National Day of Prayer

I Timothy 2:1-5, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. 5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. (NLT)

Today is a great day of opportunity for each of us. It is a day for focused prayer in which believers across all denominational lines are able to cry out to God in an effort of united concern for our nation. People will gather in various locations across our nation today for one purpose. We will gather to lift our voices to God on the behalf of our nation and specifically the leadership of our nation. I truly believe that we need to pray for our spiritual leadership as well as our governmental leadership. These are challenging and difficult times in many areas of our society. It is easier to grumble and complain about the conditions of society than it is to become an "agent of change." I truly believe that the Body of Christ can become an "agent of change" if we will set our hearts toward God and seek Him with passion, resolve, surrender and obedience. We have an opportunity but will we make the right choice/decision to intercede for our fellow human beings?

I encourage you to make some time today for PRAYER. The future of your family, your local church, your community, your city, your state, our nation and our world is in a state of great concern for many of us. I don't necessarily believe that trying to "shock and scare" people to pray will work. Usually those tactics loose their ability to change and influence us after a period of time and normally that period does not last very long. Christians need to accept our Biblical opportunity and responsibility to pray! The first verse of our text uses the word "urge." Other translations use the word "exhort or charge" to emphasize the seriousness of this call from God. How will I (we) respond to this call from God? 

I believe that many people will answer the call and follow the leading of the Spirit into a productive time of prayer, praise and intercession for our nation as well as our brothers and sisters around the world.