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Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Father, the day of celebration is upon Your people! As we anticipate Your Son’s birth, we ask that you would stop our rushing around, and our frantic preparation to help us consider that Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior…is already here among us! He is God with Us – Jesus, our Emmanuel. E – Expectation Emmanuel, show me how each one of my days, not just Christmas, should and can be filled with the expectation of all You want to do in and through my life. May I be filled with the anticipation of Anna and Simeon when they first laid eyes on the infant, Jesus! Restore to my heart the constant wonder and anticipation of Your life living in me! Luke 2:22-38 M – Mercy Emmanuel, the Father’s great gift of mercy, was given to me through Your birth, life, death and resurrection! I am no longer living as a condemned person, but as one who has been fully forgiven and redeemed! How thankful I am for the sacrifice You made so that I might live in freedom and victory every day of my life on this earth! Romans 8:1-4 M – Mindfulness Emmanuel, I want to be intensely aware of Your presence each and every moment! Help me to sense Your nearness at all times and in every circumstance whether good or bad! May my ears be attentive to hear Your voice alone so that I don’t fall for the lies of the enemy who would like nothing better than to distract me or cause me to fall into sin. Draw me close, Emmanuel! I will fix my eyes upon You! Isaiah 30:21 Hebrews 12:2 A – Adoration Emmanuel, You are the One my heart longs for and I give You praise and honor and glory and offer up my whole self as a living sacrifice. My lips will sing Your praise every day…not just this day. “Yours is the mighty power and glory and victory and majesty. Everything in the heavens and earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. I adore You as being in control of everything! 1 Chronicles 29:11 N – Nations Emmanuel, You are the King! You rule the nations of the earth! You came for every single person on this earth, and God promised You in Psalm 2 the ends of the earth as Your inheritance – every nation on this planet! You have commissioned me to be a conduit for Your gospel to go throughout the nations! Use me for Your purposes to seek and save those who are lost and without hope so that I might be part of the fulfilling of God’s promise to You, Lord Jesus! Psalm 22:28 U – Understanding Emmanuel, I long for an even deeper understanding of all that You are! Show me how to dig more deeply into Your heart and to long to know You more intimately than ever before. Help me to more fully grasp the love of the Father! I want to have a greater awareness of Your character, and to be more yielded to the working of Your Spirit within me as You mold and shape my heart for Your purposes. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 E – Eternity Emmanuel, because You have set eternity in my heart, I am already living in eternity and will live with You forever and ever! What an amazing gift. Help me to live today in the light of eternity! May I continually be praying and acting so that “on earth as it is in heaven” becomes a reality in the midst of those who interact with me. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done here on earth, and in my life, as it is in heaven…and throughout eternity! Ecclesiastes 3:11 L – Love Emmanuel, You are the gift of love sent from God, the Father to me and all of humanity. Your greatest commandments are to love God with all of my heart, soul, strength and mind…and to love others as myself. May this be a continual reality in my life as long as I draw breath here on earth. I ask that You would help me to comprehend the love that the Father has for You is also in Your people! John 17:20-26 May the love and favor of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel, rest upon you! (1 Corinthians 16:23)

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries In every election cycle, American Christians have amazing opportunities sandwiched between grave dangers. We are privileged to be a part of a nation of people who have the responsibility to choose their own leaders. For those believing that godly leaders are a source of blessing to a nation, elections provide us with great opportunity. However, when we begin to put our hope in leaders rather than in the Lord, we open ourselves to serious peril. God’s Word is very clear about having an undivided heart, trusting only in the Lord. King David, the mighty warrior, says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Ps. 20:7). Awareness of this verse can create a tension in the thinking Christian. Some have overreacted and rejected the political process completely. Such people will be less motivated to pray over the elections. A balanced and biblical approach, however, allows us to fully participate in the electoral process without falling into improperly placed trust. In Paul’s teaching on prayer in 1 Timothy 2:1–4, one of the major thrusts is praying for those in authority. According to Paul’s reasoning, we want good government that allows us to live “peaceful and quiet lives”—ultimately freeing us to evangelize those who are lost. Paul would have been amazed that Christians could someday actually take part in selecting those leaders. I believe he would have been even more amazed (and appalled) that many of those Christians didn’t even bother to get involved in selecting their leaders