A burden for the nations. A burden to pray for the nations. The more i ignore it, the heavier it is on my heart. How can the predicament that the US finds itself in be of any concern to me, a Ugandan lady? However tough the situation is for the US, back home in Uganda, the situation is way more dire. But God rebukes such a mindset and causes me to see things the way He sees them.
God is not far removed from our day to day lives; from ‘seemingly’ mundane things such as politics. He is actually concerned about the politics, the laws , justice that govern the lands He has placed us in while on earth. Paul reminds us in Acts that our physical locations , the nationalities we are born into are not as random as we may assume. It is all connected to the particular purpose He has in mind for your time while you are here on earth.
Acts 17:26; “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times, and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each of us ; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ -NKJV
How many of us will take time to pray for the nations for leaders in all positions of authority? Truth be told not many of us are concerned enough to pray seriously beyond whining, complaining and being defeated by the horrible situations in the nations we find ourselves in. I am as guilty as you, and God is calling a spade a spade in this season. He says get beyond yourself. Let your heart be concerned with my heart. Look beyond yourself, your household, take a look around you, beyond your concerns and think of others. And as we start looking and observing the happenings around us , we know that we have no business complaining but spending that time praying earnestly for His intervention. He is looking for a man willing to stand in the gap for the nations.Will you be that man in your generation?
Ezekiel 22 :30 ‘So i sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land , so that I should not destroy it, but i found no one.’- NKJV.
What does He require of the man willing to stand in the gap for the nations?
- Intercession ( Saying prayers on behalf of another)
This requires the Help of the Holy Spirit. Because He alone knows the mind of God regarding each nation. Romans 8: 26-28 ; Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
2. Repentance.
Repenting on behalf of the nations. You can agree with me that the world at large has abandoned God’s way and embraced other ways of this ‘world’ under the rulership of the prince of this world, the devil. In embracing these ways, we live sinful lives that separate us from God. However, God in His mercy gives us opportunity to repent and make way for Him to intervene positively in our lives. 2 Chronicles 7:14 asserts this saying ‘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.’ Again the help of the Holy Spirit has to be enlisted in deep and real repentance for the nations. John 16 :8 ‘And when He( the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.’ – NKJV.
3. Praying for Leadership and those in Authority.
We always complain of poor leadership without taking any form of responsibility for it and heaping all the blame on the leaders. But be reminded that the leaders of any society or nation are a reflection of the people they are leading. A man willing to stand in the gap for the nations has to be willing to take responsibility for the way leadership is being handled, beyond pointing blame but praying for those in authority earnestly and fervently. 1 Timothy 2: (1 -4) speaks candidly about this:
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ~ NKJV
Fervent prayer for Godly wisdom to be exercised by the leaders is not something we can take for granted. It is important that they can make a distinction between the wisdom of this world and Godly wisdom. James 4: 17-18 gives clarity on what Godly wisdom looks like ‘The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield , full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.’ ~NKJV
4. Seek the Peace of the nations
It is important to pray for the peace of the nations. Jeremiah 29 is a letter the prophet Jeremiah wrote to the Israelites while they were in captivity in Babylon imploring them to seek the peace of Babylon , praying to the Lord for it , for in its peace, they would also have peace. Likewise , when we pray for God’s peace to prevail in the nations , we in turn get to partake in this peace. With the world becoming a global village, prayers for peace go beyond the city where you find yourself living now, but in all the nations.
Hilary Clinton Vs Donald Trump
As the US elections draw closer, we as a body of Christ have a stake in who becomes president of the US. Because God has a stake in it, we also do; US citizen or not. Don’t think that since God is sovereign, He is able to make His choice win the election. Yes, He is sovereign but He has given us the choice and will to decide matters here on earth. Like Abraham was able to bargain for the life of his cousin , Lot before His destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, you and i can pray His will to be done in these elections. Likewise, we can seek the mind of God , His thoughts concerning Hilary and Donald. He definitely has thoughts and knows who would be the best president at this point beyond what they and the media are selling to us. Remember that ‘ The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. ~NKJV. God knows who best will accomplish His purposes for the nation.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, i bring before you every nation in this world, a well as the people in these nations. I pray for the leadership in every nation that they may come to the knowledge of your truth and will for the land you have given them authority over. I also bring before you every nation that is under strife, that your peace will rule in them. For the nations going to the polls soon, give the people wisdom to seek your face for your choice before they cast that vote. Precious Holy Spirit reveal to us the mind of the Father for the nations. Give us your heart for the nations i pray, AMEN.