I just received this e-devotional from Sylvia Gunter this morning. What a timely word! Read below. God can shift this election towards righteousness just as He did in India, when the church prayed!
Praying For God
To Call Out Intercessors For Our Nation
Praying for the Upcoming Election
Patrick Joshua is the Director of the National Prayer Network and a father figure to the prayer movement in India. Because of a special burden for our nation, he visited the United States twice in recent months. Patrick believes the U.S. is at a very critical time in history, the impact of which will be felt around the world.
During his visits, Patrick told the story of God's intervention in India in 2004, in response to the fervent, united prayers of His people. At that time, political forces had mobilized with the intention of turning their nation in a direction that would make it almost impossible for Christians to share or practice their faith. Those forces had the momentum and the numbers as the Christian population in India is a minority, by some estimates representing only 6% of the 1.1 billion people in the nation.
The situation was desperate. Many thought it was impossible. So they turned to the God of the impossible and began to pray. In cities and states across their nation, a movement of united, fervent prayer arose, but with a unique focus. They weren't praying for particular candidates or political parties. Instead they were praying for the person of righteousness, the person of God's choosing, to be elected in every elected office.
Right up until the day of the election every poll and pundit predicted the election would be a landslide for those who were opposed to the gospel. When the votes were counted, however, the results revealed a different story. In district after district those candidates and political allies who opposed the gospel had been soundly defeated. At a national level they were out of power. The press and the pundits were stunned. No one saw it coming.
So what happened? It seems God heard the cries of His people and touched the hearts of the voters as they went into the voting booths. Some believe a corporate conviction came upon the people and they voted for the person of righteous, the person of God's choosing. This was seen most dramatically in the states and regions where prayer was the most concentrated and fervent. In one of those states, laws that restricted the advance of the gospel were immediately repealed.
This is a very hopeful report about what God did in the elections in India. While our situation is different, we are at a critical crossroad. He can do this in our nation too if we will PRAY!
For the next three weeks we will be praying for righteous men to rule righteously in our nation, starting with this prayer for God to wake up his people to pray. I bless you to let God to wake up the intercessor
in you.
Hear God's Word. I have posted watchmen on Your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, Give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. Isaiah 62:6-7
Our Father, our Lord, bless intercessors who have stood as watchmen at their posts unseen and unsung in the hidden work of prayer. You appointed and anointed them by Your Spirit of grace and supplication for the authority they have wielded in standing in the gap between Your holy hand and the judgment that the sins of our nation deserve. Strengthen the hands of these intercessors with patient endurance and with Aarons and Hurs to come alongside (Exo. 17:10- 13).
Release and reappoint those who have been discouraged, distracted, or disillusioned by inordinate attacks on their body, soul, or spirit, or on their families or finances. Come, our Helper Holy Spirit, to the praying ones who have been robbed and beaten up. Pour the oil of Your Spirit on these wounded soldiers, take them up, and restore them to wholeness and health and to their gifting and calling in intercession.
Awake new intercessors in Your church that has been disinterested and lazy. Let us receive new mantles of intercession and hear Your appointment to our posts in prayer. By the Spirit of Christ Jesus, who ever lives to intercede, impregnate the hearts of every believer with the Spirit of prayer as simple obedience to the commands of God's Word to pray without ceasing and to pray for those in authority. Appoint new intercessors and birth in them a holy desperation for prayer until we see You answer and You show us great and mighty things we have never seen.
Raise up intercessors who will ...
Respond to Your call in humility and holiness.
Respond to Your call to pray in the fear of the Lord.
Pray with grateful hearts of thanksgiving with their eyes on You.
Petition the God of the Impossible.
Pray with You, not just to You, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.
Ask our Father, our King, to have mercy and redeem and show us Your glory in the sight of all nations.
Let this be a trumpet call, as Nehemiah said, "The work is extensive and spread out. Whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome" (Neh: 4:17,20).
Holy Spirit, touch Your church.
Turn our hearts to You.
Stir our hearts to pray as never before.
Show us Your glory.
It was an honor to be there in San Diego last Saturday to battle with the finest prayer warriors in the Body of Christ! Lou Engle, the leader of The Call, exhorted all to go on a 3 day Esther fast. Tons of people are fasting right now. God, let your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!
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