| From the Pastor... |
| I have received several emails requesting prayer for our nation as we elect a president. As I was praying for our nation Tuesday morning, I thought How do we pray? I was reminded of some prayers in the Bible and requirements for prayer to be heard and answered. We all know II Chronicles 7:14 - 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 I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. We need to pray as Daniel did in 9:4-19. Take time to read his prayer but notice these words: we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and rebelled; we have turned away from Your commands and laws. Daniel continues to confess his sins and the sins of the whole nation. Verse 9: The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him. Daniel confessed that they had brought this punishment upon themselves because of their sins and disobedience. Verse 18: We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay... Then turn to II Chronicles 14:2-15. A vast enemy army was approaching Judah and King Asa prayed. Notice verse 11: Lord, there is no one like You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You. In II Corinthians 1:8-11 Paul wrote about the hardships and threats they suffered in Asia...in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead... In these verses we have humility - there is no one like You; confession of sin - we have been wicked and rebelled; dependence and trust on Him - because of Your great mercy...there is no one like You... We also need to remember the president we elect will probably put 2 or more Supreme Court Justices on the bench in the next 4 years. And they could sit on that court for years to come! Yes, we need to pray and rely on God, but we also need to meet His requirements. |