for the purposes of God to be fulfilled. Praying for the electoral process is the first step in seeing the fulfillment of what Paul is writing about to Timothy. I don’t believe we should wait for a leader to be selected before we move into obedient prayer for those in authority. In prayer, we invite the Lord into the process of electing those leaders who will ultimately allow us to lead “peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (v. 2). So why pray for the elections? There are four compelling reasons: The Bible commands us to pray for those who are in leadership, which would include those who are vying to become leaders. Godly leaders can help slow the erosion of religious liberties in our land, providing an increased window of opportunity for the Church to pray and evangelize. The selection of leaders who understand and lead according to God’s righteous standards can bring great blessing to a nation (Prov. 14:34). Scripture also says, “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisors make victory sure” (Prov. 11:14). The determination of who leads our nation will also determine who advises that leader and how we are guided. –This article is adapted from Praying for an Election: A Non-Partisan, Scripture-Based Prayer Guide by David Butts.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4, ESV) I was a 13-year-old paperboy, getting up at 3:30 a.m. every morning to fold and pack my papers and put them on my bicycle. Off into the dark by 4 a.m., I typically finished by 5-5:30 and could crawl back into bed for a short finish to the night’s sleep. It would never be allowed today, and yet my loving parents never considered it to be dangerous. Different times. I had a large area for my route and most of it was in our lower-middle-class neighborhood. A few streets though, led me through some pretty run-down areas. To put it bluntly, today I wouldn’t want to drive through the area in my car, much less send a teenager through it at night on a bike. Most of the time, I was oblivious to the possibility of danger. But occasionally a few things happened to bring fear to the surface. Nothing major, more like “things that go bump in the night,” but nonetheless, it created some fear in this 13-year-old paperboy. How do you handle fear in dark places? In our youth group at church, we had been learning a new chorus based on the 23rd Psalm. It was a simple melody, often sung as a round, and it stuck in my mind. The Lord Is My Shepherd I’ll Walk with Him Always The Lord is my Shepherd I’ll walk with Him always; He leads me beside still waters I’ll walk with Him always. Always, always I’ll walk with Him always; Always, always I’ll walk with Him always. —Composer Unknown God used it to bring peace to me on some of those dark mornings. I would ever so softly begin to sing that simple chorus as I pedaled my bike through the rough areas. As I focused on the One who walked with me, even through dark places, I realized that I did not need to fear any evil. Peace replaced fear because of the awareness of the presence of Christ with me. I almost didn’t use the 23rd Psalm as a text today because it doesn’t actually have the word “peace” in it. Yet the entire psalm is about peace. From green pastures and still waters to dwelling forever in his house, David gives us a picture of peace and the means of peace. The key to all of what the psalm promises is the presence of God. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear, because you are with me.” For followers of Jesus, the indwelling Spirit is an absolute promise. He is with us! The trouble often is our lack of awareness of that fact in the moment of danger or fear. That’s why it is so important to bring the power of the Word of God into our lives continually. Somehow as a 13-year-old paperboy, I stumbled onto a truth that has served me well for many years. Whether it is singing a psalm or praying it without melody, the promises of His presence will bring peace. Lord, I am so grateful that You have provided for me green pastures to lay down in and still water to walk alongside. Thank You for preparing a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies. How grateful to know that Your goodness and mercy will be with me always and that You have provided for me an eternal home. Most of all Lord, I am grateful that Your presence is continually with me. Keep me aware of that amazing fact. Thank You for the peace that comes from Your presence. Make it a point each day to affirm the Lord’s presence in your life. You can use the phrase from Psalm 23 and simply say . . . ”because you are with me.” –Adapted from Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God by David Butts

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:1-2). Studying Job during a difficult season has been very enlightening and convicting! Job kept saying that he trusted God, all the while whining and complaining about his circumstances…until God reminded Job that ultimately, He was the Almighty Creator of all things and the Overseer of all of our situations, good or bad. Job, with a repentant heart, confessed his lack of understanding and renewed his belief in God’s complete power and supremacy. For Job, the choice was easy after his eyes were opened – God’s purposes could not be thwarted – even if it meant physical and emotional suffering for him. He just needed to be reminded. J. Vernon McGee has a quote I love that can help us to relate to Job’s (and our own) situations: “This is God’s universe, and He is doing things His way. You