Monday, August 12, 2024

A House Divided


 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ~Mark 3:25


Can we see?  Can we ask?

Does vision clearly show?

Are questions even answered?

Or, do we hear a 'no?'

A country in a quandary

As these elections loom

Both sides tell the future

Choice of hope or gloom

Records speak, loud and strong

Each one will compete

One who rides the coattails

Of political elites

The other, facing bullets

Divisive lies incite

Who didn't need the power

But for this nation, fights

Who will win our nation torn

By differences and strife?

Only Jesus unifies

He holds eternal life.

Amen!

53 comments:

  1. Dearest Martha Jane,
    Woke up from pain and have to sit up till it goes down somewhat so I can sleep again.
    What a dramatic photo and such a TRUTH about a torn nation. Great poem and like the Romans used to divide and conquer—some are at it again.
    May lots of prayer be able to hold us together as One Nation Under God!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. I'm so sorry to hear about your physical pain, Mariette. I will certainly keep you in prayers for healing.
      You are absolutely right about the Romans' use of divide and conquer, and I hate that it seems to be wreaking havoc in our own nation. May we seek God's wisdom to heal and unify so we CAN be that one nation under God, indivisible.
      Love and blessings!

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  2. The thing is ... everywhere there is division. One nation against another, a nation within itself, a family divided between couples, offspring and siblings, neighbours, friends and colleagues too. Divisions in the Church also. I think it's because people have distanced themselves from God. But what do I know?

    God bless.

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    1. You've hit the nail on the head, Victor. When we turn away from God, we are already divided in our hearts, minds and souls. The devil is having a hey-day, isn't he? Let us repent and turn to the Lord before it's too late.
      Love and blessings!

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  3. Yep, on what Victor said. A house divided will never stand, never. We often talk about this in our home. smiles

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    1. Hi, Linda! Yes, I appreciated Victor's comment, too, and my response is above.
      Love and blessings!

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  4. As a pastor I refuse to take sides or to preach anything political from the pulpit. I have my thoughts but largely keep them to myself. What I do encourage the church I pastor to do is to pray for our military and LEOs and also to pray for our country and the direction we are going in. Neither party has the answer. Only Jesus does.

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    1. You are wise, Bill, to simply encourage your congregation to pray for those who serve and for the health and well-being of our country. Yes, Jesus is the ONLY one with the means to heal us all and bring unity to our nation.
      Love and blessings!

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  5. As you say, Martha, until we recognize our desperate need for God, the disunion will only get worse.

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    1. Yes, it will, Glynn. Let us all pray for this nation.
      Love and blessings!

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  6. Replies
    1. And again, I say amen, Christine.
      Love and blessings!

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  7. The world is fractured in to so many pieces, I hope they can be put back together. It's up to us to do the work or else there will be no hope.

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    1. God will give us that hope for unity, Bill, and with His strength, we can persevere and heal. No more fractures!
      Love and blessings!

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  8. Martha Jane: All we can do is pray for our nation and our world. We have to remain strong and stand for Jesus as we go through these times. Peace and blessings to you and yours.

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    1. If we don't stand with Jesus, Cecelia, we will certainly fall through the cracks of division. Let us continue to pray daily for unity and peace.
      Love and blessings!

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  9. Powerful! I pray every day not to let the media (social and so-called journalists) influence my thought processes. Never forget, God is in control.

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    1. Yes, Myra, God has ultimate control of whatever happens, and we need to seek His will and trust that He does want unity for this one nation under Him.
      Love and blessings!

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  10. I pray that lies would be exposed in spite of strong powers trying to affirm them, and that truth would shine with clarity in spite of strong powers trying to hide it. Lord, have mercy upon our beleaguered country! Lord, have mercy upon our suffering world!

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    1. Oh, yes, Nancy, I pray for the same as you can tell. Only Jesus can heal this division and convict those who are in love with lies of their need to repent and ask forgiveness for loving earthly power above God.
      Love and blessings!

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  11. Well, said Martha. This year I’m going to try to focus on remembering we serve a sovereign God and not on the polls! Be blessed!

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    1. That's a wonderful focus to have, A. May God's will be done.
      Love and blessings!

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  12. Replies
    1. It's never, ever a good thing, Jo-Anne. We must be united by our human similarities and not our transient differences.
      Love and blessings!

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  13. Yes, yes, yes! So perfectly written and spoken, Martha! Thank you. Praying for our nation every day. Amen.

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    1. Thank you so much, Pamela, for your kind words here. Yes, let us pray continually for our troubled nation.
      Love and blessings!

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  14. So well said, Martha!! The only thing keeping me steady through all of this is to keep saying God is in control. God is in control. God is in control. I am very concerned, though. God is in control.

