The F.D.A. Just Issued A New Warning For The J&J COVID-19 Vaccine

All people in the U.S. above the age of 12 are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eased mask-wearing requirements for vaccinated people. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning that the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine is linked to a very small incidence of a rare nerve complication, Guillain-Barré syndrome.

The more than 159 million Americans and counting who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks inside most places and outside among crowds.

“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters at a press briefing in May. “If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy.”

People are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine like Johnson & Johnson.

All Americans over the age of 12 are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Already, 67.7% of Americans over 18 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 48% of the population have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the CDC.

If you’re not yet vaccinated, it’s understandable to have questions, including what’s in the vaccines. That’s especially likely if you’re interested in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) now says is linked to a very small incidence of the rare nerve complication, Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Here's everything we know about the COVID-19 vaccines, their ingredients, and what life might look like once you're fully vaccinated:

How many vaccines are available in the United States?

The FDA has authorized three COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use.

On Friday, December 11, the FDA approved the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech. And exactly one week later, on December 18, the vaccine from Moderna/National Institutes of Health was given the official thumbs up. The breakthrough came after nearly a year of scientists racing to produce a safe and effective vaccine.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine requires two doses, three weeks apart, and is said to be 95 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19.

The Moderna/National Institutes of Health vaccine also requires two doses, though they need to be given four weeks apart (not three). It’s said to have 94.1 percent efficacy.

On February 27th, a third shot, from Johnson & Johnson, was also granted emergency use authorization by the FDA. Johnson & Johnson announced that its single-shot vaccine is 66 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, 85 percent effective at stopping severe cases, and 100 percent effective against hospitalizations and deaths. This vaccine is now available for use again in the U.S. after it was on pause due to concerns about rare blood clots.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds. It’s the first vaccine to be approved for use in people under the age of 16—though Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca are in clinical trials now—meaning that hundreds of thousands of young people could be vaccinated in time for the 2021-2022 school year.

“We have safety, we got the immune response we wanted—it was actually better than what we saw in the 16- to 25-year-old population—and we had outright demonstration of efficacy,” Dr. Bill Gruber, a pediatrician and SVP at Pfizer told the New York Times.

How do these vaccines work again?

A quick primer: A vaccine is a substance that contains dead or weakened, disease-causing microbes. (For example, the measles vaccine contains measles microbes.) These microbes are inactive, which means they won’t make you sick—but they will stimulate your immune system to produce antibodies that will protect you from that disease in the future, according to the CDC.

“Vaccines fool the body into thinking it’s being attacked without actually giving you the virus,” explains Paula Cannon, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. “Your body scrambles to make antibodies that are tailor-made to fight that virus, and you retain those antibodies for life.” (Antibodies are proteins your immune system makes to fight infections like coronavirus.)

In the case of COVID-19, the vaccines work in different ways but they all do the same thing: They trick your body into creating antibodies that fight COVID-19.

What’s in the COVID-19 vaccine?

“The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and Moderna vaccine don’t contain the whole virus,” says Amesh Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “They contain genetic material from the virus, known as mRNA.” When mRNA enters your body, your cells turn it into a protein called a spike protein, which your body recognizes as foreign and forms an immune response against.

“The mRNA is like an instruction manual,” explains Cannon. “It tells your body how to make the spike protein, which is a cool trick because normally it would need to be made in a lab.” (You know those images you’ve seen of the coronavirus? Those things sticking out of the microbe are the spike protein.)

Indeed, the use of mRNA in a vaccine is a huge scientific breakthrough. “It changes the entire way we respond to infectious disease emergencies and makes vaccine development much quicker, easier, and less costly,” says Adalja. “Not only are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines a win against COVID-19, but they’re also a win for emerging infectious diseases as a whole.”

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses a different tactic to get spike protein into your body. “They also have the genetic instructions to make spike protein but instead of being written on a piece of mRNA, it’s contained within a harmless adenovirus, which normally causes the common cold,” says Cannon. The adenovirus has been weakened so it can’t infect you—it’s simply used to transport the genetic instructions for your body to make spike protein.

From there, the mechanism is the same as with the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccine: Your body sees the spike protein as foreign and creates antibodies to fight against it.