may think you have a better way, but you don’t have a universe.” It’s amazing how little we, the people of God, trust His purposes to be accomplished in the midst of uncertain times. We try to do everything in our own strength to “fix” our circumstances. We have difficulty resting in His promises and having faith that He is in control of our situations, finances, jobs, schooling, celebrations, relationships and everything else that concerns our minds and hearts. God is grieving with those who are grieving, just as He was very present in the midst of Job’s suffering. If we are His, we should also be grieving with others. If we are only mourning for ourselves and our inconveniences, we are lost in our selfishness rather than coming alongside of the Living Jesus to be His hands, feet and heart to others. And, to lift one another up in deep, heartfelt prayer! God is watching us…His eye is upon His Church. Are we asking Him to search us and cleanse us? Are we a repentant people, allowing the Father to make us holy as He is holy? Or, are we wishing we could go where we want to go and do what we want to do? Are we filled with anger and frustration against our leaders, our families, the grocery store who can’t deliver our orders fast enough, and the people who bought up all of the sanitizer and toilet paper? If His eye is upon us, what is He expecting? He is looking for those who will know that God can do all things and that His purposes will not be thwarted. Perhaps this season is more about watching to see what God will do with a people who keeps their eyes focused upon Him, trusting Him to accomplish something so big and deep and powerful in His Church that the world will never be the same. Can we have great faith to believe that God is at work in and through us? Jason Meyer said, “Faith doesn’t just bring your soul to heaven; it brings heaven to your soul.” So – how do we pray in such a way that we are changed by God and not by our circumstances? Prayer that brings heaven to our souls? Here are four simple prayers to help our hearts shift toward remembering that God can do all things and that His plans cannot be thwarted: The Prayer of Confession : Father, I confess my lack of faith in Your ability to work in the midst of everything I am facing. I confess that I haven’t trusted You for _____________. I confess that I have depended upon my own ability to _____________ rather than release it into Your care. Thank You, Father, that You are faithful and righteous to forgive my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness when I confess those sins to You (1 John 1:9). The Prayer of Repentance:  Lord, I have confessed to You those sins that separate my heart from Yours. I am Your child, called by Your name. Your word declares that if I humble myself in repentance and seek Your face and turn away from my sinful ways, that You will hear from heaven, forgive my sin and heal my land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Now I declare that I will turn away from these things, and turn toward You once again! Your word says that if I do this, my sins will be wiped out and that times of refreshing will come from You once again (Acts 3:19). And, Lord Jesus, please help me to produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8)…fruit that will last (John 15:16), not only in this season, but throughout the rest of my days. May I emerge from these days changed in ways that will bring glory to You alone! The Prayer of Submission:  Lord Jesus, when the outcomes of life are hidden, uncertain, or unclear, give me the humility and the strength to simply submit to Your purposes and plans. Help me to remember that You humbled Yourself before the Father and submitted Yourself to death on a cross (Philippians 2:8) for me! That humbles me and creates a deep desire in me to be obedient to Your will forever. Your word says that these troubles and sufferings of mine are small and won’t last very long, and You promise that this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessings forever and ever (2 Corinthians 4:17 TLB). Surely, I can submit myself to inconveniences and troubles without whining and complaining! The Prayer of Acknowledgment:  Almighty God, I acknowledge that my adequacy comes not from myself or my own abilities, but only from You (2 Corinthians 3:5). I acknowledge that I can do all things through You, because You are the One who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). And, Lord, in all of my ways I will acknowledge You, for You have promised that if I will do this, You will make my paths straight (Proverbs 3:6). May the God who is everywhere, and who created everything, be very present in your life in this season, and from this moment forward! May your faith swell to heights you never imagined as you dwell with Him in the midst of hard times. May you allow Him to lead you to a much deeper understanding of His ability to create calm in your storm, peace in your uncertainties and joy along your journey of life. May you completely trust the Father who, as Job acknowledged, is not only the Creator of the Universe, but the One who can do ALL things…and whose plans can never be thwarted!