Dear Praying Friend,
We are just a few days from what many consider the most important election in our nation's history; this election will decide, good or bad, the direction our country is heading, not only for the next four years, but also for the next 40 and beyond.
You have been a faithful army who have stood in the gap for this nation with fasting and prayer this past year. You don't need to be reminded to show up to the polls on Tuesday to exercise your right as an American citizen (and even more so as citizens, and representatives, of a far greater Kingdom to come) to vote!
What we must remember, however, is to continue in prayer, both before and after the election, remembering the Scriptures encourage us: "When the foundations are being detroyed, what can the righteous do?" (when the foundation of Truth our founding fathers gave their lives for is being chipped away and stomped on) We can trust that: "The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne" (Psalm 11:3-4).
Our God is the Sovereign Lord and no matter how He answers us on Tuesday He is the One Who "sets up kings and deposes them" (Daniel 2:21) and He is simply looking for our devotion and obedience whether in trial or triumph! (Remembering we are victors no matter what!) Who will remain faithful long after the ballots have been counted and the decision has been made? Will we throw in the towel and hide in fear, if we don't get our way? Or will we pat ourselves on the back in victory and go back to life as usual, if we get the answer we desire? When all is said and done, will we continue to take a stand for righteousness and live holy lives set apart and surrendered to the will of God that His purposes may prevail (whether in battle or blessing) in the months and years ahead?
After reading through the Scriptures and analyzing the prayers of the faithful kings and servants who sought the Lord in times of national trial and difficulty, one thing is clear: Their prayers were not the utterance of mere lip service to the Lord - they were sincere cries of a humble and repentant heart that was anguished over past neglect and disobedience to God's Word; having, instead, fulfilled their fleshly and selfish desires with the temporal enticements from a fallen world they desperately desired the Lord to once again reign in their lives and lead them down the righteous path (Isaiah 29:13).
Below is a prayer composed of their desperate prayers and the heartfelt prayers of the psalmist (because the Word of God does not return void these prayers are made up of His Word alone (Isaiah 55:11) - you may consider, because of its length, to pray through each section at different times of the day leading up to the election). May we consider carefully the motive of our hearts as we pray for our nation and our leaders. And may we not neglect our responsibility as believers to first seek the Lord with wholehearted devotion and then to be ambassadors of Light and Truth in this dark and fallen world!
Yesterday was the anniversary of Martin Luther's infamous posting of his Ninety-five Theses on the doors of Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany, today we post our prayers on the doors of heaven asking that His Will be done on earth as it is in heaven...Lord hear our cries and receive our petition!
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"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives;
he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
(Matthew 7:7-8)
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come to you with an offering of praise - O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and obey His commands; I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for He has been good to me. I love you, O LORD, my strength. My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long. Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever. I will praise you, O LORD my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in His sanctuary. The LORD is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. The LORD is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. In Him my heart rejoices, for I trust in His holy name. Praise the LORD, praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great king over all the earth!
"Sing to the LORD, you saints of His;
praise His holy name.
For His anger lasts only a moment,
but His favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning."
(Psalm 30:4-5)
We trust in your unchanging character - The LORD reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. The LORD is King for ever and ever. His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD is flawless. The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you. The LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. the Word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love. The plans fo the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. You love righteousness and hate wickedness. You reign over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne. For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end. Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall. Summon your power, O God; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before. You are forgiving and good, O LORD, abounding in love to all who call to you. You, O LORD, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. From everlasting to everlasting you are God. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving to all He has made.
"O our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love. You have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them. Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways."
(Nehemiah 9:32-35)
We cry out for deliverance from the pit we have dug for ourselves - O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. You are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. From the LORD comes deliverance. Deliver us, O LORD, save us because of your unfailing love. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. May your love and your truth always protect me. Surely God is my help; the LORD is the one who sustains me. I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice. LORD there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you. Deliver us so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God.
"Why should I fear when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me -
those who trust in their wealth
and boast of their great riches?
But God will redeem my life from the grave;
He will surely take me to Himself."
(Psalm 49:5-6, 15)
We repent of our sins and our wayward hearts - Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring an end to the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. you are my LORD; apart from you I have no good thing. For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD - and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found. O LORD, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened; but God has surely listened and hear my voice in prayer. Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name's sake. Why should the nation's say, 'Where is their God?' Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God. May He turn our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways and to keep the commands, decrees, and regulations He gave to our fathers...so that the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other!
"Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."
(Psalm 51:10-12)
We recognize that Divine Sovereignty does not negate our human responsibility - The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue. My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only He will release my feet from the snare. Your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who will set their hearts on pilgrimage. Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. If you make the Most High your dwelling, even the LORD, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful one and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in His commands. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your Word.
"Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
and call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor Me."
(Psalm 50:15)
We wait patiently, and expectantly, upon You - The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He rescued me from my powerful enemy...the LORD was my support. To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure. The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. The LORD loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones. O my Strength, I watch for you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among the nations. If we would but listen to you and follow your ways how quickly you would subdue our enemies and turn your hand against our foes. O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD - that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. May the favor of the LORD our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us - yes establish the work of our hands. Because you love us you will rescue us; You will protect us because we acknowledge your name. Blessed is the man you discipline, O LORD; the man you teach from your law. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
"You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us;
You have been angry - now restore us!
You have shaken the land and torn it open;
mend its fractures, for it is quaking.
You have shown your people desperate times..."
(Psalm 60:1-3a)
Lord, we offer our lives to you as a living sacrifice of praise and an offering to accomplish your good and perfect will. Prepare the way, guide our every step, direct our paths that we might not fail you but follow you wherever you may lead. May you find us faithful each and every day. Love the LORD, all His saints! the LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud He pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
"I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of You among the peoples,
for great is Your love, reaching to the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be over all the earth."
(Psalm 57:9-11)
Baruch HaShem Avinu Elohim
We bless Your Name Father God
We do not make requests of you because we are righteous,
but because of your great mercy.
O Lord, Listen! O Lord, Forgive! O Lord, hear and act!
In the Name of our Most Holy Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
we submit our requests before you now.
Amen.
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