“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1Ti 2:1-2 AV)
This entry is quite obvious. We all knew this one was coming! The spirit of our midweek service was not what I had planned for. I was expecting out national elections to go the way they have the last sixteen years. I expected the secularists to win another one and our nation to go further and further from God. That will probably be the case, but for now, the hand of God spared that eventuality. Many spirits were lifted. Many minds encouraged. Yet there is a somber remark that must be made. All that happened this week was that God won an election for us. That is all. What we do with it remains to be seen. We have won much, but not enough. Religious persecution has been put on hold. Perhaps some so the insanity we have seen over recent years can be dialed back. This will take two things. First, it will take the body of Christ to be vocal regarding the mercy and grace found in Jesus Christ. No more silence! We must warn the world of pending judgment if they do not turn to Christ. Much like Roe vs Wade, nothing much has changed. It was a glorious victory. But overturning a court decision did not change the hearts of people. That is where the battle lies. Second, and the reason for this devotional is that the church cannot abandon the main reason God turned the tide – PRAYER!
Never before have I seen so many believers praying for the outcome of an election. Seriously. In my circles, we pray for leaders and elections, but not as we should. We have kind of resigned to our theology and expect things to get worse regardless of prayer. That is the wrong approach. This time around, it was different. The saints prayed. And I mean, they prayed. Our prayer meetings were different. Last night, I asked our people to specifically pray that the events of this past week result in one of the greatest revivals in the history of our nation. We may see just that. One of the reason the side of right won is that the side of wrong took their rebellion a bit too far. No one will say it, but the push to upend God’s perfect order in gender assignment is what really turned the tide. Especially when it affected the most vulnerable of our nation. Children should not be convinced to permanently disfigure themselves because they are confused. That is one issue that really turned the tide. If we want this nation to continue to turn towards God and His righteousness, prayer, and personal work are the keys.
Our passage above demands that we pray for all those in leadership. Not just the one with whom we totally agree. Let me tell you, as one on the receiving end intense and unified prayer, prayer works! Prayer changed the mind of a King. Cyrus sent Israel back to Palestine to repair the Temple. Prayer stopped the slaughter of Israel in Esther. The prayer of Darius saved Daniel from the mouth of lions. Prayer works! Prayer is commanded. Prayer is encouraged. When we petition the God of heaven, He moves. When we assault the throne of God with valid requests, especially where the glory of God is the primary concern, the hand of God moves in ways we could never imagine. So, church, pray! Pray without ceasing. Pray hard! Pray as though the future of our nation depends on it. Pray for the salvation of our leaders. Stranger things have happened. It could be the word of God become the biggest influence in Washington because God moved, and the nation knew it! May God be the center of our nation again. With prayer and fasting, that just might happen!
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