In a day where prayer has been relegated to right before meals or right before church services, many believers have forgotten the true effectiveness and power of prayer. What many in our churches have forgotten is that every single major revival throughout history has come due to fervent and intentional prayer. We would like to think that the struggles that we are facing in regards to the godlessness that has infected our country is something new, but we have faced these types of secularization several times in our nation’s history and in every instance prayer is what ushered in unprecedented levels of revival. Today, I hope that we small group of believers can do this one more time.
Many people don’t realize that times of prosperity and plenty in our nation’s history always were followed by periods of people falling away from the faith. These were subsequently followed by immorality, drunkenness and almost no church attendance. If you look at the period prior to the War of 1812, you would see a larger per capita population who didn’t attend church than even today. The same goes for the period prior to the Civil War. We would like to think that the struggles that the church is facing in the United States and throughout the world is somehow new, but it is not. What is new, is that our churches have somehow forgotten what to do about these changes. We have forgotten that in the instances of great revivals among the western church that in every instance a small group of men and women praying for their countrymen and their nation is what assured in amazing revival that would change the fabric and landscape of their nations and all of Christendom.
We somehow think that by utilizing the political system that we will be able to affect the change that we are desiring when in fact those of us who are in Christ have a way greater advocate in heaven than any political figure in Washington or in state capitols throughout our country. Our advocate, Jesus Christ, part of the Triune God who controls the entire universe from the largest Interstellar body to the smallest atom, listens to our prayers. We do not need men to save this country, we need prayer. We do not need presidential candidates to fight for our rights to be Christians, we need the invisible church to pray unceasingly so that Jesus will make intercession on behalf of us and for the world that so needs him. Many of us have forgotten that our prayers are heard by God himself and that nothing in this world no matter how seemingly powerful and opposed to godliness has even a chance to stand up against the prayers of even the meekest of believer. We have forgotten how powerful we are and have despaired. I hope, no I pray that I can help in some small way.
In the business men’s Revival of 1857 a simple call to prayer at noon was started by only one man. In New York City 6 men showed up at the prayer meeting at 12:37 p.m. and prayed for themselves and for their loved ones. The next week 12 men showed up and within a few weeks thousands. Over the course of the next three years millions of people would join the movement and millions would turn away from the world and would come to a saving knowledge of Christ. I say that we try to do this ourselves. I say that a small group of broken men and women who love the Lord take up this mantle and start praying at lunch. Find the believers at your work, find neighbors, or pray with your children if you’re a stay-at-home parent. Come together as the body of believers wherever you are and pray for yourselves, pray for your loved ones, pray for the lost around you and finally pray for our nation and our world. Believe that the God of the universe not only hears these prayers but desires to fulfill them. Pray for His glory to be known and that the name of Jesus would be spoken on the lips of every man, woman and child all over the world. Even if you have a hard time praying out loud, pray anyways and believe.
The body of Christ is not weak nor does it need men to save it. We have the Father. We have Christ. We have the Holy Spirit. Do you not realize what that gives us? Many of us are so disillusioned and despair so greatly over the course of this nation that we have forgotten what the collected Bride of Christ is capable of. Set aside minor doctrinal disagreements and find anyone who loves Christ and who would be willing to pray with you, and the changes we can bring to this country would be beyond imagining. I do not despair for this country, I despair for its Church. Let’s regain our courage and let us regain our desire to pray to the only thing that could turn the tide that we are facing.
At noon, Monday through Friday, pray. Don’t pray because you feel compelled, but pray because your country needs it. For those of us who served our country when it called us to go to war, pray. For those of you who have never served anyone but yourself, pray! For those who despair at the hijacking of our country, pray! Please, pray! You have no idea what it could do. God bless you all and thank you.
