Praying for America
'I (God) looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it...'
Ezekiel 22: 30a
A few days ago, I got a new challenge from God. He has been convicting me that me that my normal, somewhat thoughtless prayers for my country were not enough. He has shown me that He wants me to pray fervently, on a daily basis, for the needs of America.
Normally, I don't share too much about my personal prayer times with God, because they are, well, personal. But this isn't just personal. This is my country... our country (as I'm presuming that most of my blog readers live in the U.S.). America, who is rapidly falling away from her standing as 'one nation, under God', desperately needs our intercession. My hope and prayer is that, through reading what God directs me to write on this blog, you will be encouraged to pursue the role God has for you as part of the church in America.
So far, God has started out my prayer times by showing me a passage of Scripture that deals with what He wants me to pray for that day. Then, I proceed to pray as He directs. I'm hoping to share these Scriptures and prayers on a daily basis. My life tends be be a little crazy at times, so we'll have to see how this goes. ;-) I'll start out by posting about all the prayer times I've had in the last 5 days.
Day 1
'For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.'
John 3: 17
Lord, I know that it's Your desire to see all humanity come to salvation. I ask that You would reveal Yourself to all of our politicians, to the president, to everyone who has authority here in America. I ask that You would give them all a great hunger and thirst for You. I ask that Your Holy Spirit would be at work in their hearts, bringing them to conviction and repentance. I ask that they would be saved. Please raise up Christians to be a strong and powerful witness for You.
Day 2
'Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with you and destroy the work of your hands?'
Eccl. 5: 6 - 7
Lord, I ask that our politicians would speak truth, and that they would stop lying and trying to twist and change the things that they've said. I ask that godly politicians would arise to speak truth and righteousness, to honor You with their words. I ask that You would raise them up to honor. I ask that our politicians would come to know You, and have the righteous fear of You before their eyes. I ask that they would be faithful and courageous to speak the words that You give them. Please, Lord, let our government be unified in making wise decisions, to bring our nation out of futility.
Day 3
'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.'
Prov. 1: 7
Lord, please bring America to a proper fear of You. I ask that You would not let us despise wisdom any longer, or despise the advice and councils of others. Break our haughty, proud hearts, and bring us to our knees before You. Give us the ability to discipline ourselves, and to make wise decisions based on Your Word. Please bring us to a place where we can receive and accept Your wisdom.
Day 4
I read Isaiah 3 - 5, and, as that is an uber long passage, I will just type the verses that stuck out to me. I would, however, encourage you to go read the whole thing for yourself.
'For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, because they have spoken and acted against the Lord, defying His glorious presence. The look on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom, they flaunt their sin. They do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought evil on themselves.' (3: 8 - 9) 'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight.' (5: 20 - 21) 'Woe to the wicked - it will go badly for them, for what they have done will be done to them.' (3: 11)
'So now, residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between Me and My vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did? Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield worthless grapes? Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland. It will not be pruned or weeded; thorns and briers will grow up. I will also give orders to the clouds that rain should not fall on it. For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant He delighted in. He looked for justice, but saw injustice, for righteousness, but heard cries of wretchedness.'
Isaiah 5: 3 - 7
Lord, I am sorry for contributing to the sins of America. I am sorry for standing by and condoning evil by my silence. I am sorry for the times my courage has failed, and I have allowed evil to get the upper hand. I am sorry for being a lukewarm Christian - content in my secure bubble - neglecting the needs of others. Lord, I ask you to heed the prayer of the least of Your servants. I ask You in humility, repentance, and tears to give America a second chance. Show us Your mercy once again by doing whatever it takes to turn us back to You. Raise up strong, courageous leaders who will lead us back to our standing as 'one nation, under God'. Let our heart-cry be 'here I am, Lord! Send me, use me, direct me. I'm willing to do whatever You ask.'
Day 5
'He (God) said to me (Ezekiel), "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against Me to this day. The children are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, 'This is what the Lord God says'. Whether they listen or refuse to listen - for they are a rebellious house - they will know that a prophet has been among them. But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words, though briers and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions. Don't be afraid of their words or be discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house. But speak My words to them whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious."'
Ezekiel 2: 3 - 7
'Then He said to me: "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language but to the house of Israel. You are not being sent to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you can not understand. No doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not want to listen to you because they do not want to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hardheaded and hardhearted. Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Don't be afraid of them or discouraged by the look on their faces, even though they are a rebellious house."'
Ezekiel 3: 4 - 9
Lord, please raise up the Christians. Let such a passion for You burn our hearts that we are unable to keep silent about You. Please, Lord, strengthen and encourage those who are already serving as missionaries here in America. Reward their efforts. Send a great revival sweeping across this land. I ask that You would take away all our fears and inhibitions, so that we can perfectly reflect Your love and glory. Please show us every day, every minute, how to speak and act and think in order to be perfect witnesses for You.
