have missed that. But he had his “kingdom goggles” on.

Colossians 3 :12-17 (NASB) has some Key thoughts that pull together alot of the keys that we have talked about in the Keys of the Kingdom devotionals.  If you look at these verses you will notice that the thought of being thankful is repeated THREE times.

ACTIVITY :

Fill in the blanks from the words below in the word search puzzle. Then do the word search. CLUE: All the words are in Col. 3:12-17

And so, as those who have been ________of God, _________and _________, put on a heart  of __________, ____________, _________, g___________and p__________. Bearing with one another, and ___________each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond these things put on_________, which is the perfect bond of________.  And let the ________of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be___________.
Let the ________of Christ richly dwell with in you, with all __________teaching and encouraging one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,_________ with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all  in the name of the Lord ______, giving thanks through Him to God. 
Did you know that it is impossible to be anxious and thankful at the same time? Being thankful is an attitude that shows that you trust God, no matter what your circumstance may be. It will help us enjoy life and each other. This is sometimes hard to do, but if you choose to CAPTURE negative and unthankful thoughts as soon as they pop into your mind, and say,  “I’m NOT going to worry, or be angry or jealous, or unkind, but I’m going to be THANKFUL and think of good things” see what a difference that would make. Now this is something that you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you with, you are not on your own remember?

 
So how can you grow this kind of attitude?

G- Give to others. Start serving instead of being served.
R-reflect on God’s faithfulness. (Hebrews 13 :5)
O-overcome anxious or negative thoughts with praise and thanksgiving
W-walk in the light of God’s soverignty  (1 Thes. 5 :18) Give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will for you.

Did you know thankfulness is the song of heaven? It is the attitude in the Kingdom of heaven too! Look up Revelation 4 : 9-11
 ”Give glory and honour and thanks to him who sits on the throne. And who lives forever and ever.” 

ACTIVITY : This week choose one of the steps to growing in thankfulness and work on it. You can do something to serve someone, or you can write up in your journal ways in which God has been faithful in your life. If you struggle with being thankful, start singing whenever you are grumpy and unthankful. Whatever happenes this week choose to be thankful.
Lets put our “kingdom goggles” on this week and find the roses in the tumbled down buildings.

YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES IN JERUSLAEM AND IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA , AND EVEN TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (ACTS 1:8)
Taking this verse over the NEXT THREE MONTHS, we will continue to pray in concentric circles. We started by praying for ourselves and our families, then our church, then our city.  This month we will focus on our provinces, (or states). Next month our nation, and then the rest of the world. In other words we will take this verse and have it apply to our own “ Jerusalem ”. For me it would be from My family, to my church, to my city, Winnipeg , to Manitoba , to Canada and then to the world.  What would it be for you?

This Month’s Prayer Focus: provinces or states
Let’s look at some information about what the governments of the provinces are responsible for.  In Canada there are 10 provinces and 3 territories.  Each has its own capital city and is headed by a Lieutenant Governor (provinces) or a Commissioner (territories), and advised by the Premier (provinces) or a Government Leader (territories). The Provincial government in Canada is responsible for property and civil rights, administration of justice, natural resources and the environment, education, health, and welfare. The government meets in the Legislative building in the Capitol City.

Go to the site below to click on the map that comes up to find information on each province in Canada.  If that doesn’t work cut and paste the link into your search engine. When the link pulls up, click on the “Government of Canada” section.  Then scroll down to the “see also” section at the bottom. Click on Provinces and territories.

http://www.linktolearning.com/government/responsibilities.htm

There is also a neat site which has a puzzle game, to find hidden treasures in Canada.
 
http://www.tvokids.com/framesets/play.html?game=9&

O.K. now you know a bit more about Canada. You can probably find similar information about your own province or state if you live outside of Canada on the web.

A) Look back and see what the Provinces are responsible for.
• Property and civil rights
• Justice
• Natural resources
• The environment
• Education
• Health
• Welfare (or caring for the poor)

That is a lot of things! Take a closer look, these are very important areas aren’t they?  How do you think we can pray for some of these?

1.Take justice for example. This includes the judges and lawyers that decide how to rule over things that happen in the province. How do they decide who goes to jail or gets fined or is let go? They need a lot of wisdom don’t they. Well the Bible promises that God will grant wisdom to all who ask Him for it.

James 1: 5 But if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

ACTIVITY: Go to a Law office building, or the provincial court. Ask ahead if there is a time that you could see one of the criminal lawyers or judges. Before hand make up a card to hand them saying that you appreciate what they are doing for justice in your province and that you are praying for them that God would grant them wisdom. If he or she is open ask if there is something that you can pray for them regularly.

2.Now let’s look at another area. How about Education, that’s an easy one. The schools and universities in our province are a provincial responsibility. The schools have a HUGE responsibility and a lot of power as they influence what kids are taught which affects how they live. Timothy is encouraged by Paul in 2 Timothy 3: 14-17 to “continue in the things you were taught from childhood…so you may be fully qualified and equipped in every good deed.”