What’s in the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine?

Here is the full list of ingredients, according to the FDA:

mRNA

Lipids (including ((4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate), 2 [(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide, 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine, and cholesterol)

Potassium chloride

Monobasic potassium phosphate

Sodium chloride

Dibasic sodium phosphate dehydrate

Sucrose

What’s in the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine?

These are the ingredients in the Moderna vaccine, per the FDA:

mRNA

Lipids

Tromethamine

Tromethamine hydrochloride

Acetic acid

Sodium acetate

Sucrose

What’s in the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine?

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine contains these ingredients, according to the FDA:

recombinant, replication-incompetent adenovirus type 26 expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

citric acid monohydrate

trisodium citrate dihydrate,

ethanol

2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HBCD)

polysorbate-80,

sodium chloride

Is the COVID-19 vaccine FDA-approved?

All vaccines must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration before they can be used in the United States. FDA scientists and medical professionals carefully evaluate all the available data about the vaccine to ensure its safety and effectiveness.

“Because of the urgency of the situation, the FDA has been fast-tracking the approval process,” says Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS, science communication lead at The COVID Tracking Project. “But that doesn’t mean the safety or efficacy has been compromised.”

In May 2021, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use in 12- to 15-year-olds. Right now, the vaccine is currently in clinical trials for children ages 2 to 5 years old. Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson are currently in clinical trials for the teenage set, and have not yet been approved by the FDA.

Does the COVID-19 vaccine have side effects?

Like any vaccine, the COVID-19 vaccines do come with potential side effects. “Similar to the flu vaccine, the side effects are pretty mild, and the most common one is fatigue,” says Malaty Rivera.

Other potential side effects, which may last several days, include injection site soreness, muscle aches and pains, chills, joint pain, and a low-grade fever, according to the FDA. More people experience side effects after the second dose than after the first dose. The potential side effects of the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are the same.

However, it’s now worth noting that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine comes with a very small risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which has happened in less than one in a million people—all women—who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

And on July 12, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added a warning to the J&J vaccine, linking it to a very small incidence of the rare nerve complication Guillain-Barré syndrome.

The long-term side effects of the vaccines are unknown. That said, the risk of severe side effects such as heart issues is low. “Statistically, one in a million people will have serious vaccine side effects,” says Malaty Rivera. “The general burden of the disease far outweighs the potential risks of the vaccine.”

What is going on with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?

The FDA announced on July 12 that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will now carry a warning that it comes with a risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder where a person’s own immune system damages their nerves. Guillain-Barré syndrome can cause muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Symptoms can last anywhere from a few weeks to several years and, while most people fully recover, some have permanent nerve damage or even die from the condition, the CDC says.

“Reports of adverse events following use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine under emergency use authorization suggest an increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome during the 42 days following vaccination,” the updated fact sheet for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine now reads.

“Although the available evidence suggests an association between the Janssen vaccine and increased risk of GBS, it is insufficient to establish a causal relationship. No similar signal has been identified with the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.”

Dr. Adalja points out that Guillain-Barré syndrome is a known—and rare—risk factor in several vaccines, not just the COVID-19 vaccine. There’s “no specific ingredient” in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that’s been flagged as problematic, Dr. Adalja says, “but it could be related to the adenovirus vector.” Similar cases also happened with the AstraZenca vaccine (which is not authorized for use in the U.S.), he points out.

Will I need to get a booster shot after I’m vaccinated?

The CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, announced on April 15 that people will "likely" need to get a third dose of Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine in the next 12 months.

"There will be likely a need for a third dose somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there would be an annual revaccination," Bourla said, as reported by CNBC.

Pfizer’s vaccine is not the only one that may require a booster. Moderna has also been monitoring those vaccinated with their vaccine and found that its vaccine maintained its effectiveness after six months. Moderna said on Tuesday, April 14, that the vaccine (which was found to be 95% effective in initial trials) was 94.5% effective at the six-month mark.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, also talked about the possible need for boosters to address COVID-19 variants on Monday, April 12. "We know for sure it's effective for six months and highly likely that it will be effective for considerably longer period of time," he said during an interview with MSNBC's Medhi Hasan. Dr. Fauci added that experts will "determine when that level of efficacy or protection diminishes.”

