“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

(To access the entire “There is ALWAYS Hope” devotional series, please click here.)