Posted by
Keith Arnold on Wednesday, May 06, 2009 10:15:16 PM
(Cross-posted here and at the Alhambra Bible Fellowship website)
"And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, 'This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.'..." (Nehemiah 8:9, ESV).
There comes a time when God's people mark an occasion specifically dedicated to turning to God in dedication, and this is ours. Thursday, May 7 is dedicated as our National Day of Prayer, in a tradition over fifty years old - a short time in the shadow of the history of mankind, surely, but a bright light in contrast to the dark of the increasing drift into secularization that made this day a national necessity here in America.
National leaders have marked this day with a call for all God's people of good will to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, in seeking God's blessing for the nation. For a believer, this should be seen both as an obligation and a privilege. An obligation, because God Himself calls upon His followers to pray for the good of their nations, and because prayer is a hallmark of a person committed to Him; a privilege, because there is no greater privilege than to draw before a holy God at His invitation and carry to Him the needs and burdens of a country.
The National Day of Prayer Task Force helps with specific things in need of prayer, and I encourage you to visit their site to see a well-rounded list of prayer suggestions, as well as supporting Scripture references. I ask all of you reading this to spend time today in prayer for the seven areas they identify:
Pray for our government. In these times, the various members of our government press in many different directions, and opposing group contend over the issues. Pray that our elected leaders will understand their role to govern in accordance with the will of the people, the principles upon which this nation was founded, and in submission to the direction of God Himself.
Pray for our military. The members of our military sacrifice their comfort, their family lives, and if need be their own lives, for little thanks and reward. Pray for their protection, their success in their efforts, and their commitment to high-minded conduct when called upon to engage in combat.
Pray for the media. This includes not merely the institutional television, radio and news outlets, but the new media as well - citizen journalists and bloggers doing a yeoman's job of reporting the truth in this age of lies and deception. Pray that they will recognize the need for honestly and for the revelation of news, bringing to the public the stories behind the events of the day. Pray also for the entertainment sectors of the media, because they shape the values for so many people in our entertainment-addicted society.
Pray for business. Businesses in America are challenged today in ways unthinkable just a year ago. A society requires the security of knowing its members are entitled to the benefits of the work of their hands, a fair return on their investments, just laws in which contracts and agreements are honored, and the promise of freedom of trade for goods and services. All these are threatened by the chaos being visited on business today.
Pray for education. Public education has become nearly valueless in many parts of our country, sacrificing both educational content and moral instruction for political correctness. Pray for teachers and administrators to return to sound, godly principles. Pray for private schools, for which many parents pay tuition on top of taxes to support the private schools, paying doubly in order to obtain a sound education for their children. Pray for home-schooling parents, whose sacrifices go to ensuring a sound upbringing for their children. Pray for our colleges and universities, where tomorrow's leaders are inundated with biased theory and worldly, empty learning.
Pray for our churches. Churches today, large and small, need to rise up as anchors of truth and uprightness in our communities, in the face of declining attendance and increasing marginalization. Pray for your pastors, your teachers, your leaders, and your missionaries.
Pray for families. Families have become increasingly splintered in our age; what was once every child's first and most important source of values, stability, and identity continues to decay.
To these things they have asked, I would add a few of my own. First, pray for our citizenry across the nation, and for genuine godly revival within our land. Second, pray for yourselves and your closest circle of friends and relations; there is no point in praying for all these things for others and not including yourself. Finally, and most importantly, pray that in all these things, God will be honored as sovereign and His will would reign supremely above our own will and desires.
If you can, start your day in prayer for these things, and finish the day in prayer as the day draws to a close. Set aside some time for prayer in the middle, and thoughout the day, pray when you can.
Last, understand that prayer involves submission to God. Prayer is more than a laundry list of the things you want Him to do - at the heart of every prayer should be a commitment of your will to His. Every "Thy will be done" that leaves your lips should be followed with "and start with me." This nation is made up of millions of individual citizens. Do you want God to heal the nation? Ask Him to start with you. Do you want God to guide our leaders? Ask Him to start with you. Do you want God to strengthen our churches, fix our corruption, restore our moral fiber, and live by His principles?
Ask Him to start with you. And He will answer that prayer, and when He does, His work in putting this nation back on the right path will have begun using your life as His first step. Will you join me in this prayer? Because I will gladly join in it with you.