He also noted that monitoring will be ongoing, and "if it turns out [to last] a year or a year and a half, we very well may need to get booster shots to keep up the level of protection.”

Can vaccinated people transmit the virus?

People are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine like Johnson & Johnson.

Fully vaccinated people can now go unmasked almost everywhere inside and outside, according to new CDC guidance released May 13. It's a major step forward that will help reopen offices, schools, and other venues. The new guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons, and homeless shelters. However, unvaccinated people still need to wear a mask at such gatherings.

In an interview on The Rachel Maddow Show, CDC director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky stated that fully vaccinated individuals did not appear to transmit the virus to others. "Vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don't get sick, and that is not just in the clinical trials but it's also in real-world data," she said.

Will the COVID-19 vaccine be mandatory?

In general, vaccines can’t be mandated by the federal government; however, states and cities have the authority to regulate public health and they’ve mandated vaccines in the past.

The only people who may be required to get the vaccine are healthcare workers, which isn’t unusual. Hospitals frequently make staff get the flu or hepatitis B vaccine. Schools may make the same requirement. “There are vaccine requirements for school because you’re putting yourself in a public setting where there may be other people who are medically fragile,” explains Malaty Rivera. “Also: School is something you can do on your own if you don’t agree with the protocol.”

You may have heard rumors that companies like Ticketmaster or even your own employer could make the COVID-19 mandatory, but these claims are untrue. “No vaccines are mandatory for adults,” says Adalji. “There may be some employers who want that to be the case but it will be hard to do.”

What will life look like once you're vaccinated?

If you can't wait to resume your pre-COVID social life, the recently updated CDC guidelines for fully vaccinated people are certainly something to feel hopeful about.

Per the CDC, fully vaccinated individuals can now feel free to:

Resume indoor and outdoor activities without wearing a mask even in crowded settings and in most venues.

Visit with other vaccinated folks indoors (no masks or distancing required!).

If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.

Skip out on quarantining or testing after being exposed to someone with COVID-19 (as long as they remain asymptomatic).

However, there are still a few things that all of us need to do to stay safe (yes, including fully vaccinated people). These include:

High-risk individuals should consult their physician before shedding their masks.

Wearing a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation as well as in hospitals and prisons.

Getting tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

Following guidance issued by individual employers.

Following travel guidelines and recommendations.

The F.D.A. Just Issued A New Warning For The J&J COVID-19 Vaccine

WOMEN'S DAY

There are no shortage of stressors that can make daily life hard. Whether you're dealing with financial hardship, the loss of a loved one, or difficulties in your closest relationships, life often presents challenges that can make you feel depleted and in need of comfort. And when you need a little extra help to get back on your feet, turning to the Bible is a great idea. These encouraging Bible verses will help you remember what's really important in your life — faith, family, friends — and allow you to take a step back and stop letting little things get you down. No matter what it is that's bothering you, these encouraging words from the Bible will be sure to point you in the right direction and help set you on a path back toward happiness.

Many of these helpful encouraging Bible verses will help in changing your mindset to focus on more important things. Some call upon readers to take stock of all of the blessings in their life, or to practice gratitude, which is shown to be a great way to get out of a funk and start feeling more positive about things. Other verses remind readers of the power of God's love and how lucky it is to have that love bestowed upon you. Through faith so much is possible, and no matter what you're going through, turning to the scripture can be a great way to work through your troubles. And if you need more encouragement, check out these Bible verses about hope or Bible verses about faith.

Find more strength, peace and hope every day with WD's new Everyday Inspiration Bible verse cards — a portable box of inspo that will keep the encouragement you need close at hand.

Source: Woman's Day 

Knowing Jesus / Prayers for Deliverance

Prayer For Deliverance From A Worldly Mindset

Dear Heavenly Father, You know that I trusted in the Lord Jesus many years ago and the joy and love and excitement that I felt in those days has gradually leaked away. I feel so far away from You, estranged from the God who created me and the Saviour Who died on the cross to pay the price for my sins.

