Victory in Jesus

"Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee. To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him... So now, our God, listen to the prayer of thy servant and to his supplications, and for Thy sake, O Lord, let Thy face shine on Thy desolate sanctuary... we are not presenting our supplications before Thee on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Thy great compassion." Daniel 9:8-9, 17-18

Regardless of the election's outcome, God is still sovereign, just, and merciful.

For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us. (Isaiah 33:22)

The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes. (Proverbs 21:1)

This week's prayer guide is shared by The Presidential Prayer Team, a website that offers weekly prayer requests for our national government. As you use their "Pray the Vote" guide, please pray also for the national, state, and local races in Indiana, Nevada, Tennessee, Missouri, and South Carolina. We can be confident that our prayers are heard by God and that He will answer them!

Thank you for your faithful prayers for the election. I trust that you have been blessed by your times of fellowship with the Lord during prayer, and encourage you to continue praying for America.

Click here to download this week's prayer guide.

It's No Big Deal...

Political competition is captivating, sometimes to our detriment. When in the midst of the fight, it is difficult to step away for an all-things-considered perspective. Here's one little fact to put this year's election into a global perspective:

If we could fit our entire solar system... sun, earth, planets... into a coffee cup, the Milky Way would be the size of the United States. Currently, it is estimated that there are over 125 billion galaxies in the universe!

Last night, a few minutes of gazing at the Milky Way reminded me that God is in control. Every shooting star I saw was known by Him, and He is sovereign over politics as well. This week as you pray, take a step away from the political fights and revel in God's greatness as compared to our insignificance!


Click here to view & print this week's prayer guide.

Stand and See...

The 2008 election can be accurately compared to a battle. Scriptural truths are being attacked, and a spiritual enemy is strategically destroying the life that Jesus brings. While the battle is not limited to the election, the competition between different views certainly makes the conflict more evident!

It's a good time to be reminded of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah when they were attacked by a vastly superior force. The Lord comforted him with this truth:

"Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is
not yours but God's... stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf."
(2 Chronicles 29:15,17 NASB)

During our prayer time this week, we can thank the Lord for His salvation and anticipate His work.

Click here to view & print this week's prayer guide.

Amos's Election Advice

Even though he lived 2700 years ago, the prophet Amos offered advice to the people of Israel that is still relevent to us today. America parallels Israel in our Godless lifestyle, but Amos offers an invitation to freedom. Here are some selections from Amos 5:4-9:

"For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, 'Seek ye me, and ye shall live' ...Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name: that strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress."

May you experience joy as you seek the Lord in prayer this week!

Click here to download & print this week's prayer guide.

Trust

In our commitment to prayer, it's easy to begin to think that the election results are up to us. I sometimes catch myself believing that something will turn out badly because I haven't spent enough time in prayer about it. This is a lie that puts the responsibility for the work on us! I'm grateful that God is the One Who does the work. He will accomplish His purposes on November 4th, and we can believe that the results will be no mistake.

Voting has begun in some states. Pray that Americans will be prompted to vote for righteous candidates!

Click here to view & print this week's prayer guide.

Salt & Prayer

One of the functions of salt is preservation. Before refrigeration, meat would be heavily salted to prevent the spread of bacteria and decay. Similarly, Christians are called to be a preserving influence on our culture. Jesus says "Ye are the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13), not "Be the salt of the earth." If we are not "maintaining our saltiness" and preventing the spread of moral decay, then it is not being done.

Prayer is a way to be salty, to prevent the spread of evil in our culture. Be encouraged as you intercede for our nation this week!

Click here to view & print this week's prayer guide.

Why David Prayed

Maybe it was because God listened.

In the first 50 chapters of Psalms, there are at least 32 specific mentions of God's action in response to prayer. It's a paradox... God knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8) and yet He seems to delight in our prayers. David recognized two aspects of prayer... his helpless neediness, and God's available help. As David prayed, he recognized answers and testified about them in the Psalms!

We look forward to seeing God's answers as we pray about the elections!

Click here to view & print this week's prayer guide.