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries The health crisis that marked 2020 brought about an amazing silence across the earth. Sports events were silenced and concerts were cancelled. The shouts of children at playgrounds grew quiet. I watched the news in amazement one day as it showed the streets of downtown New York City almost deserted and still. We are by nature a noisy species. Even in the lockdown, we eagerly attempted to escape to our former activities and all the noise that would bring. Here is something I wrote about that time: “I’m afraid the noise will return as I’m actually enjoying the quiet. It’s really very biblical. Stillness brings with it the opportunity to quiet our souls before our Maker. You can certainly do that with noise all around you, but it is so much easier when your environment has grown quiet. It is in stillness that we sense more of the Presence of God and are better able to discern His quiet voice.”   Quiet yourself for a minute and pay attention to what God’s Word is saying about silence. Here are four powerful admonitions from the Lord:  “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Hab.2:20).  “Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling” (Zech. 2:13).  “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Ps.37:7).  “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps.46:10).   Here are some simple ways to use your “holy imagination” or your “mind’s eye” to experience these scriptures as you spend time in silence before Him: As you pray, imagine you can see the Lord in heaven. There are crowds of angels before Him in complete silence. You feel a deep need not to break into that silence with any noise. “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20). Picture the Lord sitting on His throne. You carefully watch and then, to your amazement, He begins to arise from His throne. He is getting up and that means something is about to happen. Imagine what that might be right now! “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling” (Zechariah 2:13). Wait on the Lord in prayer. Place yourself in a position of waiting on the Lord. It would be like being in a class where the teacher said, “Now pay careful attention to what I’m going to say next,” and then paused. You would be leaning forward, waiting to hear what comes next. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7). Draw near to the Lord in prayer. Imagine sitting close to Jesus, or even on His lap, as a child would do. Does the immensity and grandeur of the One to whom you are speaking overwhelm you and bring you to absolute silence before Him? What does the peace of His presence feel like? You are coming to know your God. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). It is very clear that God places a high value on silence. Will we?

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). For many years now, I have found myself daily praying to dwell in God’s house. Based on David’s great prayer in Psalm 27, I regularly ask to be able to gaze on the Father’s beauty and to always seek Him wherever He might be found. It is with some embarrassment that I confess a lack of faith in my own prayers, and even more so, in the power of God’s word to let me know of His will for me.  For a long time it seemed like I was always waiting for something big to happen to answer this powerful prayer. Therein was my lack of faith. I was looking for something I imagined  would  happen and in the process missed much of what  was already happening .  I was praying based on what was clearly God’s will for me. He desires my presence even more than I desire His Presence. He has opened His house to me as an eternal dwelling place…not just someday in heaven, but right now. I certainly was praying His will based on His word, believing He would answer. My problem was that I wasn’t paying attention to how He was already answering that prayer. When we begin to pray God’s word, we must also remember to begin looking for His answers.   With fresh realization today, I see that I have been receiving the answers to my prayers for many years now. Dwelling in God’s house is a mindful awareness to experience His presence moment by moment, day by day. Today, I find myself on my back porch, listening to English composer Vaughn Williams’s Fifth Symphony based on Milton’s Pilgrims Progress. I am very happy. But I think back three years when I was in the hospital receiving intense chemo for stage four lymphoma. I was very happy then, too. God was present in that hospital room.   God’s house is a place of His Presence and in His presence there is the happiness that the Bible calls “the fullness of joy”. You might be going through tough times. You might be going through times of great abundance. Regardless of your circumstances, what brings joy and peace is the awareness of the presence of God. When you are experiencing His presence you are dwelling in His house.    I still pray every day that I might dwell in the Father’s house all the days of my life, gazing on His beauty and seeking Him wherever He might be found. But I also thank Him for opening up His house to His people through Jesus. The last phrase of Ps.27:4 keeps me praying. We are to continually seek Him. We always press in – praying for more of His presence. But I’m now learning to look daily for the answers to my prayers as I bring God’s Word back to His throne.