Lord, it is as if I have been covered with a worldly and fleshly shroud that has caused me to wander so far away from You, that I have become more like the world than many that are in the world. Forgive me Lord, for wandering so far from You. Forgive me for being pulled so far away from You and back into the ways of the world. Forgive me for my worldly ways and my fleshly desires. Forgive me for leaving my first Love, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Deliver me I pray, from the life into which I have now become so embroiled and return to me the joy of my Salvation. Deliver me from this fleshly mindset that has swamped the heart of Christ, from Whom I gained such joy and peace. Lord, I kneel before You broken-hearted and truly sorry for all my sins and rebellious ways. I want to turn away from all these fleshly lusts and look to Jesus, Whom I know is the only secure Deliverer from all that I have become so embroiled in. Thank You, that even though I have proved so faithless You have remained Faithful and True. Cleanse me and wash me and renew a right spirit within me, and may I sing to Your praise and glory until my life’s end. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Prayer For Deliverance From Enemies

Dear Lord, I ask You to hear my prayer and to listen to my cry for help. Lord, I know that in and of myself I am not worthy to approach Your glory, but I know that in Christ I may come boldly to Your throne of grace, to find help from You in time of need. Lord, I am in a time of need now, and ask Father, that You would deliver me from all my enemies and from those that are seeking to harm me. Lord, I trust in You and I know that You are mighty to save and Your Word promises that You are faithful and true.

Lord, there are many problems that are surrounding me at the moment and each one has the potential to overwhelm me, but I am looking to You for help and I am trusting in You for my deliverance. Teach me the way that I should go and deliver me from the many ‘enemies’ that are surrounding and threatening me. Help me to rest in You and to cast my problems and burdens at Your feet, for You are my God in Whom I trust. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Source: Knowing Jesus / Prayers for Deliverance

 

God's Word Encourages Us

God has Given Us His Word to Sharpen and Encourage Us

Psalm 91  Whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the almighty. I will say of the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress my God in whom I trust surely he will save you from the foulest snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart you will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day nor the pestilence that stalks in    the darkness nor the plague that destroys at midday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say the Lord is my refuge and you make the Most High your dwelling no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent, for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra, you will trample the great lion and the serpent. Because He loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him. I will protect him because he acknowledges my name. He will call on me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him with a long life. I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Philippians 4:19 says and my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Luke 11:1-4  Now it came to pass as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased that one of his disciples said to him, Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples. So he said to them, When you pray say, Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name! Your Kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.

Psalm 31:14-17  But I trust in you Lord, I say you are my God, my times are in your hands. Deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant, save me in your unfailing love. Let me not be put to shame, Lord for I have cried out to you. But let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead.

Psalm 61:1-5  Hear my cry oh God listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you! I call as my heart grows faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever, and take refuge in the shelter of your wings, for you God have heard my vows you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Psalm 120:1-2  I call on the Lord in my distress and he answers me save me Lord from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

Psalm 31:1-8 In you Lord I have taken refuge let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in your righteousness, turn your ear to me and come quickly to my rescue.  Be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me since you are my rock and my fortress.  For the sake of your name, lead and guide me keep me free from the trap that is set for me for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit. Deliver me Lord, my faithful God, I hate those who cling to worthless idols as for me I trust in the lord I will be glad and rejoice in your love for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul you have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Psalm 4:8  In peace I will lie down and sleep for you alone Lord make me dwell in safety.

Proverbs 3:24  When you lie down you will not be afraid, when you lie down your sleep will be sweet.

Psalm 3:5  I lie down and sleep. I wake again because the Lord sustains me.

Psalm 121:1-4  I lift up my eyes to the mountains where does my help come from? My help comes from the lord the maker of heaven and earth he will not let your foot slip he who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 

Matthew 11:28-29  Come to me all ye who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart. 

Deuteronomy 28:6  You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 

Psalm 118:24  This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

Psalm 31:7-8  I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love. Because you have seen my affliction you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a broad place. 

John 3:1-2  Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health as it goes well with your soul.

Romans 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning! Great is your faithfulness. 

