Pastor’s Ponderings
“Amazing”
As I reflect back on the Prayer March my wife and I and the Paynes recently attended, I don’t have a sufficient adjective to describe what we saw. I could say it was astounding, phenomenal, or incredible, but that wouldn’t do it justice. I will settle for “amazing.”
We arrived at the Lincoln Memorial about 10:30 on Saturday morning, September 26, 2020. We rode the elevator up to the interior of the memorial to get a view of the crowd. At that time most people were on the grounds of the memorial or standing near the reflecting pool. That would soon change.
Every moment more people walked and drove up, and the numbers kept climbing. People began lining the reflecting pool, and soon they stretched all the way to the WW II Memorial.
Music from Michael W. Smith played (many old hymns) and the crowd got excited as Vice-President Pence and his wife joined the celebration, though he left soon thereafter.
The intention was to say a specific prayer at each of the seven stations. That plan was off because of the huge crowd (estimated to be 100,000 by one counting). It took us almost 30 minutes to get to station # 2, the World War II Memorial, and some people actually started the march there (see map below).
Someone in the crowd told us to pray on our own at each station rather than wait for the officials to pray. The crowd was so large everyone had to improvise.
At every station one of our group asked for God’s blessings on our country in a specific area. I incorporated those prayers on the calendar at the center of the newsletter and encourage you to pray for these seven areas yourself.
We were especially moved by a dear black woman we met at station 5, the National Museum of African History & Culture (her picture is in Betty’s article). She walked right up to us and said she loved us and thanked us for coming to the march. She believed this country can come together across racial lines.
A little further down some of the marchers had surrounded a police SUV. Rather than cursing the officer or trying to destroy the vehicle, they had their hands on the SUV praying for its occupant and all law enforcement officials.
We finished up at the U.S. Capitol with Mrs. Judy praying for our Congress, state officials, and judges. To see so many crying out to God for this country was moving. You can watch a replay at prayermarch2020.com
It was equally amazing to visit the Museum of the Bible which opened in 2017 at a cost of $550 million. The exhibits were amazing (there’s that word again).
The entrance had brass gates containing the first lines of Genesis in Latin. The first floor had a children’s area that was closed and a gift shop.
The second floor started with the Bible in America, tracing its history from the first settlers to the 21st century. The Bible in the World exhibit showed the influence of the Bible in films, music, literature, and fashion. The Bible Now area presented a live feed of global data concerning Bible usage.
The third floor started with The Hebrew Bible Experience, which included 30 minutes of significant stories from the Old Testament beginning with creation and ending with the prophets. We then moved to The Word of Jesus of Nazareth, a walk through the village including a home, a synagogue, and a carpenter shop. Artifacts over 4,000 years old were here.
The next floor contained The History of Bible Artifacts, including scrolls and rare printed Bibles. We saw how the Bible moved from God’s mind, through a writer, and onto printed paper. They used a large section of the museum for a special display on the King James Bible, demonstrating the significant role it has played in history.
I cannot do justice to the museum in this brief article. I hope you get a chance to view this masterpiece dedicated to the Word of God. I cannot imagine going to DC again without attending the museum.
I also want especially to thank Bro. Terry Williams and Bro. Donnie Williams for preaching while I was gone. The livestream worked great and we watched both services from our hotel room. The Paynes were delightful travel companions.
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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:
1) Courage
2) Wisdom
3) Strength
4) Victory
5) Vision