Tomorrow is The National Day Of Prayer: Pray For Our Local, State and Federal Governments
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV)
We are facing a clear and present danger in our generation. Our nation is in turmoil … unstable … full of pressures and uncertainties. There is rioting in the street. Christian believers and businesses are under attack. Our election process looks like a bad reality show. The institutions that support our society's framework are being destroyed by legal fiat. Our politicians seem to care for nothing, except their own self-interest or agendas that are contrary to God's laws. The problems our beloved country faces seem so overwhelming that we wonder if there are any answers to the needs, troubles and tribulations we face. But there is an answer. And that answer can be found in prayer.
God is looking for people like you and me who will so connect with Him in prayer that He can unleash His power through us. It is a power to overcome any trial, any difficulty and any challenge our nation is experiencing. It’s a power that can change our nation and our world.
Our theme for the National Day of Prayer in 2015 was “Lord, Hear Our Cry,” inspired by 1 Kings 8:28: “Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day” (NIV).
Scripture tells us that we should be in prayer for those who have been appointed to lead the government: that they have the wisdom and knowledge that is necessary to carry out their responsibilities. With our ultimate goal of sharing the gospel, we should pray that these leaders would lead in such a way that our mission becomes easier with fewer barriers and our ability to spread the Word becomes greater. Our local and national leaders have been placed in their positions for a reason and we must pray that God would use them for His kingdom purposes regardless of how we personally feel about them.
Pray this day for your local, state, and national leaders. Pray that they will be open to being used by God for His purposes.
In this desperate hour, may our hearts cry out to God for the healing of our nation’s spiritual brokenness. May Jesus be exalted and may our beloved nation's wounds be healed.
PRAY FOR OUR GOVERNMENT
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
Luke 11:11–13
The evangelist J. Wilbur Chapman told of a man who had been converted in one of his meetings who gave a wonderful illustration of God’s love for us. The man had left home long before, turning his back on his family and the God they loved. His path led downward until he ended up as a beggar on the streets. The man said that he was begging at the Philadelphia train depot when he touched a man on the shoulder and asked for a dime. It was his own father, and the man cried out, “I have found you. I have found you! All that I have is yours.” He said, “I stood there a tramp, begging my father for ten cents when for eighteen years he had been looking for me to give me all he was worth.”
We did not get saved because we were worthy, but because God loved us enough to provide salvation for us through the sacrifice of His Son. And not only does He save us, but He places us in His family and gives us access to all of the privileges and benefits that come with being a child of God. Yet too often we focus on our shortcomings rather than on His love and grace. Because of the relationship He has given us, we have every right to go to Him for help, just as a child would to an earthly father.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Faith rests on the foundation of God’s love for us—He will never abandon His children.
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