Psalm 28:7  The Lord is my strength and my shield in him my heart trusts. 

Psalm 143:18  Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go for to you I entrust my life 

Psalm 121  I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth, He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your shade, at your right hand the Sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life, the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. 

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS

 Lamentations Features Six Major Themes, All Linked With The Concept Of Suffering

1. Their Suffering Was the Result of Their Sin 

This strong theme is acknowledged in each chapter (as in 1:5; 2:14; 3:42; 4:13; 5:16). By the time the poems were written, this was obviously fully accepted. Even the Babylonians acknowledged the fact (Jer. 40:3). They knew that their suffering had not come upon them by chance. It was due to the wrath of God provoked by their sin (2:1). He was dealing with their spiritual condition, and they were supposed to take it personally.

2. Their Suffering Was Seen as Coming from God Rather Than from Men

The Babylonians were no more than an instrument in His hands. The fact that He was the ultimate cause is brought out throughout the book. No less than forty-four verses refer to this fact—an average of 1 out of every 3.5 verses. A few examples are 1:13, 15; 2:1, 4; 3:1, 37, 38.

3. Their Suffering Could Direct Them Toward God

The prophet is constantly conscious of God, of His purposes, and of His dealings with His people. There is no indication here of suffering resulting in a total abandonment of God or an eradication of His principles from their minds.

4. Suffering, Tears, and Prayer Belong Together

They were encouraged to pour out their hearts to God, to weep before Him, and to tell Him all the details of their pain, grief, and frustration. Each chapter, except chapter 4, ends with a prayer. But then the whole of chapter 5 is a prayer, as though making up for this lack. The prayers are both detailed (2:20, 21; 5:1–10) and emotional (1:20, 21; 3:48–51). They contain the language of grief and repentance (1:20; 3:40–42), and are an indication that it is entirely appropriate to pray like this when the occasion demands it.

5. Prayer Should Always Look for Some Ray of Hope 

It should never be completely given over to sorrow. After the detailed descriptions of suffering and sorrow in the first two and one-half chapters, a new understanding seems to surface in 3:21–24. Here the poet speaks about hope, and about God’s mercies, compassion, and faithfulness. It was a realization that a manifestation of God’s discipline did not mean that His love had ceased. When the discipline had accomplished His purpose, the circumstances would change (3:31, 32). God may have been using Babylon, but that did not mean that they were His elect or that He favored their cruel methods (3:34–36). The future held a vindication of Israel over their enemies (3:58–66).

6. Their Responsibility Was to Submit to Their Sufferings Patiently

Their sorrow had to be accepted in patience, with the realization that it would end when God’s will had been accomplished (3:26–32).

This Book Has A 

Great Deal To Say To Us Today

1. The best way to survive grief is to express it. It needs to be shared with others and with God. There is a therapeutic value in working through each aspect of sorrow.

2. The destruction of Jerusalem and the lessons God taught His people were so significant that the Jews started reading this book at an annual service to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem. They did not want the painful experience to be forgotten. Defeats as well as victories need to be remembered. If the church would commemorate some of its failures, for which God has had to discipline it, these failures would be less likely to be repeated.

3. When Christians have received much blessing and enlightenment from God, and then turn their backs on Him, it is an extremely serious matter. Privileges do not protect us either from responsibility or from discipline. They increase our responsibility and our culpability, and deserve more serious discipline. This is particularly true of church leaders.

4. To what extent does God punish His people for their sins today? Christ’s death for us and His resurrection have certainly redeemed us. We do not bear retributive punishment for any sin we commit, since Christ has suffered in our place. We are living under a different covenant than did the Jews of 587 b.c. Even unbelievers are not normally punished for their sins until the next life (2 Pet. 2:4–10). But both believers and unbelievers sometimes have to suffer the consequences of past sins, such as drug addiction, drunkenness, and murder. And God often allows suffering in our lives to discipline us (Heb. 12:3–17). Through it we learn to obey Him and become stronger Christians (vv. 9, 12, 13).