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Have you ever been in a season of spiritual waiting? For Jews this was the period following Passover and leading up to Shavuot (commemorating the giving of the Law/Torah). Christians also embrace this time of waiting from Easter to Pentecost. After the Resurrection of Jesus, He spent 40 days with the disciples. He ate with them, taught them, and demonstrated His resurrected life. But after 40 days, He ascended to the Father and told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Spirit. It’s rare to find someone who likes to wait. Perhaps though, that is an attribute we should seek to be better at. We are certainly commanded often in scripture to wait on and for the Lord. Waiting paid off for those first disciples. Ten days of prayer, worship, and waiting on the Lord led them to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. They would never be the same as they received the promise of the Father. When you are in a season of waiting, press into that. Make it a time of prayer and anticipation. What is God about to do? Our waiting upon the Lord is an active time that places everything in the hands of the Lord. Though we live post-Pentecost and the Spirit has come to us, we still wait on the Lord and fresh fillings of His Spirit. The timing of the Lord’s work and purposes are still in His hands and we pray with increased passion and anticipation during these days of waiting. Look up, your redemption draws near! How to Pray in a Time of Waiting Lord, in my waiting, help me to be strong and filled with courage. “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14). Lord Jesus, in my waiting, lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation. “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:5). God Almighty, in my waiting, help me to have patience as Your return is near. “Now as for you, dear brothers who are waiting for the Lord’s return, be patient, like a farmer who waits until the autumn for his precious harvest to ripen” (James 5:7). Holy One, in my waiting, may Your integrity and uprightness preserve me. “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You” (Psalm 25:21). Father, Your word says that if I will wait for You I will gain new strength, mount up with wings like eagles, run and not get tired and walk without becoming weary! Help me to trust You for these promises. “Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:31).

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries During days of division, anger, and uncertainty, most of us aren’t quite sure how to respond. What we must not forget is that we are not powerless. Our voices are heard in heaven! We can and need to ask God to intervene and to give us insight for ways we can respond with the love of Christ. Here are some simple prayer points to pray on behalf of those we love, our neighbors and our nation.                                                        1. Protection.  “Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Ps. 32:6-7). It seems that the waters across our land are rising quickly and threatening to consume our cities. Father, we ask for Your hand of protection to be upon our nation during these days of unrest and anger. Protect the lives of the angry as well as the officers and military personnel who are trying to restore order. Calm hearts and minds and bring restoration through justice and acts of repentance, humility and extraordinary love. Sing Your song of deliverance over our hurting nation, Lord. 2. Presence. “I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people” (Lev. 26:11-12). The Presence of God changes lives and meets the deepest needs—not just those of individuals, but also the needs of a culture. Welcoming the Presence of the Lord into our nation should be an essential part of our prayers. Make Your Presence known Lord! In the midst of darkness, confusion and despair, may the light of Your glory shine. We welcome You and ask You to walk among us. Change lives, bring unity and stir Your people to be the image bearers of Jesus in this troubling hour! We long for Your presence to permeate our culture and transform our nation. 3. Peace.  “ Peace, peace to them, both near and far, for I will heal them all” (Isaiah 57:19). In the midst of a badly divided nation, we desperately need God’s peace. He has placed His Church in a position of godly authority to stand for righteousness and justice…and to be instruments of His healing in our world. Prince of Peace, come and walk through the streets of our cities. Rest upon the hurting, the angry and those who are bent on destruction. Awaken Your Church! Give us courage and kindness in order to be the peacemakers You designed us to be! Help us to demonstrate justice for all people and the unity of a people who is one in You, because You created us equally. We long for Your peace to come to our nation, Lord!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries We have all been told to pray for guidance when we are unsure of what to do. But, how many of us actually know how to do this in a powerful and effective way? God’s word offers us the key to approach the Father with the confidence we are looking for when we face times of uncertainty. God clearly tells us that He desires the best for us.  His  best! “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Stepping into our future apart from seeking the Father’s guidance can derail, delay or completely disrupt His best for us. Scripture also teaches us that it is not up to our plans and our ideas to figure out what we should do in times when we need guidance. Instead, we are to: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). There is no way to figure out what is best for us to do as we make decisions apart from our God who created us and designed us for His purposes. If we put our faith in His abilities instead of our own, guidance will come with more certainty in the best outcome. Lack of trust in the Father can lead to poor decisions and to fear. Here are 7 prayers you can simply pray just as they have been written for you by the power of the Holy Spirit and prayed by others throughout the centuries. Use them as a jumping off place for your prayers asking God for His guidance: “Make me know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:4-5). “Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; for I trust in You; teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8). “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground” (Psalm 143:10). