4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
When the anxieties or concerns of this life are crowding out our ability to pray, then we have a problem - we should bring our fears and the things that we worry about before His throne, so that we can experience His peace and clarity. We should ideally go to the Word and pray in accordance with what God has said - that makes for a faith-filled prayer. As we humble ourselves and enter in to His presence, we can build our confidence as we call on Him.
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The Bible invites us to experience the presence of God by humbling ourselves in an attitude of reverence and calling upon His name. 1st John chapter 5 states:
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Tomorrow, government leaders and other interested parties will gather in Washington, DC for the annual event known as the National Prayer Breakfast. According to Religion News Service, the event is "under new management," a new organization called the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, and the scaled-back version will be much smaller and will not be a sit-down breakfast.
Meanwhile, this morning in the nation's capital, at the Museum of the Bible, another prayer gathering was held, the National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance - it was a morning event, but not a breakfast. It was sponsored by Well Versed, the organization co-founded by Faith Radio programmer Jim Garlow. It was also available online - several Faith Radio programmers were involved: Carter Conlon, Anne Graham Lotz, and Tony Perkins. Almost 20 members of Congress were scheduled to offer prayers during the event.There has been reporting throughout the years of prayer meetings and Bible studies in Washington, DC. Scripture directs us to pray for our leaders, and we can be encouraged when our leaders are praying themselves.
Recently, in a move that calls to mind the call to prayer that Benjamin Franklin issued in Philadelphia as delegates were at an impasse in their drafting of a new Constitution, an impasse in the selection of Congressional leadership was met head-on by prayer. That's according to The Washington Stand, that reported:
In the wee morning hours of Saturday, January 7, the 434 members of the House of Representatives swore an oath to “bear true faith and allegiance” to the Constitution. After 15 votes, they had finally chosen a House speaker and could all take the oath of office. A short time earlier, seven of their number had acted out their true faith and allegiance to a different, higher governmental authority.Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson recounted on the Family Research Council's Pray Vote Stand webcast: “We have a prayer caucus in the House...We gather for prayer, for example, the beginning of each week … and ask the Lord for his wisdom and discernment and guidance.” The Washington Stand article goes on to say:
As Friday dawned with the House no closer to choosing a Speaker, “we were in a real bind,” Johnson confessed. So, the prayer caucus gathered to pray in the House chamber “in the early morning before the session began. … We repented to the Lord for our individual transgressions, and those collectively as a legislative body, and as a people, as a nation. And we asked for his divine guidance.”He said: “My specific prayer in that circle was, ‘Lord, the House is divided. We know that a house divided cannot stand. And we ask you to unite this House.’ And in short order, that’s what happened."
Representative Greg Steube of Florida, who also prayed on the House floor, stated: "Friday’s events proved the power of prayer in miraculous ways,” adding, “We lifted the speaker’s race up to the Lord, and immediately after the prayer of seven members, 14 members changed their vote. And, by the end of the day, it had concluded, and we had a speaker. My church and many others prayed together at the same time, and the power of the Holy Spirit was seen in the results thereafter. I want to thank Jon and Jolene Hamill of Lamplighter Ministries for the prayer.”
The Congressman's prayer was not only one that exalted God, but included a request for God to forgive sins of the past that have occurred within the House.
The article notes:
Johnson said that many “committed, solid believers” serve in Congress. “They’re not always the ones you see on TV, but they are the ones that I believe in many ways are holding the country together. And we’re seeking God’s providence, guidance, and direction every single day. There’s always been a remnant that God works through, and this group here believes that that’s still possible.”Evaluate: do we believe that prayer has the power to change hearts? To change circumstances? We should consider whether or not we are believing God's Word and diligently trying that out, rather than merely hoping things will change.
I also think it's important to note that we should pray with specificity - not some general prayer, but calling upon the power of God in a specific situation. I think a good way to craft a specific prayer is to go the Word and select a verse or verses that address the request that we are making.
But, we don't come before God with presumption or pride thinking that we know all the answers. We should always make sure the channels of communication are open by being humble before the Lord in an attitude of reverence and worship, in addition to expectation. And, we should be repentant, confessing our sins before Him.
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