On Thursday, May 5, people will be praying all across this Nation. It was started in 1952, although there were days of fasting and prayer observed many years prior to making it an official day on the calendar. Everyone is asked to turn to God in prayer and meditation. This morning in our prayer time at the church, I read 2 Chronicles 7:14 where the Lord says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” What a rich promise directly from the lips of God.
I want to include a prayer from the 2016 Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer, Dr. Tony Evans. It is powerful and to the point.
Dear heavenly Father, we come to You today as a humble people desperate for Your supernatural intervention on behalf of our beloved nation. First, we thank You for all the blessings You have bestowed on our land; blessings that have allowed us to bring so much good and benefit to not only our own citizens but also to the rest of the world. The very ideals upon which this country was founded were based on biblical truths, no matter how some try to rewrite history to deny that very fact today.
This is why our hearts are so broken over how You continue to be marginalized and dismissed by both our people and our institutions. We are also saddened by the fact that Your people have contributed greatly to the spiritual apathy that now engulfs us. Our satisfaction in remaining religious without being fully committed to living out the truths of Your Word has caused us to become co-conspirators with the forces of evil that are destroying us as a society.
It is for this reason that we personally and collectively repent of our carnality and recommit ourselves to becoming visible and verbal disciples of Jesus Christ. Enable us, by Your Spirit, to no longer be secret agent Christians but rather to publicly declare and live out Your truth in a spirit of love so that You feel welcome in our country once again.
Thank You for Your promise to hear our prayers when we call to You with hearts of repentance and obedience, which is how we are appealing to You today, Father. On behalf of Your church, we affirm afresh the priority You are to us that You would fill every dimension of our lives as we seek to bring You glory through the advancement of Your kingdom in our personal lives, our family lives, and in the lives of our churches and our government leaders. We confidently invite heaven’s intervention into all the affairs of our nation and we praise You in advance for Your answer.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
There will be a time of prayer in downtown Findlay at Dorney Plaza on Thursday at noon. Plan to attend this time with your community. More info is available at www.nationaldayofprayer.org.
Tonight at Boost we will be exploring the book, “When God’s People Pray” from Jim Cymbala. Jim is the pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York. He will share how prayer has turned his tiny, struggling inner-city church into a vital, thriving community of believers who pray with passion, focus, and faith. Come and be encouraged to pray more and believe that God wants to do above and beyond your prayers. It will be a powerful time of testimony and encouragement. Join us in room 204 (office hallway) at 6:45 p.m.
Remember that Sunday will be Mother’s Day. We have a special gift for every mother who attends church on Sunday. It’s going to be a great day of worship together.
Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Mike
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