Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Praying for America

A challenge for us all.....

We pray for leaders who have faith in Jesus and who seek to govern as servant leaders.  Leaders who will seek your wisdom and guidance for our nation, O God, while acting with the wisdom, compassion, conviction and courage which comes through faith in you, almighty God and Father!

"Freedom of Worship"  Norman Rockwell  1943
It's election time in America once again.  What a great blessing God has given us, the right to elect those who will lead our federal, state and local governments!

" we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. "
Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863

These days we do a lot of complaining about "those people in Washington"!  They're too liberal or they're too conservative, they're too extreme or they’re not extreme enough!  Are we ever happy?

As a Christian I have to admit a little shamefully that I'm guilty of that blame game as well.  And many of my Christian friends do the same.  We complain about our leaders and criticize their every move.  "They" are ruining our country, we say!  Often we get way too wrapped up in the politics of the day to the point of forgetting that God is sovereign and no matter what happens His power overcomes all of mankind’s failings.  If I put my trust in Him then I know things will turn out okay.

I am God, and there is not other; I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'
Isaiah 46:9-10

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:9-10

Christians need to do more to influence the course of America.  We need to be engaged in our communities and in our political process at all levels.  We need to stand up for our faith and our values!  But perhaps the most important thing we should do, which just so happens to be one of the easiest, is come together and pray for our nation!  I think this is one of the times in the history of our nation that we need to rise up and ask God to deliver us!  Unlike some who might say that we’re worse off than we’ve ever been I think there have been times like this in our past.  As bad as things might seem now, how difficult it must have been during the darkest days of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression and Pearl Harbor.  Surely during those times Americans felt that their nation was at risk!  And during those times they turned to prayer!


                                                    Prayer at Valley Forge by Arnold Friberg

As we approach another important election, and aren’t they all important really, I ask you to join with me to pray for our nation.   And I would challenge you to pray every day from now until November 4th.  Here’s my prayer:

Dear Lord, you have so richly blessed America and we give you thanks for those blessings.  Our forefathers came to you seeking guidance to build new lives and a new nation.  Our nation was founded on the knowledge that you, almighty God, granted all people certain rights and that to secure those rights we must institute a government which receives its’ power through the consent of the people.   Lord, once again, it is time to exercise this right of consent and elect a new class of leaders for government at all levels.  I pray, Father, that you’ll bless the upcoming election and direct us as we vote.  Grant us wisdom to elect those who will lead according to your will and desire for our nation. 

We pray for leaders who have faith in Jesus and who seek to govern as servant leaders.  Leaders who will seek your wisdom and guidance for our nation, O God, while acting with the wisdom, compassion, conviction and courage which comes through faith in you, almighty God and Father!

Lord, grant us a spirit of revival in America!  Let us turn from selfish desires and work together to rebuild what is broken, take care of those in need, protect the innocent and provide hope and a future for all who seek it!  Open our eyes to turn to you for deliverance and a brighter tomorrow!  Lord bless us for a new generation as you’ve done so many times in the past with leadership that honors you and the principles of freedom and hope with which since the days of our founding, you’ve so richly blessed America!!

In the name of Jesus I pray!

Amen







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