Praying for the U.S. (Psalm 39)

O God of gods, the One True and Living God...
Your eyes are on all the earth and You miss nothing.
You order the steps of nations and You watch to see how individuals will manage the free-will that You give us. You miss nothing. Nothing escapes You.

I come. I devote myself to watch my behavior and to not sin with my tongue. The wicked are all around, yet I strive to be obedient. I strive not to return evil for evil, but dedicate my words to return good for their evil.

I am silent. I say nothing, but the pain keeps welling up within me. My heart grows hot as I see the wicked prosper. Fire burns within me. Show me, O God, my end.

My days are numbered, how them shall I live. I am but a transient creature, a handbreadth. For You, our lives are but nothing. The length of our lives is nothing compared to the eternity of Your existence.

Everyone is but a puff of wind. We go about like shadows. We don't know who will benefit. You are our only hope. Rescue us from our transgressions that we not be the butt of fools.

I am silent. I keep my mouth shut - because You, O God have brought this devastation upon the land. You are just. You are right. Your righteousness is true.

What will cause You to stop raining blows upon this land? What can stop the pounding of Your fists that wear us down? What will motivate us to turn from our wickedness and stand before You in obedience?

Your discipline is ignored. People embrace their guilt with glee. They flaunt Your directions that would protect them. Did You send this delusion? ...at their request?

All are merely a puff of wind.

Hear my meager prayer and listen to my cry. Hear the weeping of my heart. Though I am but a traveler passing through, I have dedicated my life to You. I plead with You on behalf of this nation. Have mercy, O God of mercy.

Turn Your gaze upon me. Restore the joy of my (Your) salvation to my heart. Fill my mouth with words of Life that others may know You. Make me a conduit that others may turn find hope through Your Word.

Jesus, You are the living Word. Come quickly. Maranatha. †     †     †    

Terror in Las Vegas...the prayers of one sinner

***Prayers following the terror of the Las Vegas shooting ...a call to unity

Verse
Psalms 73:19
How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

Psalms 91:5
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Please pray with me:

Heavenly Father,

I give You thanks for You are the God of Life and not of death. I give You thanks that I can come to You in my sorrow for the condition of the United States. I come.

I praise You, the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. You know the condition of this nation, You know our hearts, our fears, our needs. You know our spiritual condition and You know the decrepit condition of our thinking and our hearts. You know the sickness of our spirits. Thank You ...for You are the answer and You are willing to give liberally. I come asking for Your answers.

Our nation suffers another hit. This terror is different for it is clearly the work of one human against another. It was premeditated. It was carefully planned and executed. It's purpose was death of innocent people. Father, one moment all was well, and in another moment, terror reigned without ceasing. Help Lord. You know the details.

First I ask for Your definitive presence with those who are suffering. Many came to the fore as the event unfolded. Many were taken to medical facilities for needed attention. And many have returned home and sit with the reality of their experience. Invigorate Your church to keep reaching out—especially to those whose wounds are mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. Help these victims to rise up, seek You and find Your grace, mercy, and peace.

Many are asking for answers. We turn to our police and our government for answers. We demand they respond. We demand they tell us the details and we demand they bring us answers that we want to hear. We demand that they "do something." Forgive us for every time we have not turned to You. You have the answers.

For those that seek, may they turn to You. May they find relevant churches that know Your Word. Father, may Your Word proliferate through the minds and hearts of these people who are seeking answers. Rise up Your army of believers, establish their credibility through an out-flowing of Your peace and hope within them. Establish their demeanor with true empathy for those in pain and seeking some kind of answer. May they find the path to Your Word.

Raise up Your Word in this situation and in this nation. May it be spoken out loud that it may be heard. Please call those who would hear Your Word to find it, hear it, listen intently and internally, and diligently seek You for the only answers that will bring surety.

Father, I pray for churches to wake up and heed the call. Is not the harvest ready? Are the laborers few? Please raise them up. Raise up testimonies that call to the heart of the hurting. Raise up credibility of Jesus Christ—Lord and Savior. Soften the hearts of the hurting who would blame You for not preventing this situation. May they find their own free-will and realize that the shooter had free-will too. Holy Spirit, convict thousands across our nation to utilize Your gift of their free-will and make a decision to receive and follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Hallelujah!

