Pastor’s Corner: “Prayer For All People”
Psalm 33:12 (NLT) – “What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance”
Today is the 244th birthday of the United States of America. Our founding fathers framed a document that was drafted for the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, who adopted it on July 4, 1776. We call it the Declaration of Independence. Among other things it says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The framers acknowledged that all people, from all backgrounds, have dignity before their Creator.
Sometimes we forget that the Declaration of Independence, which declared independence from foreign tyranny, also declared our dependence on an eternal God. We see this in its closing words: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Our forefathers clearly founded our nation on the teachings of the Bible. Abraham Lincoln said of the Bible in 1864, “All the good the Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.”
As our nation has drifted away from our dependence on God and the instructions from His Word, the question we ask ourselves is “What can we do?” As we celebrate our country’s freedom today, you can be encouraged by this instruction from the Bible: The Apostle Paul first command for young Timothy to lead the church in a godly fashion was: “pray for all people.” The flagship assignment of the church is prayer. Feed the hungry? Counsel the confused? Teach the lost? Absolutely. But first, we pray. The primary activity of a local church is intercession and worship.
Specifically, we “pray for rulers and for all who have authority….” This includes our president, vice-president, all elected and appointed officials. We ask God to use them to facilitate a haven of quiet and peace where worship can abound. We pray so that “…we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God.” A peaceful society depends upon the prayers of the church. If we do not have a peaceful society–where worship and respect for God can flourish–what is the solution? Better government policy? A different president? New Congress? NO, THE FIRST SOLUTION IS A PRAYING CHURCH. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…then I will hear from heaven.” (II Chron. 7:14 NIV)
PLEASE JOIN ME IN PRAYING FOR AN AWAKENING IN AMERICA – Heavenly Father, thank you for your great power and your great mercy! You are kind, generous and loving. We praise you for your Son Jesus and we’re grateful that you have set us free from sin and death. Help us to honor Your Son. Lord, please bring healing and unity to our nation. We pray for our leaders that they would receive Your salvation and that they would rule with Godly wisdom and discernment. We ask that you’d bring about an awakening of your presence over our whole nation as never seen before! We ask that your Name be proclaimed, and that all plans to silence the Name of Jesus would be thwarted and crushed. We pray that many would come to know you as Lord and Savior, we pray that many would see your Light, that you would open blind eyes and release those in spiritual bondage. IN JESUS NAME – AMEN!!
In his Grace,
Pastor Hamilton