"I call to you,
Lord, come quickly to me; hear me when I call to you. May my prayer be
set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the
evening sacrifice. Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; Keep watch over the
door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I
take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let
me eat their delicacies." (Ps. 141:1-4 NIV)
Years ago, I was assigned an emergency stint
in San Diego as a Staffer for Home Health. I was given an office in the
Imperial Beach Area where my asthma and my allergies were under control.
As I entered the city, I noticed an unusual
heaviness in the air. I looked out the window but there were no rain
clouds. It was as if the whole city was shrouded in grief. I prayed the
words of Ps. 141:1-4 then: "I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me;
hear me when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like
incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice."
(NIV) and asked God to meet me there, but it was still under that same
oppression that I drove through Balboa Park and continued on to Imperial
Beach, where I was to be temporarily housed.
I settled into my new surroundings and my job,
confident that God was always there with me. Despite my prayers, the
heavy cloud still hang over the city. It was when I visited one of the
churches that I learned what the sadness was about. I was informed that
there was a lot of activity under the guise of the law, ordering the
tearing down of the 43-foot Mount Soledad Cross in La Jolla, San Diego.
The government stated that it was illegal and unconstitutional to put a
cross on government land.
The problem had already gone through several
courts. The Christians seemed to be fighting a losing battle. They
fasted and prayed, all churches coming together as one. They prayed on
the mountain top, but enemies of the cross also went up to the mountain
top, lit their bonfires and did their ceremonies. Only God could fix it
now.
By this time the piece of land where the cross
stood had changed hands several times in everybody's effort to be able
to afford to buy the land so they could keep the cross upon it. Each
time the courts disappointed them. Why? This is God's tent. This is
where He dwells! Why wasn't He coming through?
And so we prayed: "Father we long for your
presence on Mount Soledad. Thank you that your dwelling place is with
your people. Fill them again today with your Blessed Holy Spirit and
make your name great among them."
God heard that very
simple prayer and touched the heart of Barak Obama. On July 20, 2015, He
donated the land to the veterans of Soledad, and today the cross still
stands because of a heart that heard the call of grace. What a
coincidence that the name of the mountain is Soledad-or Sorrow...
There is ALWAYS Hope!
Love in Jesus
Candy Aranetta
Prayer Warrior with
Answers2Prayer
Ministries