May this time of grieving be turned to dancing. Up-gird our nation to seek You intently. Raise up warriors to enlist and join the spiritual battle. Teach us to come before Your presence and delight You with the intentions of our hearts. Holy Spirit, descend on us and establish us before the Throne of Grace. Sculpt us to be the prayer warriors that know this not a battle of flesh and blood. Holy Spirit, please lead our prayers.

Father, many people are demanding the government move on gun control. Yet we know, that if guns are banned, other means will surface. Father, it avoids the problem...the problem of our spiritual condition. Raise up churches and pastors, raiser up YOUR message that we will answer to You and that the proliferation of sin is what is beleaguering our nation. Father, may Your church rise to the surface and attend to Your business that You desire that every person come to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:4
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

...and the media. Father they promote terror and their agendas. They even use this event to put down and criticize our president. Place Your hand of protection on him and his family. Silence the media that uses anything available to promote their agenda. Expose the lies and raise up truth. You are Truth. Jesus Christ is Truth. Let us proclaim truth. We desperately need discernment and wisdom, and words of Your leading. We cannot do this on our own. Help Lord. I cry out to You. May many cry out.

Hear my heart before Your throne of grace and mercy,

In Jesus’ Name.

Please consider these prayers for the revival of our nation:
For the U.S.
For the Trump Administration
For Leaders and Decision Makers
For Pastors, especially in the U.S.

***This prayer is my own and the content does not reflect the philosophy or policies of any organization. They are offered in good faith that others may find them helpful in their prayer life and that the Church of Jesus Christ may be found faithful in the day of His coming.

For encouragement and guidance, consider being a part of Intercessors for America. Join this army of prayer warriors. Consider visiting their website to learn more. http://ifapray.org/

Prayer for Christian Churches in the U.S.

We know that Jesus is coming. The Bible tells us:

You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Luke 12:40 ESV)

Are we ready? Are churches ready? Are we as individuals ready? Each day, we are closer. Have we done our part?

Please pray with me:
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Father in heaven, You are the Great Designer, and You have created and ordained the earth. By contrast, we bring sin with us everywhere we go and we taint the beauty of Your Handiwork. Truly, we have spoiled Your stunning Creation. Our sin has such great cost.

And how did You respond? You sent Your Son. You came to us. You paid the price—which was so great. How can we understand such love? We don’t know how. We are humbled. We are grateful.

Praise and acclamation belong to You alone for Your patience and Your compassion. You have made us a new creature to those who believe in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lam 3:22-23).

Bring this to our understanding that our commitment to Your will and Your work in us can be complete. Let us not forget Hebrews 12:2:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

May Your Word bring us great consolation, peace, gratitude and joy. May Your Word incite commitment and resolve to do Your will moment by moment.

We choose to be bound by our sin. Forgive us. Yet, this need not be! Hope is complete through Jesus Christ, who came to

“… preach good tidings unto the meek …bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

“… to comfort all that mourn; …to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1, and Luke 4:18)

Where we have fallen short, where we have not been a message of hope to our communities, guide our churches to repent before You. We ask You to forgive us and open our eyes to see opportunity.

Surely we are Your body – Your outreach into the world to proclaim the Living Christ! But we fall short. We have not accepted the beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Therefore, we are not a “tree of righteousness” that glorifies You!

Help Lord! You can turn all this around! Have mercy on us! Oh Holy Spirit convict the hearts of whole churches to repent, to receive Your joy, Your beauty, and to exalt You with praise. May we eagerly cast off the spirit of heaviness! Establish churches as “trees of righteousness” —both individually and through their outreach. Let us cry out to You and may You clothe us in commitment!

Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, establish the root systems—roots that go deep and solid and are founded in Your Word. Water each church—the Holy Spirit leading and guiding the leadership and members. Cause each tree to grow into a balanced, stalwart foundation within each community.

May Your Holy Spirit have free reign that the fruit grow soundly and without blight. As fruit, may we be mature, firm; inviting and tasteful. May the Word of hope in Jesus Christ follow every member through every interaction of their week. And may Jesus Christ be glorified! Hallelujah!

