“Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” Psalm 86:4-7. Do you, my brethren, believe God’s mercy is plenteous, and that He is ready to forgive?

 

Because I had the audacity to suggest in a commentary that Christians participate in a nationwide prayer vigil. My brethren felt the need to rebuke me, first for suggesting that God just might be willing and able to heal our land and then for suggesting our nation is worth healing. I thought that there were many others with the same mindset as me. Although there were a few who agreed with me, clearly the majority of responders to my commentary, “A Prayer for Change”, were decidedly against prayer in any form that would focus on our nation, or its leadership.

 

Apparently a good portion of my readers feel God is hard at work laying judgment traps for the rebellious to fall into, which means He’s just too busy or He doesn’t care to hear our prayers for healing. I believe America may very well be under some form of God’s judgment, but I will never believe He’s not interested in hearing from His children, or that He’s unwilling to stay His judgment as He hears from more and more of us.

 

God expects to hear from those who belong to Him. I hate using the following term and I will avoid it at any cost, but I’m going to use it here because it seems most appropriate on this occasion. Stop putting “God into a box”. Stop it. God is bigger than any box you and I will ever imagine and He can do anything He wishes. If God wants to heal America or any other country for that matter because He’s heard from His Children how arrogant is it of us to say He won’t or He can’t?

 

Interestingly there are some Christian commentators that are suggesting we believers should not pray for America, “Its glory days have ended” they say. “It’s foolishness to pray for this nation, God has condemned America.” One such commentator says “There are only two kinds of believers who want to save our country. Those who subscribe to Dominion, or Kingdom Now, theology, and those who don’t really believe the Lord is coming back and don’t want to lose the lifestyle they enjoy here. They are amillennialist who think things are always going to be the way they’ve been.”

 

I believe there’s at least a third group. I for one know full well that God’s word will be fulfilled and that at any moment He may remove His Church from planet earth. But until then believers are told to occupy until He comes. That means we continue to spread the Gospel of Christ while we pray for God’s blessings to continue. I don’t believe that the Church has replaced Israel, but that the Church has its own distinctive place in God’s plan. 

 

Life as a believer will be much better if we are free to go about our Father business. That commentator I mentioned has no idea what life will be like in America just prior to the Rapture. Why? Because America isn’t in biblical prophecy. All he can do is assume this or that will happen to America. Besides that, Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. I don’t see where Paul or any other New Testament writer tells us not to pray for God blessing on our Nation. 

 

Many, including myself, believe God may be judging America by allowing a socialist government to come into power for reasons of chastisement. Why? As I mentioned in that commentary Americans, by and large, have turned their collective backs on God. But I’ve never suggested giving up, nor will I.

 

Be assured God is not sitting back waiting for America to implode. No, He’s patiently waiting to hear from His children, all His children. He expects His children to stand firm on their faith in Jesus Christ, no matter in what direction this nation heads. From what I know of American history this nation has been fraught with evil demonic forces trying desperately to disrupt its growth and morality while adding massive amounts of violence into the mix from its inception. America has always been at odds with other nations as well as the discontent from within itself. Throughout the past two centuries Americans have fought and bickered amongst ourselves. Somehow we always come through it and for the most part unscathed. Could the reason be because of the unfettered prayers of God’s children?

 

It seems like World Wars I and II were catalysts in bringing Americans together. Then we had lesser wars that seemingly tore us apart. America is certainly a diverse nation, made up of a great ethnic and religious hodgepodge, and of course we have our share of sociopaths (people who are affected with a personality disorder marked by aggressive, violent, antisocial thought and behavior and a lack of remorse or empathy) thrown in for bad measure. We see a lot of those people currently exploding onto the scene committing horrible atrocities. Then of course there are the sociopaths running most world governments including that of the United States.

 

Many of my brethren complain that by my suggestion that we continue praying for this great nation, which they believe is completely doomed, that I am giving false hope to my more gullible brethren. “What an imbecile you are Ron. You’re like Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson Belshazzar who couldn’t see the attack coming on Babylon until the writing showed up on the wall”. Perhaps they’re right, so shoot me for being a firm believer in the power of prayer. I sure don’t see any reason to just give in or give up. I will not, nor should any Christian give in to apathy. 

 

I’m not asking my brethren to take up arms and fight this new evil that has taken over our government. All I’m saying is at least give God the benefit of the doubt and a chance to fight for His children and bless them.

 

It’s becoming apparent that the hotly debated topic of America once being a Christian nation is gaining steam. It’s obvious that some American’s no longer wish the U.S. to be known as a Christian nation, nor do they want to acknowledge that this country was ever a Christian nation. We see Christians torn apart and extremely divided by what they have been force fed from the media as well as many of our Christian pulpits.

 

I heard from a pastor recently that the tax exempt status is something the government of the United States has graciously bestowed on the Church. I’d be very careful. The powers to be aren’t going to give anything without wanting something in return. Churches must maintain their anonymity so the IRS doesn’t take away their coveted tax exempt status (501) (C) (3). Wouldn’t it be better to go ahead and pay the taxes instead of being forced to water down God’s word? Pay the taxes and tell the truth. And let’s keep God’s truth and our American history visible and accessible to all.

