PLUS

Nehemiah 2:6-7 “And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah”

In many ways, America’s independence began in May 1776 based on wisdom, courage, and diligence. On May 10^th, the Continental Congress passed the following:

“Resolved, That it be recommended to the respective assemblies and conventions of the United Colonies, where no government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs have been hitherto established, to adopt such government as shall, in the opinion of the representatives of the people, best conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and America in general.”

This single act of bravery by the unified Continental Congress set the stage for subsequent acts of bravery. This resolution formally triggered a period of preparation for independence. It laid the foundation for success.

Nehemiah had such a time that laid the foundation for his success. His request to the king formally triggered his period of preparation. After praying “to the God of heaven” (v5) Nehemiah boldly proclaimed his God-given mission and pursued the practical preparation that would allow him to succeed.

Until we step out by faith while practically preparing for the God-given missions in our lives, then we will never succeed. PLEASE PRAY FOR WISDOM, COURAGE, AND DILIGENCE IN PLANNING OUR FUTURE ROLES FOR GOD. If we fail to rely upon God for all three characteristics, then we will never be conveyed into Judah.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that the best America has to offer are two deeply-flawed candidates for President), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”

The 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed with overwhelming majorities. The House Bill passed without a single objection, and was sponsored by Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Chris Cox. The Senate Bill passed by a vote of 97-3, and was sponsored by Democrat Ted Kennedy and Republican Orrin Hatch. Yes, the bill was not just supported but sponsored by Representative Schumer from Brooklyn, New York and Senator Kennedy from Massachusetts. Of the bipartisan nature of this effort, President Clinton commented:

“I’m told that, as many of the people in the coalition worked together across ideological and religious lines, some new friendships were formed and some new trust was established, which shows, I suppose, that the power of God is such that even in the legislative process miracles can happen.”

Society has changed drastically in the past two decades, but God has not. As representatives of Christ, neither should we.   Christ is the same yesterday, today and for ever. While society shifts all around us, we must remain firmly affixed on the foundation of an unchanging God. PLEASE PRAY FOR RESOLVE TO BE UNCHANGING IN DOCTRINE AND VALUES REGARDLESS OF SOCIETAL PRESSURES. God remains the same throughout time, so should we.

John 12:13b “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

Mark 15:13 “And they cried out again, Crucify him.”

Society can change quickly, though it shouldn’t surprise us. After all, in a few short days the people of Jerusalem changed their cries about Jesus from “Hosanna” to “Crucify him.”

The cultural change in our society regarding the preeminence of religious freedom has been rapid. On November 16, 1993, The New York Times reported the following about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act: “President Clinton today signed into law legislation requiring the Government to meet stringent standards before instituting measures that might interfere with religious practices.”

On that day, President Clinton said the following:

“The free exercise of religion has been called the first freedom, that which originally sparked the development of the full range of the Bill of Rights.”

“What this law basically says is that the Government should be held to a very high level of proof before it interferes with someone’s free exercise of religion. This judgment is shared by the people of the United States as well as by the Congress. We believe strongly that we can never, we can never be too vigilant in this work.”

“Let us instead respect one another’s faiths, fight to the death to preserve the right of every American to practice whatever convictions he or she has, but bring our values back to the table of American discourse to heal our troubled land.”

Amen Bill Clinton!

Sadly, these same sentiments are now being called hateful, bigoted, and discriminatory. Attempts to implement similar legislation at the state level are prompting protests and boycotts sanctioned at times by government itself. How quickly we have drifted and how far have we fallen. PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICANS WOULD REALIZE THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF OUR FIRST FREEDOM, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.

Christian citizen, this has all happened on our watch. We have failed to be vigilant, and society has shifted in a generation. We shouldn’t be surprised that such things could happen, but we haven’t faithfully fought to prevent it. PLEASE ALSO PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD BE VIGILANT AND DILIGENT IN OUR FIGHT FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. We can never to too vigilant in this work.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (at the hopelessness, divisiveness and anger in America), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

For a related thought, please see: https://prayatlunch.us/complicit/

Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Of the demographic and moral composition of America, Benjamin Franklin wrote the following in Information to Those Who Would Remove to America after describing the hard work that is required by life in a new nation:

“Hence bad examples to youth are more rare in America; which must be a comfortable consideration to parents. To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated, but respected and practiced. Atheism is unknown there, infidelity rare and secret; so that persons may live to a great age in that country without having their piety shocked by meeting with either an atheist or an infidel. And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his approbation of the mutual forbearance and kindness with which the different sects treat each other, by the remarkable prosperity with which He has been pleased to favour the whole country.”

Imagine such a brochure today, inviting people to relocate to a new nation. It sounds like paradise, though it is sadly a long lost description of the character of America. Instead, bad examples abound today. Serious religion is no longer universally practiced, respected, or tolerated. Atheism and infidelity are common. Our piety is regularly shocked. We treat others with disdain, neglecting mutual forbearance and kindness. Prosperity is waning.

We have lost the approbation and favour of the Divine Being.

Unity never meant acquiescence or approval. It never meant doctrinal compromise. It only meant respect and the ability to rally towards common purposes. In the midst of our mutual divisiveness, we have lost major political and moral ground to the atheists and the infidels in this land.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE TOLERANCE TO SET ASIDE MINOR DIFFERENCES AND RALLY TOWARDS THE MAJOR DETAILS THAT WILL SHAPE OUR FUTURE. America used to be a pleasant and prosperous land that pleased God and met with His approbation. Our myopic focus on small squabbles has caused us to miss the substantial shift away from God Himself.

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Undoubtedly, our nation was founded by Christians as a Christian nation. Studies indicate that at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, between 98.4% and 99.8% of Americans were professing Christians (Sacred Fire, p. 29). Wow, what an amazing demographic statistic! Those believers banded together to produce something amazing through God’s power – a new nation under God.

Twenty-first century Christian Americans don’t enjoy the same demographic advantage as our predecessors. Yet, the power of believers has never stemmed from their ability to mobilize and mass. Instead, power in the Christian life has always stemmed from our ability to turn to the One in our midst. We always wield the power of the majority when God is with us. When only a few gather in His name, He will be in our midst.

Should Christians mobilize at such a pivotal time? Yes! Should Christians mass at such a pivotal time? Yes! Yet, Christians should not rely upon any of that. Instead, we should turn to the One in our midst and rely upon Him. PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD’S POWER WHETHER WE ARE A MAJORITY OR A MINORITY. He is unconstrained by polls and demographics, and has promised to be in our midst.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that people are being fired for raising safety concerns about gender rules in bathrooms), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!