ACTIVITY: Pray for your teachers at school and ask God to help them to teach in ways that would equip you to do what is right.  Bake some cookies for your teacher and thank them for teaching you. Tell them that you are praying for them. Ask God to help you see ways in which you can encourage them. Then Do it.

Parents a really good connection is “Mothers Who Care”. They operate in many different schools and pray for the teachers and the students. You can click on www.breakthroughprayer.com/home/welcomemwc.html for more information.

REMEMBER the best teacher is the Bible.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.  It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)

3.How about thinking about the Natural resources in your province? In Manitoba farming is very important. There are a lot of farmers and many grow wheat or canola. A year ago there was a flood and then there was no rain at all, not very good for the crops. The farmers were very concerned, and it was mentioned in the news a few times. Well Our Daniel Prayer group heard about it and decided to go to a little town called Morris in Manitoba which is right in the farming area. We took some wheat seeds and a watering can and off we went. We went to a farmer and asked if we could pray for their farm for rain and for God to bless their crops. He said yes and came along. We took the seeds, held them in our hands and asked God to bless the crop this year with a 100 fold harvest. We picked up some soil and thanked God for creating the soil. Then we took a watering can and poured out water onto the ground and asked God to send rain. The farmer thanked us for coming.

Guess what happened? The next morning we woke up to the sound of rain. It had rained all night! One of the people that were with us talked to a farm insurance person the next day and he said, “the rain last night was ‘A million dollar rain’ as it saved the crop!”

Now you too can keep your ears open to discover an area of your province that is in some kind of difficulty. Ask God what you can do to pray for or go to and encourage the people there.

4.Take one of the other areas of government responsibility and think of a creative way to pray for and encourage the people that are involved in those areas. It may be a phone call or going to where they work or making a banner or gift to present to them. Let me know what you come up with in the comment section below. I’d love to post your ideas!!!

B) Another idea would be to go to the legislative building in your province. Walk through the building and look at the pictures on the walls and the statues on the grounds. Ask God to open your eyes to see why these pictures or statues are there.
Beforehand one of the leaders can go to the site and do some research. Then have the kids go to these different points and pray.

For Example: In Manitoba there is a statue of Louis Riel on the grounds. He believed strongly in standing up for the oppressed and poor. He stood up for the rights of the Metis, and wrote the “List of Rights” that was passed by the Canadian Government in 1870. He believed that God had everything in control and the Prayer and fasting were the two great keys to success.

So we prayed at his statue that
• God would hear the cries of the Metis and First Nations people in our province
• that Justice would be done in areas affecting them.
• that God would raise up other people in our province with a heart like that of Louis Riel

Another monument at the Manitoba Legislative building is a Holocaust Memorial. There we:
• Prayed for the Jewish community in Manitoba that there would be no discrimination against them
• Prayed for the peace of Jerusalem as God tells us to do in Ps.122 vs. 6-9 using those verses as a prayer.

You could also go to the Legislative building in your province when it is in session and sit in the visitors seats and pray as the session is going. Pray for wisdom for the leaders that they would make Godly laws. You could even ask to pray for the Premier or one of the other leaders that are there. A group of Kids/youth did that and they were SO encouraged to realize that there were youth that cared. These youth also shared that it was important to them that they passed laws that protected the poor, the unborn and were against drugs and violence.

Don’t forget to add to your poster of praying from Jerusalem –> the ends of the earth.

A few years ago a group of people met in Charlottetown, PEI Canada. They were meetings with a group known as Watchmen for the Nations. This was the place where the confederation documents of Canada were drafted. At that time the Motto “He shall have dominion from sea to sea” was coined, from the Psalms. It is written over and arch in the parliament buildings in Ottawa, Canada’s capitol. As a group, young and old, we prayed for the nation, and that God would restore us to be in line with His purposes for Canada and the kids learned this song to present as a part of the worship. The header picture was taken then.

 Lift your head - Norm Strauss

We have seen enough of the chariots of man,
We have seen the nations as they rage,
We have seen their idols that can’t feel or speak or hear,
And the power of the darkness of this age,

Oh Lord we fix our eyes on you,
We’re at your very command,
Let the church come to attention now                
By the power of your hand,

Lift your heads, He is here,
He surrounds us like the mountains,
He is high, Lifted up,
Clothed in splendor, mighty warrior,
And we will overcome!

(Repeat from beginning)

Tag:
Though it seems like there’s darkness all around,
There has never been a brighter day!

What are the roots of your nation? Look up in History book to see what you can find. In Canada there is a really neat book by Fayene Kryshow, “Stand on Guard” that explores the godly roots of our nations. You would be surprised at some of them. I will be using some ideas from that for the Daniel Prayer group prayer activity on Saturday when we pray for Provinces.

(You can purchase the CD with the song “Lift Up Your head” from the “Restore Us” CD by Norm Strauss)