Another consideration is church discipline. Christians who turn their backs on God should undergo some discipline in their home church. God sometimes disciplines people Himself by allowing suffering (1 Cor. 5:1–6) and even death (Acts 5:1–11). The main purpose of discipline, however, is restoration (2 Cor. 2:5–8). Even though we are not retributively punished for our sins, God will sometimes allow us to suffer when we have sinned in order to restore us to fellowship with Him. We need to submit to what God is doing and attempt to learn from the experience. If it is God’s discipline, it will last as long as is necessary. There is no quick-fix solution to some of these problems and no easy way out. Discipline will direct us to God, drive us to prayer, and bring us into submission. We need it.

5. Of course, not all suffering is the result of God’s discipline. Satan, too, can bring suffering on us (Job 2:7; Luke 13:16), but the suffering he brings is destructive rather than restorative.

This book shows how weak people are under the Law, and how unable they are to serve God in their own strength. This drives them to Christ (Rom. 8:3). Even in these poems, however, glimpses of Christ shine through. He is our hope (3:21, 24, 29). He is the manifestation of God’s mercy and compassion (3:22, 23, 32). He is our redemption and vindication (3:58, 59).

Divine grief over the sins of Israel (2:1–6) reminds us that the Holy Spirit was, and still is, often grieved by our behavior (Is. 63:10). Repentance is also an indication of the work of the Holy Spirit among God’s people (3:40–42; John 16:7–11).

Isaiah Chapter 62:4  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delights in thee, and thy land shall be married.

Hephzibah - i.e. My delight is in her.

62:12  And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Redeemed - Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type). (See Scofield "Isaiah 59:20")

Why is Lamentations so important?  Like the book of Job, Lamentations pictures a man of God puzzling over the results of evil and suffering in the world. However, while Job dealt with unexplained evil, Jeremiah lamented a tragedy entirely of Jerusalem’s making. The people of this once great city experienced the judgment of the holy God, and the results were devastating. But at the heart of this book, at the center of this lament over the effects of sin in the world, sit a few verses devoted to hope in the Lord (Lamentations 3:22–25). This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of the surrounding darkness shines as a beacon to all those suffering under the consequences of their own sin and disobedience.

What's the big idea?  As the verses of Lamentations accumulate, readers cannot help but wonder how many different ways Jeremiah could describe the desolation of the once proud city of Jerusalem. Children begged food from their mothers (Lamentations 2:12), young men and women were cut down by swords (2:21), and formerly compassionate mothers used their children for food (4:10). Even the city’s roads mourned over its condition (1:4)! Jeremiah could not help but acknowledge the abject state of this city, piled with rubble.

The pain so evident in Jeremiah’s reaction to this devastation clearly communicates the significance of the terrible condition in Jerusalem.  Speaking in the first person, Jeremiah pictured himself captured in a besieged city, without anyone to hear his prayers, and as a target for the arrows of the enemy (3:7–8, 12). Yet even in this seemingly hopeless situation, he somehow found hope in the Lord (3:21–24).

How do I apply this?  Lamentations reminds us of the importance not only of mourning over our sin but of asking the Lord for His forgiveness when we fail Him.  Much of Jeremiah’s poetry concerns itself with the fallen bricks and cracking mortar of the overrun city.  Do you see any of that destroyed city in your own life?  Are you mourning over the sin that’s brought you to this point?  Do you feel overrun by an alien power; are you in need of some hope from the Lord? Turn to Lamentations 3:17–26, where you’ll find someone aware of sin’s consequences and saddened by the results but who has placed his hope and his trust in the Lord.

A Prayer for Releasing Trauma From The Mind, Body Spirit

Lord Jesus, I ask that you would come Our Lord and Savior and bring Peace to ______. Come and establish your dominion of peace in him/her and manifest yourself in such a way that ______ will know that you are here, and allow him/her to feel the depths of your love. I ask that you rebuke any forces of darkness that seek to harm _____ in any way, or have tried to keep him/her locked in this prison of trauma.

You have not given ______ a spirit of fear, but of love, power and soundness of mind, and that is what I claim for him/her today.

As we pray, I ask that you would be as a sponge, and draw from _____ all the pain, trauma, shock, fear, terror and shame, bringing it all to death at the foot of your cross. You suffered and died for _____and we thank You for all that you accomplished for him/her.

