It’s Time To Pray

Regardless of how you feel about the recent election results, it’s time to pray for this country. The turmoil leading up to the choosing  of our leaders has been, at times, pretty tumultuous. A whole lot of rhetoric, vitriol and downright mudslinging, to be sure. Some people feel that their ‘side’ was victorious, justified by the will of the people. Others feel that their ‘side’ was discounted and abused, the victims of fakery and deception. No matter how it played out, many of us sense that something is still out of kilter.

Today’s article in the local paper declares that there was some suspected outside involvement in the US elections process. A bipartisan group of US senators has called for a thorough investigation into that possibility. Nobody knows for sure if it happened or not, but there is suspicion. Did that truly happen? Have other countries (like Russia) tinkered in the process? Who knows, but the suspicion lingers. The real issue, however, is not if something like that has happened, as much as that it’s time to pray.

The real issue is that it’s time to pray! Whether your ‘side’ won or not, it’s time to pray. Whether you feel the USA is back on track or hopelessly lost, it’s time to pray. Whether you think things will get better or you think that things will get worse, it’s time to pray. We don’t know what the future holds for us, but whether it’s good or bad it’s time to pray.

The direction of this country is governed by one thing, and one thing only. Our direction and success as a people is governed by God, whether we acknowledge Him or not. The Founding Fathers knew this to be true. It’s why people like Benjamin Franklin called for corporate prayer by the government of America to invoke God’s wisdom and guidance in all we do. That’s why it’s time to pray!

Our ability to prosper is not enabled by a political party, but in our relationship to the Lord. This is a universal truth and applies equally as individuals and corporately as a country. The closer we draw to Him, the more certain is our success. The further away from Him we stray, the more certain is our failure. That truth is evident in our past as well as in the current situation we find ourselves in.

Our past successes have given us a false sense of superiority. We have begun to abandon God and our reliance upon Him, substituting our own way of doing things for His. We think that we have achieved our accomplishments by our own actions instead of understanding that our blessings come from God alone. As we employ our own thinking we get more and more estranged from the One who gives us life and light. The result of our ‘independence’ is, of course, confusion and a growing sense of anxiety. That’s why people feel that something isn’t quite right, because for the most part things aren’t right.

To remedy this, the Lord Himself shared His wisdom with the people of Solomon’s day. We would be wise to remember – and apply – that same principle found in Scripture;

I2 Chron 7:14-15

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 heal their land. (NKJV)

It’s time to pray!

Benjamin Franklin article obtained from www.walbuilders.com