May each church member gather in anticipation of glorious worship each Sunday, amazed at Your work to grow them both individually and collectively. May we be so excited to share what You have accomplished, that we can’t wait to encourage others and worship You in one accord.

May our worship rise up and may it be a savory perfume to You. May You be pleased with us daily—both individually and collectively. And may we find Your joy and peace as we enthusiastically demonstrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a habit of living in our lives.

In the Name of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

Prayer for the Ebola epidemic

We learn that time is of the essence with regard to the Ebola epidemic and that thousands are dying as it spreads. Learn more.

Please pray with me:

Lord God of Heaven,

You are the Creator and all the earth submits to Your will. Only You can bring good from all situations. I claim Romans 8:28.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

You have allowed this virus and it has taken the lives of so many and is devastating the lives of so many more. It is not something I can understand. I do see that here in the U.S. we are more concerned about our own safety rather than seeking how we can help. Forgive us. We are driven by fear— when You have offered Your perfect love to cast it out. Forgive us.

Truly, there is nothing happening that does not submit to Your purpose, so the virus is under Your rule.

Father, for those who minister to the victims and serve in the cleanup:  May those who work tirelessly, be strengthened for each day. Protect their bodies from the virus and may the bleach wash kill every cell of ebola that threatens them. Give them discernment as they approach people that their bodies may be protected. Father, the suits that they wear—may there be enough of them; may they have the needed supplies to keep themselves safe. 

Shield them from the emotional devastation as they see young children die, and other children lose their entire family. Cover these servants secure their bodies as well as their minds. Father, I can not imagine the emotional cost, the turmoil, the heartbreak that these workers face every day. Permeate their thinking to protect their heart.

For the leaders and officials: surely, they need wisdom as well as words. Bring the right information to them that they can make good decisions. Grant them a spirit of collaboration and unity of mind and purpose as they make these decisions. I include the doctors, their staff, the civil and national leadership— grant them focus, direction, and a plan that bring hope to those they serve. Change them Father that their lives be committed to true service. Grant them a heart of compassion. Strengthen them emotionally, especially where difficult decisions must be made.

For the families of victims, and those that have contracted the disease: Father, denial runs rampage and fear drives people to poor decisions. Raise up the voices of those who have recovered to be an encouragement for those who who are sick. May those who are ill and their family and friends, not be in denial but act swiftly that this disease be contained and they may live. May the ramifications of their decision to hide their symptoms be unacceptable and may they do the right thing.

So many people have lost their friends and their family. Yet You are there crying with them. Cause us to repent. Cause us to value this situation as an opportunity to seek You and draw close to You. I know You are ready to draw close to them—Oh Father, may their voices reach out in their desperation and their loss. May survivors and family reach out to those that grieve.

For the dying: Father, those that have contracted the disease and wonder if they will live. May Your Word of Life be spoken to them. May they realize their peril and seek You for their salvation. As they plead for their lives, may the salvation of Jesus be spoken to them. May they receive Your Gift of salvation and may the Name of Jesus rise victorious for them as well as their families and friends. May this entire situation be a revival for the glory that You for those who would call on Your Name. Jesus! Jesus Christ— may the Message and the Truth go out.

For new believers: May many turn to You. May they live to speak the Truth about Jesus and salvation. May there be an incredible revival and may the joy of Your Salvation fill the land with hope. Father, cause many people to speak Your Word and may the new believers grow quickly and minister to You and those who are dire for the Good News.

For those in the U.S.: Father, we have become a nation that is selfish and self-serving. Forgive us for being more concerned about our own safety than helping those in need. You have given us so much—like the ability to contain this virus, yet we are reticent to help those are fighting it afar. Raise up Your church to pray for our nation and free us from the love we seem to have for our stuff.

Cause our gaze to reach further to identify opportunity to share, to give, to use the prosperity that You have brought forth for Your purposes. Raise up prayer warriors and encouragers. Raise up an army that petitions You on how to walk by faith and not by sight. Squelch the fear that we choose instead of the love that would cast it out. Forgive us for our poor choices.

