Author: John Page 118 of 166

James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Peter Marshall, chaplain of the United States Senate shortly after World War II, prayed the following on July 3^rd, 1947 (continued in the next post):

“God of our Fathers, whose Almighty hand hath made and preserved our Nation, grant that our people may understand what it is they celebrate tomorrow. May they remember how bitterly our freedom was won, the down payment that was made for it, the installments that have been made since this Republic was born, and the price that must be paid for our liberty. May freedom be seen not as the right to do as we please but as the opportunity to please to do what is right. May it be ever understood that our liberty is under God and can be found nowhere else. May our faith be something that is not merely stamped upon our coins, but expressed in our lives.”

Saying that we are a Christian nation is an expression of our historical relevance. Being a Christian nation would make us distinctly attractive today. Saying that we are a Christian nation is a gesture of previous faithfulness. Being a Christian nation would provide enduring meaning to the sacrifices of our forefathers. Saying that we are a Christian nation is an acknowledgment of our past. Being a Christian nation would provide a solid foundation for our future. Saying that we are a Christian nation deceives us into an attitude of complacency and inaction. Being a Christian nation would put our faith into practice through our politics and our policies.

PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD ACTUALLY BE A CHRISTIAN NATION AND NOT JUST SAY THAT WE ARE A CHRISTIAN NATION. Saying that we are the former without being the latter causes us to deceive our own selves. Being a Christian nation would change us from our current path as it would be expressed in our lives.

Matthew 27:24 “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.”

Based on the demands of the people, Pilate pardoned Barabbas instead of Jesus. He then washed his hands and declared his own innocence, though the only innocent one was given a death sentence. Pilate willingly abdicated his responsibility, neglecting to use his power to release Christ. His conscience was soothed by his half-hearted attempt to save the Saviour, but make no mistake, Pilate was guilty of Jesus’ death. It happened on his watch.

As America diverges from the principles of Christ, Christians are washing our hands and declaring our own innocence. We are satisfied that our nation’s death sentence has been declared by others, while willingly abdicating our responsibility to do something about it. Our consciences are soothed by our half-hearted attempts to save our nation, but make no mistake, we are guilty of what happens to America. It is happening on our watch.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A RENEWED SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY AMONG CHRISTIAN AMERICANS. We can’t sit back and wash our hands. Instead, we must engage with all our strength and the power of God through prayer. We can’t be satisfied with cleansing our hands and then throwing them up into the air. Doing so doesn’t make us innocent. It actually insures our guilt.

Daniel 6:14-17 “Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king established may be changed. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom though servest continually, he will deliver thee. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealest it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be chanced concerning Daniel.”

The king didn’t want Daniel to be cast into the lion’s den. It sore displeased him to do so. Yet, he was pressured to give in. Though he didn’t want to do it, his passive consent sealed Daniel’s fate. Fortunately, God intervened. The king, though he lost sleep over the matter, had a chance to save Daniel himself and failed to do so. Had Daniel died, the king would have been culpable of Daniel’s death based on his inaction.

Our inaction is sealing our nation’s fate. We may be sore displeased with the direction of our nation. We may even lose sleep over the matter. Yet, our passive consent makes us culpable of our nation’s downward spiral. God may intervene, but we have a chance to save our nation and are failing to do so. We fail to vote. We fail to speak up. We fail to take a stand. We fail to answer the call to public service. We fail to demand accountability. We fail to pray. We have been pressured into being silently docile. Our inaction makes up culpable of the results.

PLEASE PRAY THAT CHRISTIANS WOULD HALT OUR CULPABILITY IN SEALING OUR NATION’S FATE. If we are sore displeased, then we should act. Act now!

Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

DL Moody was once asked whether he had heard Charles Spurgeon preach. His response: “Yes, but better still I heard him pray.” Spurgeon took his prayer life seriously. He argued that “all good is born in prayer and all good springs from it.” Indeed!

We need good in this land. We need good in our ministries. We need good in our workplaces. We need good in our families. We need good in our schools. We need good in our communities. We need good in every aspect of our lives.

Spurgeon’s formula for bringing about good is simple and biblical. Pray! Good is birthed in prayer, nurtured by prayer, and matured through prayer. Good should be desired by faithful hearts and promoted by faithful prayers. We could work for it, but better still we should pray for it.

PLEASE PRAY FOR GOOD IN OUR LIVES AND GOOD IN OUR LAND. All good comes from God, and we must turn to Him to see it spring forth.

Acts 6:4 “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”

Charles Surgeon said the following about prayer:

“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.”
“He who ploughs not in his closet will never reap in his pulpit.”

Prayer is a necessary prerequisite for power in the Christian life. Absent a hefty investment in prayer, our returns will be miniscule. Our time in prayer is more important than our time in preparation; in fact, it is a fundamental part of preparation. Absent time in prayer, our preparation will be inadequate and incomplete. Without time in prayer, even something as divine as preaching the gospel will fall flat.

Without time in prayer, we won’t see revival and repentance in our nation. Without time in prayer, we have no hope in returning America to its biblical foundation. Without time in prayer, we won’t see favorable rulings from our courts, favorable laws from our legislatures, or favorable actions from our executives. Without time in prayer, we won’t see meaningful results in any of our ministries.

PLEASE INSURE THAT PRAYER IS PART OF OUR PREPARATION FOR ALL THINGS. As we preach to our nation and its leaders through our words, our actions, and our votes, do we have divine power? We won’t if we don’t give ourselves continually to prayer.