10 05 07 Prepared to Stand?

"Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NET)

At the National Mall on October 6, 2007, men from all over the nation (if not the world) will once again gather to commemorate an event held 10 years ago in the exact location. I remember 10 years ago, because I had to stay home from Washington, DC and watch on TV, and care for my bride who had become ill. I had a real challenge that day, whether to stand in public or stand for my marriage and my love and commitment to my wife. Needless to say, I took my stand as God would have me do in the home, at my wife’s side.

Lord willing, I’ll be in DC Saturday with several brothers from my church and a few thousand of my brothers from all around the globe and from various denominations with various hues of skin color and various preferences of worship and prayer. All this variety, yet ONE God, ONE Spirit, ONE faith! What a joyous sight and experience it will be!

As we will Stand in the Gap for men and families everywhere, pleading with God to forgive us, heal us, and strengthen us; I can’t help but wonder how far we’ve come in 10 years. I know I have grown in many areas, yet I can easily count the times I have failed my wife, neglected my duties as a father, and sold myself and my church short by not doing all I could have done. I know I have disappointed my DADDY many times, but He is still faithful to me! As a Nation, we have definitely taken the downward slope!

My challenge personally is to rededicate myself to be more PREPARED TO STAND when my wife needs me, when my children and grandchildren need me, and when my church needs me. I desire to be prepared to say “Here I am Lord, use me” when He ask “who is willing to ‘stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land’ (Ezekiel 22:30)”

But to do that, I need to be a clean vessel, lifting holy hands before a holy God day by day. It doesn’t happen overnight. It requires determination, discipline, and dependency upon God’s Spirit and a few other grounded believers.

Our families need us to STAND. Our pastors and churches need us to STAND. Our Nation needs us to STAND. God asks us to STAND! Are we PREPARED TO STAND and carry out our assigned duties?