Pray for America 1 Tim.2:1-3 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
We need to pray for America. But how do we pray? And what do we pray for?
Pray for those in authority – 1 Tim 2:1-3 – a quiet [Acts 9:31], and peaceable life [Jer 29:7], in all godliness [1 Tim 6:5; 2 Tim 3:12] and honesty [Rom 12:17; contrast Ex 1:15-20]
- Pray for the president – Prov 21:1 – Cyrus [Ezra 1:1-3], Artaxerxes [Neh 2:1-6]. And pray for the vice president [2nd man]. Pharaoh had Joseph and Nebuchadnezzar, the servant of the Lord, had Daniel.
- Pray for the congress – Prov 28:2 – Ex 18:21 – these men and women need to rule in the fear of the Lord. It seems they fear men, not the Lord.
- Pray for the judiciary – 2 Sam 23:3 – these judges also need to rule in the fear of God. According to Prov 16:10 we can still look to the Lord for a “divine sentence.”
Pray for our relations with Israel – Matt 25:31-46 – I pray that our relations with Israel will strengthen and that we will be here for them when the rest of the nations join together to destroy them [Ps 83]. But remember that we are not afforded the same covenant promises that apply to Israel [Ps 147:19-20; 2 Sam 7:23]
Pray for the forgiveness of our sins – Neh 1:6-7 – read Nehemiah’s confession. He included himself in the sins of the country. In Jon 3:5-10 everyone in the city humbled themselves seeking God’s mercy.
Pray for strong churches to remain strong – 2 Thes 2:3 – we see that before the Lord’s return there will be apostasy. 1 Pet 4:17 says that judgment must begin at the house of God.
Pray for courage to preach the gospel – Eph 6:19-20 – the gospel is the only thing that can change men. Our hope is in God. We must not ever relinquish the preaching of the gospel.
Conclusion: America has turned its back on God; but God has not turned his back on America or we would already be sunk. Pray and preach the gospel. We need the prayers and sinners need the gospel.