I woke up midway through the night and asked my husband...to which he replied.."four more years." My initial thought was not surprise...but disgust. I'm just being honest. Then as I settled back down to sleep, I woke up first thing this morning, and began praising God. You know...He was not surprised. He didn't fall asleep on the election and wake up in the middle of the night to find out the results. He already knew them.
But as I was running and praying this morning, the Lord began to burden my heart. What if He is using this to spark a revival within the hearts of Christ followers throughout our nation? And...what if...just maybe that revival is a call to faithful fervent prayer?
Sometimes circumstances don't go as we would like and often we resign ourselves to not praying...thinking "well it is what it is and we can't change it."
This morning as I was running, and thinking on the Lord and His goodness. Maybe...just maybe God Himself desires a drastic work in the hearts of His followers to be committed to His word and prayer above voicing our disgust in our political system. Let's face it....we have freedom in America that is unmatched elsewhere in our world. I dare say not one of us has been threatened with our lives in America.
The 'worst' persecution I've experienced is my sister telling me that in her will, she will not let me raise her boys because I believe in Jesus. That hurts...it stings....because I love her and those boys with all my heart...BUT....I love my Jesus and I will not deny Him to gain worldly things. I do not have to forsake my God for my country...my president or anyone else for that matter.
So...I began begging God this morning...to send revival.....fall fresh on us in America....start with me! Renew my heart to be fervently committed to pray for my president. It was not coincidence that this morning my quiet time was Romans 3.
Sweet sojourner of Christ, remember in the depths of your heart...if the Lord Himself can save you and I...He can save absolutely ANYONE.
"There is none righteous, no not one, there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God, all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one." Romans 3:10-12
AND
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
So...I appeal to you, anyone who reads this or stumbles across this, would you join me in fervent prayer for our leaders not to make the right decisions...but to have the eyes of their hearts opened the the sweet love our of Jesus....to pray that as a nation we would be a people with soft and ready hearts to hear the word of God, to receive it and to act on it and live it out. Being honest, as believers we know....that salvation is the start...all the rest...making right decisions, living a life that honors God...that follows salvation...because truly Christ is the answer. So let's get crazy.
Let's live it out...let's pray EXPECTING that God Himself hears (John 11:41-42) and that He, the God of all creation will pour out His Spirit afresh on our nation. Ask....but ask believing that God will act. Do not ask defeated...do not allow the doubt, anger or frustration to have a foothold. Don't do it. Stand in the victory of Christ and rest on His Sovereignty. Then, if you are so inclined...fall on your face before your Maker and beg for revival. We all need it to some extent...and if we lay it all down...God sees people as saved or lost. That's all. His word tells us He doesn't want any to perish but all to come to eternal life.
Roll up your sleeves...let's get busy...let's PRAY WITHOUT CEASING (1 Thes. 5:17) Can we join together to pray for salvation to fall afresh on our country? Can we trust that God really is who He says He is, and He is so much bigger than a political party and that God is far more concerned with our hearts than our voter registration?
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