The old spiritual song cries out, “It’s me, It’s me, It’s me, O’ Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” Many times in the scriptures we are called to pray for those we love, and even for those whom we don’t love. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing,” or even, to “pray constantly.” In 1Timothy 2:8, Paul writes, “I desire then, that in every place, men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or quarreling.” James tells us in James 5:16, to “pray for one another”. Jesus said of His church, in Matthew 21:13, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer.” And in Colossians 4:2, Paul encourages and even commands us to “devote yourselves to prayer”. Over and over we are called to be a people of prayer.
This morning, as our Sunday service was getting started, our pastor led the congregation in prayer. Each of us prayed according to his instructions silently as he gave us our topic for prayer. He named five areas we were to pray for; to pray for our church, that God would make us into the church He wants us to be; to pray for ourselves, that we would be right with Him; to pray for our families that our families would follow God; to pray for our Country, for God’s leadership; and to pray for the election, that God would guide us in the decisions that we need to vote for. And then he closed our time out in a verbal prayer.
Folks, these are indeed five areas that need our prayers. First of all, we need to pray for our churches, for whatever church or synagogue you belong to, that God would lead us in the decisions and directions that we should walk in. Then each of us needs to pray for our-selves, that we, too, would walk in the directions and steps that the Lord is leading us as individual believers. Then we need to pray for our families, that the Lord will cover us in His love, protection, and guidance, and that our families would follow Him in salvation. Next, our country needs prayer in the worst possible way. Did you know that a second attempt was made on President Trump’s life this afternoon as he was playing golf? If it had not been for the watchful eye and action of a secret serviceman, President Trump could have been taken out. Praise the Lord that the shooter was soon caught and is now in our custody! Praise the Lord that Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her thanksgiving that he was not hurt. Listen, our country is facing an attitude of hatred like we have never faced before, and the ways of God have been traded for the ways of man. We are in such dire need of prayer for this land of ours which we dearly love and have so bravely been fought for. I hope you are keeping our Country in your prayers daily. And we need to be much in prayer for who the next President of the United States is to be, former President, Donald Trump, or our current Vice President, Kamala Harris. Who we choose will determine the direction that this country will travel from now on. The writer of Proverbs tells us all to “Trust in the Lord with all our heart, and do not rely on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge and trust in Him, and He will guide us on the right paths, (Proverbs 3:5,6).