 

We can see a hug groundswell of dissention in the ranks these days.  American s, Republicans, Independents, and others are becoming more and more sure they made a massive mistake in placing these particular Democrats in charge of this country. Americans are now becoming keenly aware that their Democratic super majority run government isn’t even close to enacting the will of the people. Nobody in their right mind really ever wanted a gigantic super government structure taking over all aspects of our personal lives.

 

It’s the power of prayer which is currently changing the political landscape of our country. States, one by one are refusing to allow same sex marriages, and many States are turning against the Dem/Fed government. Massachusetts just voted into office a Republican Senator where a Democrat sat for the last 47 years, people are waking up and praying for this nation and God is listening. New Jersey and Virginia have also made the change over to Republican after many years of Democratic control. 

 

We must be careful in this country, we must be fully aware of a politician’s past voting record. We shouldn’t believe everything we hear from our elected officials, whether they be Democrat or Republican. Both political party’s have their hands in the till so to speak. It becomes kind of a crap shoot if we aren’t familiar with a politician’s position on the issues prior to election day. Shame on us for not knowing who we voted for until he/she takes office.

 

There is much misleading information being presented to the public these days, but lately it seems many are turning their backs on the purveyors of lies and seeking truth from outside the normal arena of news sound bites. This practice of misleading the masses has been a growing threat to Christianity and is doing great damage to an America that once was the beacon of hope to many other nations.

 

God will not interfere in our government if we, His children, see no need to pray for Him to intervene in our affairs. He’ll simply comply with our desire to go it alone. Personally I like having Him along. After all He’s the one who gives us the ability to bear up under whatever evil is forced upon us. Even by this Christ rejecting government we are currently strapped with.

 

There are, of course, many who stand on the inerrancy of God’s word while “rightly dividing the word of truth” 2 Timothy 2:15b. They are those who are speaking out against the evil in this land, they have little fear of the Federal government snatching away their tax exempt status because they don’t claim it. They firmly stand against evil such as the man who currently occupies the Oval Office, and against all those other liars and sadists in his administration. These fearless believers include lay men and women, pastors, evangelist, and others who will surely be remembered in the Kingdom of Heaven for standing firm on God’s word. 

 

America is at a crossroads. If Obama and company are allowed to continue to have their way, America will cease to be a sovereign nation made up of freedom loving, God fearing people. I know many don’t see it yet, but they will very soon now. Unless we stop the advancement of radical socialism from taking root there will no longer be an America to save. The power that’s wielded through prayer is, in many cases, underestimated. But there is power, great power when we invoke God’s help. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31. When we stand with God, God stands with us.

 

Jesus is the Messiah of the Jews and the Gentiles, the Savior of the world. Christ overshadows all human endeavors. But human pride blinds men’s eyes and many can’t, or won’t, see the truth. You who bashed me because of my suggestion that Christians pray for their nation are indeed not seeing the whole picture. Jesus is among us and hears our prayers. I’ll leave the future of America in Jesus’ capable hands as I continue to pray for America. Whether or not we should pray that America is taken back out of the hands of the man who, more than anything else, wants to see her converted to a socialistic, totalitarian, dictatorial, czar run, Muslim country is the question.

 

I don’t care how many of my brethren write and tell me how ignorant I am or how biblically uninformed I am. I serve an awesome God who can and will do great things if we will only believe. But that’s the rub isn’t it. Believing God will continue to bless our nation is what many abhor. “What do you mean Ron?” Just this, many of my brethren are so fixated on the Rapture that they want to see the destruction of America happen, believing this will usher in the snatching away of the saints. That scenario is not biblical and may very well result in some horrible Christian persecution through apathy inside Christ’s Church.

 

We in America may see the elimination of our freedoms. We may witness the rise of socialism. America’s Christians may be persecuted to the point we currently witness in other nations. We may be forced underground to live and to worship our Lord Jesus Christ. Then again Jesus may take us home tomorrow. Nobody really knows what America will be like just before the Rapture happens, so why not keep God in the loop?

 

As long as I’m alive and kicking I’ll be praying that America’s liberties remain intact. I pray that God continues to bless His people and this great nation so we may continue with His commandment of spreading the Gospel unimpeded. 

 

Patrick Henry said “Give me liberty or give me death” and many of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ feel the same way. We don’t want to be here if America is going to go through the change Obama has planned. Like I said previously, we are told to occupy ‘til He comes and so we shall, but I can promise you this, we are going to need prayer and lots of it.

 

To succumb to an “I give up attitude” is to proclaim the enemy has won the battle. If your attitude is to surrender then you might want to re-examine your faith–held–belief that God is in control. Those of us who are actually born again aren’t going to surrender, ever. Why? Because we know who’s in charge and that He fights our battles.

 

If you are one of those who wrote condemning me or chiding me for praying for my country, then all I can say is stay out of my way. You give up if that’s your mantra. I’ll continue to call on God to withstand the enemy through prayer until I’m taken out of the way. I know God is not going to give up on His children, but I also know that if we give up on Him and His awesome ability to make changes then we should be prepared to accept the consequences. Without God in the mix our time remaining on earth will be hell.

 

Is America being judged? Maybe. Can we as God’s children do anything to abate God’s judgment? Possibly. Why not pray about it? “...then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14b. He stayed His mighty hand against the city of Nineveh why not the US?

 

What do ya say? “Pray” or “Give Up”? As for me and my family we will continue to PRAY God’s intervention and healing for the land of the free and the home of the brave.

 

God bless you all,

 

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

All scripture is from the KJV