God, Please Continue to Keep Our Land Glorious and Free

It sure has been quite a week here in Canada, particularly in a city that is 5 hours from where we live. I am sure most, if not all, of you have heard of the events that have transpired around our government buildings on Wednesday. It definitely has made us sad yet alert and thankful once again for the men and women that serve in our military. May we continue to pray for all those who serve this beautiful country that we live in. To read a bit more, here is a link

However, our prayers don't stop there. We also pray for these radicals, the men and women who are so lost in their way that they feel the strong need to take not only others' lives, but also their own. What is so sad about all this is, while what happened in Ottawa is tragic, events like this happen daily in other countries! May these countries remain in our prayers, as well as the leaders that are in positions of authority. We pray for the terrorist groups as well, the many that are around the world who feel they are above and beyond the law. May they see that although they are convinced that they have control and are on top, there is still One higher than they. And that is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Psalm 2 New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 2

¹ Why do the nations conspire^[a]
    and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.”

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ “I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

⁷ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron^[b];
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate his rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss his son, or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

 

(Nathan just called me half an hour ago - he happened to be on an overpass on the way to a conference, and stopped as he noticed the processional of Nathan Cirillo's body was passing by. Too hard to describe in words, he said, but man, are we both proud to be Canadians. Here are some photos of the processional)