After watching the evening news today, I asked myself, “is the world in worse shape than when I was younger or am I just becoming more aware of its problems as I get older?”
I wondered if my dad when he was my age watching the Vietnam war, gas crisis and anti-war protest thought the world was getting worse or if he was just becoming more aware as he became older?
I watched and listened to reports of terrorists bombings in Pakistan, floods in the midwest, grandparents raising grandchildren in Florida, usually widows on a fixed income.
My thoughts about some of these events were indifference, I didn’t shed a tear for the families in Pakistan that lost husbands, sons, mothers and daughters to some disillusioned suicide bomber. I thought it was a shame that some homes were flooded. I felt sorrow for the grand-widows raising grandchildren on a fixed income.
After I turned off the TV the thought came to me, “America needs prayer. Will you pray?”
The truth of the matter is this the world needs prayer. It is selfish just to pray for America, but if I began to pray for my country with all of its needs maybe God will help me to pray for Pakistan and all of its needs. Maybe then I will a least shed a tear for the families in these far away lands that have had family killed by bomb blasts.
The statement was, America needs prayer. Will you pray?
In the silence God is waiting for my response. I wonder how long He will have to wait?
thedailylily.com 
In Psalm 2:8, the Lord promises…”Ask of Me and I will give You the nations as an inheritance.” You are right, Gary. The Lord desires that ALL nations be saved and come to the knowledge of Christ, the Messiah. He has given over to His Messiah (and ours) the nations of the earth, but we must pray. Pray for God’s mercy upon them. Pray for the lost, the wounded, the hurting, the hungry, the disenfranchised, the little ones, the captives. And our church has been given that commission, as an international church to pray for them. Thank you for the wake up call.
It seems there are many “trumpets” sounding lately, as we prepare for the coming of Christ for His church. They are like pre-shocks before the cataclysm of when the TRUMP sounds and Christ will meet us in the air. We must pray now. Will we do it? you ask.
I will pray.
Seems very sad but true for me as well. I recently read the news headlines “Where has the church gone?” A news poll asking, “do you feel safe in your house of worship?” Front page news articles like this ring loud and clear. News as Gary has mentions plus numerous more news stories. Yet, one does wonder, ‘where has the church gone?”
A good friend of mine told me that her church, a fairly large church, had been experiencing ‘apathy’ recently. The Pastor told her he had opened the church for prayer on Friday night and Thursday afternoons. So she rushed over on Thursday to the prayer and to her surprise she was the only one there except the pastor of course. This seems @times in church history to be the common practice of christians. People like to tell you they are praying, but what does that mean? Polls tells us people want God but they don’t want the church because they do not want to have responsibility and discipline of going and being a part of a church. Yet, we are told in the Word of God to assemble ourselves together.
So to answer Gary’s question from my point of view would be, prayer will have to wait until we have spent our pay checks on, movies, clothes, cars and vacations. And, don’t forget gossip takes times, jealousy and anger takes time. Giving out wrong information to confuse others and try and make others look small also takes time. Before we have even become aware of prayer has become a ‘dispassion’ in our daily life.
I always look to find ways the church is active and it helps me to shift my gears and pray. One thing that thrills me today is : http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,564960,00.html
I Thess 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing.”
I think for many of us we add to that scripture so that it might read something like this:
Pray without ceasing to drive your car, run to do laundry, wash the dishes, talk on the phone or bcome distracted by 100 things.
I know I say some prayers when I am moving about but the Bible also tells us to “Be still and know that I am God” …Psalm 46:10. For me that means stop, focus, concentrate on prayer.
Thanks for sharing your the link Sara …so encouraging!!
Gary, your question, “will you pray”? I have to say, that I don’t pray enough, or at least…without ceasing. I have no excuse, for the Bible instructs us to, “pray without ceasing”. As I read this blog, I was reminded of a time, in scripture, when our Savior was at His, maybe lowest or hardest time, and he requested his disciples to “watch and pray”. Each time Jesus returned to them, He found them sleeping, instead of praying. You can read the account in Matthew 26:36-46.
Gary, thanks for reminding us that pray is the answer, for everything.
Gary, My pastor was asking what can we do as a church to bring a revival. My answer was pray. Cry out to the Lord for our homes, churches, government and world. We need a move from God. God hears our prayers and He will intervene. We have to talk to him. Prayer works, there is no doubt. Yes, I will pray, and have been praying and will continue to pray. It’s our life line to God. Without pray, we wither up, like a plant with no water. Pray is real and it works. Thank you for this blog, Gary.
This week I sat for hours in a hospital waiting room with a family as we waited for a family member to have surgery. People were coming and going from all walks of life and from many nations. I became somewhat aware that at times like this you do find yourself, maybe not aware at the moment, but hopefully praying without ceasing.
I think in some ‘odd way’ to our faulty thinking we can enter into a oneness with the spirit and have passion without drama for others and for God’s ways. This scripture written by a very notable prophet says, “I have heard a report from the Lord and a messenger is sent to the nations, saying, Gather together and come against her! And rise up for the battle. “(Jeremiah 49:14, AMP)
Thank you Gary for challenging us much like Jeremiah did.
A great verse to start our day of prayer.
“How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”- 2 Samuel 7:22 NIV
In my reading of Smith Wiggleworth he says of prayer that it comes through faith.
And through faith brings about the ability to command. I wonder is it lack of faith that causes us not to pray for our own country. I hope not as that would say we don’t trust God in the matters of our nation. Our forefathers did trust God!