One of the leaders of the Scottish Reformation in the mid-1500's was an ex-Catholic priest named John Knox. He was a man of strong prayer. The ruler of Scotland for a time, Mary Queen of Scots, was quoted as saying, "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe." That speaks highly of a man of God. The prophet Elijah prayed and it stopped raining for over three years. Then, he prayed and fire came down from heaven. He prayed again and it began raining. He prayed two other times and fire came down and consumed a couple of bands of soldiers sent to kill him.
The prayers of mighty men have shaken nations. I firmly believe that we as Christians can turn the tide of current events by the way we pray. This is for certain, if we DON'T pray, things will NEVER change. Jesus said this in Mat 21:22-And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. John the Beloved wrote in 1 John 5:14-And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jo 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
I know that you are going to say, Bro. Henry, God will only answer if it is according to His will. Boy! You catch on quick, don't you?
Let's look at the following scriptures.
Psalm 37:7-fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
David, the great king and psalmist, said not to worry about the man who brings wicked things to pass. Do you know any world rulers who bring wicked things to pass to make us afraid? Do you know any religions that do it? How about rulers in this nation? How about local, state and federal legislators?
Let's group several scriptures and then talk about prayer for a minute.
Psalm 10:2-The wicked in [his] pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
Psalm 9:16-The LORD is known [by] the judgment [which] he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Psalm 35:4-Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
These are prayers of King David that became songs that the Israelites sang during worship. The Holy Spirit breathed these words into existence though him. Here we find the will of God for wicked people. It specifically talks about the wicked people who persecute the poor, seek after our souls and devise or plan things that hurt us. Does this describe people on planet earth today? How about some of the rulers of the nations? Yes, you have several groups of individuals that would love to inflict harm on the United States. You have several nations that would love to wipe out Israel. And, these groups have been planning to hurt us right now.
Let's touch another subject. How about the local, state, and federal branches of our government. Have they persecuted the poor? Do they seek after our soul and devise laws to our hurt? Some of the things they have done, not all, have wound up hurting more people than they have helped. We have seen over the past several months that some people in our government are not carrying out their duties in an honorable fashion. But, how do we know their hearts and their intentions? How do we know which ones are good and which ones only want to make dishonest gain?
Take a look at this scripture- Ecc 12:14-For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.
For over a year, I have been praying for our Congress, state and local officials, our armed forces an our police and fire departments. I have prayed for the rulers and those who have authority over us. (1 Tim 2) In the past several months, I have seen God answering those prayers. God is bringing the wicked down. I know that it was not just my prayers but prayers of thousands of Godly men and women all over the world praying for the same thing.
Here's how I pray. I keep these scriptures handy to help me pray them until they are committed to memory. I do not claim to be an expert in the political realm and don't want to be. I want to be an expert in the Word of God and an expert in prayer. I firmly believe that we can shake the nations through appropriate praying. First, since I am not a political expert, I ask God to bring every work into judgment. Bring the good ones into judgement and bless them and bring the bad ones into judgement and stop them. (Keep referring to the verses in Psalms.) I ask God to confuse the counsel of those that are seeking ways to hurt His people. I speak confusion into their committee meetings. I speak confusion into their battle plans. I declare that their weapons formed against us would not prosper, Is 54:17. For the Congress as well as the armies that stand against us, I pray that they be snared in the work of their own hands.
There is no telling what can be done in this earth if God's people begin praying strong prayers. If we truly believe that God is a prayer answering God, then let's get down to the business of doing it. Don't pray in a haphazard manner. Find scriptures that deal with the particular need that you have. Listen for the unction of the Holy Ghost. If you are sincere in building a strong prayer life, God is more that willing to help you. It is His desire that we live in peace. Peace doesn't come through politics. It comes through peace. If you feel that this blog has been helpful to you, pass it on to friends.
In the next part, I will share some more about praying for the nations, expecially ours.
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