It's Important to Take the Time

Today is the National Day of Prayer

Will you not add your voice? It is more important now than ever before in our history.

David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.

2 Samuel 24:25

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come to you today in a spirit of humble supplication on the behalf of my nation.

Father, I plead with You for the physical and spiritual life of my country. May the American people waken from their stupor to realize that now, today, is the acceptable day of salvation, and may they not harden their hearts (1).  Let the scales fall from our eyes as they did from the Apostle Paul's (2)

and may the light and knowledge of Christ, the power of His resurrection, and Your unfailing love and tender mercy and forgiving grace turn us, O God, from our headlong path of self-destruction.

Draw our people and our leaders to Yourself, O Lord, and enable us to believe that You are and that without faith, it is impossible to please You (3). Put within the hearts of all Americans the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of knowledge (4) and cause us to understand that righteousness exalts a nation, while sin is a shame and a reproach to it (5).

Drive complacency from us! May we understand before it is too late that it is indeed a fearful, terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God (6) and therefore to turn from our wicked ways and seek Your mercy, grace, and favor. Cause my people to choose the fear of the Lord and not hate knowledge (7).

Protect and deliver my nation from Satan's strong delusions so that we will not believe his lies (8).

May Your Name not be used flippantly or as a curse (9), but may You be honored and worshiped as You deserve.

Let us be Your people; be Thou our God! Give us one heart and one way, that we may fear You always, for our own good and for the good of our children after us. Please do not turn away from doing us good, and put the fear of the Lord into our very hearts so that we will not turn away from You! (10)

Help us to forsake sin Deliver us from every yoke of bondage (11) and turn us from every wrong path (12).  Bless us with a hunger and thirst for righteousness, that we may be filled! (13)

Enliven the church, O Lord, to be faithful and worthy ambassadors for Jesus Christ, and give us Your favor so that this nation's people and leaders will believe our report (14). May You, who have begotten us, the believers, unto a "lively hope" empower us as witnesses for Your truth (15). May none of us who claim the Name of Christ harbor or regard iniquity in our hearts (16), but rather let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God (17), and may we love mercy, walk humbly, love our neighbors, and pray for our enemies (18-19).

Help the American people to gain that true, good knowledge which is from above (20), and not lean upon the flimsy support of human reasoning (21). In all our ways, may we acknowledge You, so that You will direct our paths and deliver us from evil (22). Cause this wisdom and discernment to abound more and more so that we, as a people,w ill approve and follow after the things that are more excellent, so that we will bes sincere and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ (23).

The hearts of our leaders, and especially that of our president, are in Your hands, O Lord, and you turn their thoughts and ways in any manner You wish (24) . Therefore, may You cause then to bless this nation, as you did with Balaam and Israel (25) even when their intent may be--wittingly or unwittingly--to curse it.

May You relent, O Lord, concerning calamity! (26) O Lord, fight for us! (27) May those who know and love You be delivered from the wrath of their enemies. May no weapon formed against the church prosper (28). May this nation also be more worthy in Your sight to receive Your gracious and sure preservation from every sin and evil, for You are not restrained to save by many or by few (28). Teach us, O Father, h ow to walk worthily of You, and to love You with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength (29). O Father, forgive us and heal us!

In Jesus' powerful Name we pray, Amen.

Scripture references:

1. 2 Corinthians 6:2

2. Acts 9:18

3. Hebrews 11:6

4. Proverbs 1:7

5. Proverbs 14:34

6. Hebrews 10:31

7. Proverbs 1:29

8. 2 Thessalonians 2:11

9. Exodus 20:7

10. Jeremiah 32:38-40

11. Galatians 5:1

12. Psalm 27:11

13. Matthew 5:6

14. Isaiah 53:1

15. 1 Peter 1:3

16. Psalm 66:18

17. 2 Corinthians 2:7

18. Micah 6:8

19. Luke 6:27-28

20.. James 3:17

21  Proverbs 14:12

22. Proverbs 3:5-6

23. Proverbs 21:1

24. Numbers,chapters 22 & 23

25.  Jonah 4:2

26.  Exodus 14:13-14

27. Jeremiah 54:17

28. 1 Samuel 14:6

29. Luke 10:27