Ezekiel 22: 30a
A few days ago, I got a new challenge from God. He has been convicting me that me that my normal, somewhat thoughtless prayers for my country were not enough. He has shown me that He wants me to pray fervently, on a daily basis, for the needs of America.
Normally, I don't share too much about my personal prayer times with God, because they are, well, personal. But this isn't just personal. This is my country... our country (as I'm presuming that most of my blog readers live in the U.S.). America, who is rapidly falling away from her standing as 'one nation, under God', desperately needs our intercession. My hope and prayer is that, through reading what God directs me to write on this blog, you will be encouraged to pursue the role God has for you as part of the church in America.
So far, God has started out my prayer times by showing me a passage of Scripture that deals with what He wants me to pray for that day. Then, I proceed to pray as He directs. I'm hoping to share these Scriptures and prayers on a daily basis. My life tends be be a little crazy at times, so we'll have to see how this goes. ;-) I'll start out by posting about all the prayer times I've had in the last 5 days.
Day 1
'For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.'
John 3: 17
Lord, I know that it's Your desire to see all humanity come to salvation. I ask that You would reveal Yourself to all of our politicians, to the president, to everyone who has authority here in America. I ask that You would give them all a great hunger and thirst for You. I ask that Your Holy Spirit would be at work in their hearts, bringing them to conviction and repentance. I ask that they would be saved. Please raise up Christians to be a strong and powerful witness for You.
Day 2
'Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with you and destroy the work of your hands?'
Eccl. 5: 6 - 7
Lord, I ask that our politicians would speak truth, and that they would stop lying and trying to twist and change the things that they've said. I ask that godly politicians would arise to speak truth and righteousness, to honor You with their words. I ask that You would raise them up to honor. I ask that our politicians would come to know You, and have the righteous fear of You before their eyes. I ask that they would be faithful and courageous to speak the words that You give them. Please, Lord, let our government be unified in making wise decisions, to bring our nation out of futility.
Day 3
'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.'
Prov. 1: 7
Lord, please bring America to a proper fear of You. I ask that You would not let us despise wisdom any longer, or despise the advice and councils of others. Break our haughty, proud hearts, and bring us to our knees before You. Give us the ability to discipline ourselves, and to make wise decisions based on Your Word. Please bring us to a place where we can receive and accept Your wisdom.
Day 4
I read Isaiah 3 - 5, and, as that is an uber long passage, I will just type the verses that stuck out to me. I would, however, encourage you to go read the whole thing for yourself.
'For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, because they have spoken and acted against the Lord, defying His glorious presence. The look on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom, they flaunt their sin. They do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought evil on themselves.' (3: 8 - 9) 'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight.' (5: 20 - 21) 'Woe to the wicked - it will go badly for them, for what they have done will be done to them.' (3: 11)
'So now, residents of Jerusalem and men of Judah, please judge between Me and My vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard than I did? Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes, did it yield worthless grapes? Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland. It will not be pruned or weeded; thorns and briers will grow up. I will also give orders to the clouds that rain should not fall on it. For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant He delighted in. He looked for justice, but saw injustice, for righteousness, but heard cries of wretchedness.'
Isaiah 5: 3 - 7
Lord, I am sorry for contributing to the sins of America. I am sorry for standing by and condoning evil by my silence. I am sorry for the times my courage has failed, and I have allowed evil to get the upper hand. I am sorry for being a lukewarm Christian - content in my secure bubble - neglecting the needs of others. Lord, I ask you to heed the prayer of the least of Your servants. I ask You in humility, repentance, and tears to give America a second chance. Show us Your mercy once again by doing whatever it takes to turn us back to You. Raise up strong, courageous leaders who will lead us back to our standing as 'one nation, under God'. Let our heart-cry be 'here I am, Lord! Send me, use me, direct me. I'm willing to do whatever You ask.'
Day 5
'He (God) said to me (Ezekiel), "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against Me to this day. The children are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, 'This is what the Lord God says'. Whether they listen or refuse to listen - for they are a rebellious house - they will know that a prophet has been among them. But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words, though briers and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions. Don't be afraid of their words or be discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house. But speak My words to them whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious."'
Ezekiel 2: 3 - 7
'Then He said to me: "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language but to the house of Israel. You are not being sent to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you can not understand. No doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not want to listen to you because they do not want to listen to Me. For the whole house of Israel is hardheaded and hardhearted. Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Don't be afraid of them or discouraged by the look on their faces, even though they are a rebellious house."'
Ezekiel 3: 4 - 9
Lord, please raise up the Christians. Let such a passion for You burn our hearts that we are unable to keep silent about You. Please, Lord, strengthen and encourage those who are already serving as missionaries here in America. Reward their efforts. Send a great revival sweeping across this land. I ask that You would take away all our fears and inhibitions, so that we can perfectly reflect Your love and glory. Please show us every day, every minute, how to speak and act and think in order to be perfect witnesses for You.
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