Casandra Martin

Today is the Fourth of July. Celebrating independence, Americans across the country will relax in back yards, fire up the grills, spend time with family and friends, ooh and aah over fireworks, and fly the flag that carries our nation’s colors and proclaims its ideals.

As you move through your neighborhood today, let the red, white, and blue remind you to pray for our country. Let each color of the flag trigger a cascade of praise, intercession, and thanksgiving for the blessings we enjoy as Americans.

Red – Every time you see the red stripes on the flag today, remember the blood that was shed for freedom. Pray for our soldiers who endure hardship, stand with courage, and serve with commitment. Pray for their families – spouses, children, parents, and friends who sacrifice, support, and strengthen those on the front lines. Pray for our leaders. Pray for peace.

White – Let the white stars and stripes on the flag today prompt you to pray for the soul of our nation. Pray for innocence and integrity to define who we are as a people. Plead for truth to be our banner. Holiness and righteousness have the power to be our greatest resource and deepest strength if we will prayerfully embed it into our national consciousness.

Blue – Allow the blue in our flag to remind you of the blessings and beauty of this land that stretches from “sea to shining sea.” Be thankful for the freedom, privileges, and responsibilities that flow from your citizenship. Take time to trace God’s fingerprints on our history. Notice the power of His presence in this moment. Pray for His grace to flood this land, His Word to echo in our ears, and His will to be our greatest desire.

My Jesus Resolution today is to pray for my country. Every time I see a flag today, I am going to let it lead my heart to intercede for the land that I love. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Waiting on God is hard. We struggle more with God’s timing than just about anything else. I tend to be in a hurry. I want things to move faster, go quicker, and resolve sooner. When I wait for God, I have to slow down. Waiting on His movement turns my heart towards trusting His goodness. It requires me to move out of the driver’s seat and take my proper place by His side. It acknowledges that He is pure love, and that every move He makes will be filled with deep grace – just for me.

As I wrestle with waiting instead of worrying, Isaiah brought a fresh truth to my heart. “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 30:18)

God waits for me! He longs to pour out grace and mercy into my tired, weary soul. In order to fill me with all of His goodness and love, He waits for me. He waits for me to wait for Him. He longs for me to long for Him more than I long for my own timing, my own solutions, my own agenda, and my own way.

In learning to wait for Him, I am mirroring the heart of the One who waits for me. His patience becomes my pattern. His desires redefine my delight. His perspective shapes my vision. His purpose transforms the way I walk through my days and order my priorities.

Waiting implies worth. We wait on God because He is worth waiting for. Today I learned that God says I am worth waiting for as well.

My Jesus Resolution today is to wait. I am going to still my heart and turn my face to Him. I am going to trust that God is in control and will do what is best in His time. Too many times, worry draws my heart away from worship and being frantic prevents me from seeing His face. The Lord is waiting to be gracious to me today. He has an immeasurable measure of joy, peace, mercy, and love in store for me. Instead of rushing ahead, I am going to wait on the One who is waiting for me to experience all of the abundance to be found in Christ.