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    1. Amen, Terri! That same reminder has become my mantra, too. When my heart is troubled, I know God is there to comfort and give me faith that His will is all that matters.
      Love and blessings!

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  15. Excellent and moving piece, Martha! Our country needs much prayer. Even our founding fathers recognized the heavenly Father as the One who unifies and leads. Pray we get back to "In God we trust." God bless, Karen Friday

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    1. I am praying the same, Karen. God is the only One who can truly bring us together in the same way the Founding Fathers envisioned.
      Love and blessings!

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  16. Hi Martha Jane, lovely poem. God is the only Saviour of the world, as scripture says - 'Unless God intervened all flesh would be destroyed.' God bless you as you continue on in the Lord.

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    1. Thank you, Brenda for your gracious comment here. But for God, we would all perish from the face of this earth. Thankful for His grace and mercy every day.
      Love and blessings!

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  17. Beautiful piece. God is our refuge and my prayers are for our Government to realize that this Country was founded on God...To turn from the evil of power and money and to STAND on the word of God. We desperately need God's intervention. Thank you Martha.

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    1. I agree, Shug, that we need God's help and intervention in this country more than ever. May we all wake up and realize that it is because of God and His precepts that our nation was founded.
      Love and blessings!

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  18. Perfect poem for the divided state of our nation. But the ending, yes! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us, and grant us peace. May we keep our hearts and minds focused on Him.

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    1. Amen, Debra! That's exactly where and on whom our hearts and minds should be focused.
      Love and blessings!

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  19. Bom dia, Martha
    Que a unidade permanece sempre, vamos orar, pois Deus é o nosso refúgio e fortaleza, em todo tempo, um forte abraço.

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    1. Yes, God is always our refuge and strength and He is the only One who can unify us in peace.
      Love and blessings!

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  20. Jesus should be on our ballot. All things would be right.

    Hugs and Blessings

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    1. How I wish He was, Jim! There wouldn't be any mistakes made if it were up to Him.
      Love and blessings!

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  21. Yes, our nation needs prayer. At times I don't know where to begin, there is so much going awry.

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    1. I hear you loud and clear, Barbara. When we don't know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will intercede for us.
      Love and blessings!

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  22. Although I live in the Netherlands, I follow the election campaigns a little bit, since we lived many years in Southern California. We pray for America, for God's will to be done.

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    1. Your prayers for our country are so appreciated, Marja. And yes, may God's will be done.
      Love and blessings!

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  23. Oh my, Martha. I don't know how this one got by me. Well... I guess I sorta do. Diane and i have been like spinning like termites in a yo-yo for the last several days--nothing life threatening, but so wrapped up in grandkids and college stuff that nothing has been normal for nearly a week. We were helping one grandson move into his first apartment and get settled for his second year in college and his brother is working through getting in gear for his first year in a different school. We've been a bit cross-eyed and brain numbed helping them and their parents with all the questions, issues, and physical work. Our son along with one of the boys and prayers for patience spent nearly half a day putting a desk and one other piece of furniture together. It's fascinating how they reduce a desk to about 10 little flat boxes, three or four bags of screws and other little pieces of assorted plastic, accompanied by an instruction book that only had what looked like pencil drawings of little guys with frowns on their face if you pick the wrong screw and smiles if you do it right. May God deliver us from people too stupid or linguistically challenged to just tell you what goes where and restore some Yankee ingenuity.
    'Scuse me Martha. I really meant to use this space to tell you how much I appreciate your poetic gifts and your courage to speak truth in a way that is informative and compelling. I loved reading your work this morning and am so glad I found it. As always, I'm on the same page with you about the absolute hoax being perpetrated on our country in the guise of a democrat campaign. Your post was welcome dose of encouragement. I had looked for it earlier but didn't see it, but went looking again this morning and there it was. Please forgive me for being so tardy--has nothing to do with our appreciation of you and gratitude for being in your circle of fans and friends.

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    1. I so appreciate your comment here, Ron, about what has been keeping Diane and you in a whirlwind of activity. It's so wonderful to have the privilege of helping your grandsons settle into their new college settings, and your details about putting that desk together had me rolling! I do so enjoy your sarcasm and excellent sense of humor.
      As for the sentiment expressed in the poem, we are on the same page of these issues and share such great love for God and our country. May His will be done.
      Love and blessings!

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  24. Replies
    1. You said it all in a nutshell, Duta.
      Love and blessings!

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  25. This poem powerfully highlights the division we face and the hope that true unity comes through Jesus.
    As we navigate these times, may we seek His guidance, knowing He holds the ultimate victory.
    Amen!

    Hugs and blessings, Martha

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    1. Amen, Veronica! Only our loving God has ultimate control and He is our only hope for unity.
      Love and blessings!

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