May we align with Your will. May preachers, and pastors be burdened to lead their congregations to take action. May the prayers from this nation and abroad capture Your attention and minister to You. Use this deadly virus to cause us to make change in our lives. May this catastrophe be part of the harvest for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

For the doctors, medical teams, researchers, and facilities: Father, please give these people ideas and insights on this virus. Guide their thinking on how to protect those who are well, and new considerations on the treatment of the sick. May those who are treating the victims be protected by Your grace. Grant a collaboration amongst the teams to come up with new and effective treatments. For the University of Nebraska Medical Centers and other facilities – raise up leaders to prepare for the near future and bring truth about the disease so that we know what is needed to protect this disease from spreading in the U.S. May there be no false statements that "all is well." Protect us with the truth and grant us emotional savvy to respond in ways that are helpful.

Grant us hope. Fill us with hope. Fill use with an encouraging word. Speak out Words of Life for all of us that would get involved that we may have an outpouring of joy in what You, the God of Creation will do. Open our eyes to see what You will will do and give us words of testimony that others may see too! Raise us up to care about the matters of Your heart and not our own.

Hear our prayers, in Jesus’ Name.

(Please add your prayers and support in the comments section.)

Prayer for the United States, our culture, the church, and a call to repent...

As we witness that the culture of the United States is deteriorating, please pray with me:

God of Creation,

You, who made the universe and all therein, You are worthy to be praised. You are holy, O God, and it is impossible for You to look on sin. We sin. Show us the path to repentance. In Your great love for us, You have placed the path to righteousness that we might have relationship with You. Thank You.

You have shown us Your mercy and Your grace through Your Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. Thank You. Your compassion for us is undeserved. You sought us out, and provided a pathway to relationship with You as a free gift. If we only believe. Your graciousness is beyond what we can think or understand.

The U.S. is under siege and we, Your church have enjoyed freedoms without protecting them. Forgive us. We have not diligently prayed for our leaders or our nation. We have not watched diligently. You have given us so much but we have squandered the incredible measure of your lavish provision—when many in the world have nothing. We have not sought You, individually or as a nation and we have been driven by greed and fear. We have looked to ourselves for our sustenance and forgotten that You are our Provider. Forgive us. Call us to repent. To my shame, I have done these things. Forgive me.

O God, awaken the Body of Christ here in the U.S. Cause us to weep at that tragedy that lies all around us. We have allowed our culture to deteriorate without taking a stand. We have not acknowledged that the bountifulness of this nation comes from You. Instead, we have taken credit and You have been pushed out of the picture.

Did we pray fervently when prayer was taken out of the schools? Did we turn our backs when abortion clinics were setup? Did we question potential leaders during each election season? I didn’t. Forgive me. Forgive us. Cause us to arise. Cause us to awaken and turn from our lethargy.

Pour out prayers through Your church. Open our eyes to hear Your heart on these matters. May we beseech You day and night on behalf of this nation and its leaders. May we turn from our ways.

Father, Your church seems silent and it seems this is of our own choosing. Change us. Bring us a sense of urgency. Bring us unrest that we may rise up. May we do so in Your love and compassion. May we reach out to our neighbors and community each day with the love of Christ. Give us discernment and squelch the criticism and judgement that we are so quick to embrace.

Bring Your church together. May the Spirit raise us up in “the joy and unity of the Lord” and may it cause those who see to wonder. May Your love be expressed appropriately, with discernment and not mar the testimony of Christ. May truth reign in our hearts and minds. May they know us by our love.

Surely the harvest is ripe. People are empty and without purpose. You are hard to find in our culture because we have pushed You out and we have hidden our faith! O Father, fashion us into an army for Christ that others can say, “That’s what I’ve been looking for. Tell me what it is, so that I may have what you have.” Raise us up, daily. Bring a resurgence of revival for our nation.

Grant us the gift of shame once again. Open our eyes and hearts to see our error. Help us to raise up the Salvation of Christ and commit ourselves to Him as Lord of our lives, our thoughts and our actions. Invigorate us for the cause of Christ and send us forth as a trained and effective army that invites the lost—a message of hope and a message they can willingly embrace.

Have mercy, O gracious God, for we ask it in Jesus’ Name.


(Please add your prayers, support, and "Amen" in the comments section.)