Psalm 47:7-8
“For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.”
Proverbs 21: 1-2
“In the LORD’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that He channels toward all who please Him. A person my think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.”
Have you picked up a newspaper lately? Riots, protests, injustice, cities looted and burned, murders, rising inflation, financial ruin, domestic violence, suicides, human trafficking, alcohol and drug abuse, political conspiracies, corruption, scandals, and division, not to mention natural disasters that continue to impact families across the nation—we are witnessing calamity and evidence of sin running rampant in our country. And, in the midst of it, we are approaching another national election. Twelve years ago, for the 40 days that preceded the 2012 election, I committed that I would pray every day for 40 days for our nation and then repeated the commitment in 2016, and again in 2020. Many Christians, as well as folks of other faiths, have expressed the enormous burden they feel and the tremendous sense of urgency they have as we head into the home stretch of this Presidential election. With those same emotions, I am once again committing to 40 Days of Prayer and invite you to join me. The areas of focus will be prayers for our:
• Nation
• Leaders of national, state, and local governments
• Families
• Churches
• Schools
• Communities
• Neighborhoods
One of the key components to prayer, whether one has committed to one day, forty, or more, is to prepare one’s heart before coming to the Father, to be in a position for Him to hear, forgive, and heal us as individuals and our land. With that in mind, beginning tomorrow, September 1, and running until the official start of the 40 Days of Prayer for our Nation on the 25th of September, we’ll begin with what I am calling a “Prayer Initiative” that I trust will serve to help all of us in preparing our hearts, souls, and minds to be in a prayerful position before the Father to pray for our nation. The focus in the first 24 days of the month will be to pray over our need to:
• Repent
• Cast Out Fear
• Cry Out to God
• Receive Mercy
• Draw Near
• Embrace Hope
From time to time there will be a devotion that pertains to particularly noteworthy September dates: Labor Day, September 11, and the Mayflower Anniversary.
God says in His Word, from the book of James, “…if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Let’s join our hearts together in praying for wisdom and discernment in this critical time and for God to do miraculous and marvelous works in the life of our nation!
Lord, God, as we begin this journey of prayer for our beloved country, we ask that You would incline Your ear to hear our pleas. We humbly seek Your face so that we would recognize Your character and, therefore, know what runs counter to Your precepts. We beseech You to act on our behalf and on behalf of our nation to bring about change in every area that is displeasing to You. May we remain confident that You are in control and that we can trust You for our future. In the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
~ painting by Sandy Blazewicz Strom