Pour in your love and grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit remove any traumatic memory that has been stored in the cells of ______ ‘s body and restore the cells to perfect order and vibration for a complete state of homeostasis.

Lord I bless the very moment of conception when _____ came to be. I bless every moment that ______ was in his/her mother’s womb. Holy Spirit I ask that you brood over the original DNA and restore all vibrations, frequencies, tones and colors within ______ and remove anything that is not of you.

Heavenly Father, I ask that you remove any trauma experienced in the womb; absorbed from the womb; or passed down through the generations, I ask that You would heal the very DNA and remove all shock, trauma, fear, terror and shame that has come through his/her generational flow. Together we plant the cross of Jesus Christ firmly between_____ and his/her generations and ask that all iniquity be stopped at the cross of Christ. Forgive those in his/her generations who traumatized others, or manipulated, dominated or controlled through fear and torment. Release your precious blood and heal all unresolved grief and pain.

_______, I bless your birth, and call you forth into newness of life. I say that you are welcome on this earth, There is a place for you here. Your heavenly Father has a purpose for you and a plan to give you a future and a hope; to prosper you in everyway.

Heavenly Father, bring your healing and please remove any shock , trauma, fear or terror that _____experienced in the birthing process or in the moments following and help him/her to fully embrace the life that you have given.

I ask You to come into _______’s conscious memory, unconscious memory and subconscious memory and remove all shock, trauma, fear, shame, and the pain that has caused so much torment.

Heal the Amygdala, and remove all shock, trauma, fear, terror and shame from the emotions. I ask that you bring healing to the “fear center” of ______’s brain. Turn off the anxiety that have been present for so long, and replace the fear, dread and hyper vigilance with Godly discernment. Let him/her know when there is true danger and give him/her wisdom to know how to deal with it. Bring peace and rest to that part of _______’s heart that has always had to stand guard and be alert; remove any pervasive low-level anxiety. Heal the immune system and remove all toxins that remain from any chemicals or hormones that have poured through his/her body for so many years. Heavenly Father, please remove the trauma from ______’s eyes and ears. Wash over any images “seared” upon the soul, with the blood of Jesus Christ. Remove the trauma from any words spoken and remove any dis-harmony, dis-ease, or dis-order that these words or images have caused. Sing your song of love over _______ and bring everything within him/her into agreement with your song and original design. In the name and by the Blood of Jesus Christ I prophesy order and healing; into your mind, body, and spirit.

Remove any trauma or shame that is associated with scent. Remove any trauma from the skin.

Lord, trauma has shaken ______to the very core of his/her foundations, and I ask that you heal every crack with your love. Restore trust and the grace to believe in you and receive your promises, and to trust others.

I ask, Lord Jesus, that you would remove all shock, trauma, fear, terror and shame from the will and spirit of ______. Restore his/her will and strengthen it in every way. I ask Lord Jesus, that you would remove all shock, trauma, fear, terror and shame from the muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones and bone marrow. Bring your healing power to every area where ______’s spirit has been crushed or broken, and restore health, vitality and vigor. Make his/her bones and connective tissues strong.

I ask that you would remove all shock, trauma, fear and terror off the organs of ______’s body. (Ask the Lord to reveal any organs that you should pray specifically for.)

Lord, I ask that you would sever all fear bonds, trauma bonds, and all unhealthy and unholy soul ties that have been created through trauma.

I break every assignment of trauma against this person and bind and send away every “guard” assigned to ______. We receive and appropriate the love; power and soundness of mind that you have promised to give him/her.

Lord Jesus, bring to death any “old ways” of responding and reacting to shock, trauma, fear and terror. Dismantle the ungodly structures of defense and establish new neurological connections to the joy center. Rebuild within ______ new Godly structures of defense based on scripture; trust in you; and true understanding of his/her spiritual authority as a daughter/son of the King our Lord and Savior.

Fill every cell with your peace and healing grace. Displace any darkness with your light. Keep ______ in your perfect peace, especially in the night seasons and bring rest. Send heavenly hosts to guard ______ as he/she sleeps and quite him/her with your love.

For this, we offer the body, blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

 ~Intercessors of the Trinity