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). “For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3). O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling places” (Psalm 43:3). Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:1-2). Hopefully these scriptural prayers have given you a deeper confidence in the Father’s ability to guide and direct you! Remember, apart from Him we can do nothing: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). If we will take to heart these powerful, scriptural petitions, we can know that God will hear and answer because the prayers we are offering up to Him are in His perfect purposes and will for us!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19). In this season of uncertainty and unrest, discerning the voice of God is critical. What is He saying to us about peace, justice, mercy, forgiveness, freedom, repentance, sin, relationships, and more? If we are only listening to anger and fear, which are speaking VERY loudly right now, the Christ in us cannot be demonstrated in the midst of the clamor. In my book, With One Cry: A Renewed Challenge to Pray for America, I share a powerful blog written by Dutch Sheets, June 16, 2015. It seems an appropriate time to hear the hope from his heart about our nation: “Some Christian leaders teach, usually from theological influences, that America will not awaken, turn back to God and recapture her spiritual destiny. Their eschatology doesn’t allow for a “comeback;” for them, the apostasy must continue to worsen. Many secular leaders also contend, often with an ideological fervor fueled by their personal desires, that this rebirth will never occur. “America has ‘progressed’ too far,” they assert with smug satisfaction, “having left behind its antiquated, Puritanistic ideals and outdated beliefs.” These naysayers are, indeed, correct when they euphorically and gloatingly bloviate about how far we as a nation have drifted from our original beliefs. Secularists and humanists are accurate when they condescendingly point out our moral shifts toward relativism and unbiblical values. With satisfied arrogance, these modernists gleefully vociferate that our government no longer sees itself under and accountable to an “imaginary” Creator, or even to an “outdated” Constitution He supposedly inspired. With such a dire diagnosis, why, then, am I not hopeless? To the contrary, I have great hope for America because the depth of a fall never determines God’s ability to restore. I’m not afraid of the powerful strongholds because size and strength are completely irrelevant when measuring His ability to deliver. And I’m not intimidated because statistical odds, whether of success or failure, cease to be relevant when God is involved. His limitless ability negates the very concept of “odds” and trumps all other winning hands.” Don’t embrace any theology or creed that allows God to lose! I have hope, and I’m dreaming. I dream of a reborn America that is once again a shining light to the rest of the world. I believe this dream was born in God’s heart, embedded in a small group of emigrant pilgrims, and is one I am confident He still maintains. Join me as I dream. Partner with the “superintending providence” that was active in our founding, is involved with our present, and has great plans for our future. Let it be said of our generation that when a nation teetered on the edge of destruction, having lost the ancient path of truth, we answered the divine call to war for its restoration. Let it be said of us, as it was of our forefathers, that in the face of overwhelming odds, we took our stand in the celestial courtroom, appealing to the Judge of all the earth for His saving grace, mercy, and sustaining power.” Again, this article was written in 2015 but it is still very relevant to us in this hour. Let’s press into the knowledge that God is looking for His people to bow in humility and repentance before Him so that He will hear our prayers, forgive our sins and bring healing to our hurting land. It is the people of God who need to respond in this time. May the Church awaken! Let’s pray together: God of Hope, our past, present and future has always rested in Your capable hands. Open the eyes of our hearts to see and to know the hope of Your calling, the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in Your people, and the surpassing greatness of Your power toward those who believe! We repent for our arrogance, pride and lack of humility in this hour. We seek You for the restoration of our nation to its utter dependence upon Jesus Christ! Give us the strength and determination to step into the future with great hope and faith in Your ability to overcome the seemingly insurmountable odds against those who call upon Your Name. Restore us again so that we might honor You and become known once again as a nation that stands upon Your Word! We ask this with humble hearts in the Name Above All Names! –adapted from With One Cry: A Renewed Challenge to Pray for America by David Butts.