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Purple Ark Ministries PAVE Devotional © Copyright Reserved June 23th 2009 Neda "Cry of the Oppressed" by Danny Smith
Genesis 21 17-18 God heard the boy crying and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation. I often ask the question, who will speak for those who have no voice in the restricted world that we live in. Recently I witnessed a CNN news segment on TV that broke my heart in two. My mind was traumatized by the images of human life crying out for deliverance. I said to myself, “are you sure you want to write a devotional about the suffering in Iran”? The answer to my question was, Yes, I do! As humanitarians, we must have compassion for life for any country, city or community that is living in oppression. I am sympathetic to any life that is taken without justification. The images of a human life lying on the street are a horror beyond words.
There are many places in society where the spiritually broken have no voice. The rights of woman have always been overshadowed by forces that reduce human life because of their race, creed or gender. The watered down morality in our society today has been changed to look like spirituality. In reality no one has the rights to disregard the purpose of life. No one has the right to hurt defenseless people of any country. In choosing my words carefully, I believe that every now and then we cross the line with God; we breach our agreement as caretakers of life. As children growing up, we have broken certain rules that our parents would punish us for. When my brother and I would do something wrong, the fear of God caused us to shake and hide our faces. We eventually had to face the consequences of our wrong doing's. The oppression of the rights of Hagar's son and the death of a woman lying in the street of Tehran are both symbolic of changes that only God can make. It is time for a new direction and a just nation to emerge. It is time to refresh God's creations in Iran. "To God be the Glory".
Prayer Dear Lord, Take what is left and build a new nation. Oh God you are so amazing! You are so great! I am in awe of your power of deliverance. Release your mighty winds upon Iran. Bring peace and deliverance to the oppressed. Send the rain of the Holy Spirit. Let the water of life pour into the streets and the places that govern the land. It is time for fragrance of your garden to be released. Loosen the hold on your creation. We claim new souls for God's Kingdom. We pray for supernatural peace! We pray for healing of sick and injured. Break the enemy's back, tell him to get out of the way. Let the mission to save souls move like a mighyt river. Thank you Holy Spirit for your confirmation, Thank you for your presence in this prayer. It is not about us, it about Your glory! In Jesus Name Amen
PAVE Notes: Isaiah 5:7 says: The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. The death of an Iranian woman named Neda Agha-Soltanis has given voice to the oppressed around the world. Please pass this devotional on to your friend to bring awareness to oppression around the world and their cry for deliverance. |
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