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National Day of Pray, 45,000 Events Nations Wide- One Voice for One Purpose
May 4, 2017 is this year’s National Day of Prayer. It is this day, the first Thursday of May, that has been designated for this purpose. Dr. Tony Evanstalks about the urgency of this moment to not only pray for our nation, but also our leaders in government as well as the urgency of turning our hearts back to God. “If there was ever a day when God’s people needed to grab ahold of God and to invite his manifest presence back into our midst, today is that day.” It is important to recognize the spiritual climate of a nation that dismisses the presence of God and not be surprised when darkness takes up residence where the Light once was. “It is incumbent upon God’s people, through whom He has determined to express His presence, to make contact with Him, in unity, on one accord.” This is what the National Day of Prayer is all about.
Many people wonder if God even hears their voices in prayer? It’s important to recognize that God not only hears our voices but that He is intimately aware of every imaginable detail of our lives. God desires for each of us to turn to Him in our hearts, to acknowledge Him, and to surrender our lives to Him, through His Son Jesus Christ. If there is any time to pray for our nation, now is the time.
2 Chronicles 7:14 embodies this very reality. “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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” We need to turn from pride and humble ourselves. This is not about the problems or issues that we see happening in the lives of others. This about recognizing what needs to change in ourselves. This is about a personal relationship with God.
To think about so many people reminds us of what took place when Promise Keepers led one million men to gather in humility and repentance on our nation’s mall. Men from all over the nation gathered to repent for their sins and the sins of our nation. People from all over the nation are praying for America, as well as nations around the world.
Warwick Marsh, with National Day of Prayer & Fasting – Australia, along with other nations is standing in unity of prayer for the nation of America. Marsh describes the amazing unity that has taken place as he shares how many nations are praying for America. “Last year we had people from over 45 nations join us in prayer for America. This year, we are believing for over 100 nations.” Marsh reads from a Proclamation of Prayer that was written by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. In this Proclamation, Lincoln writes of an American landscape that was in crisis and must turn to the Lord as their God. “Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace; too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.” Marsh continues to address that present-day America has found itself at the same crossroads that Lincoln described during his day.
As a leader in Australia, Marsh and leaders of nations throughout the world will pray for America on May 4th, as well as leaders in America who understand the urgency of this hour to pray for America. As Chairperson for the National Day of Prayer, Anne Graham Lotz also understands the urgency of the hour that our nation is in. As Anne Graham Lotz points out, Daniel was a man written about in the Old Testament who stumbled upon the promises of God while Israel was enduring a season of slavery. Daniel 9:19 records this remarkable discovery that Daniel observed and the prayer that was prayed in response. “Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” This is a prayer that God is sure to hear, but as Anne Graham Lotz emphasizes, we must respond to God’s promises in humility and repentance. “All of us can agree that our nation needs healing; and God promises to do so, but on the condition that we pray humbly, seek His face, and turn from our own sin. Will America be healed? We won’t know until we join together and pray.”
It is good to believe God for deliverance, but we must participate in our deliverance. One way to participate is to pray. Don’t agree with the voices that are speaking doubt, those who are speaking against our nation and our President. Listen to what God’s Word says over you, and your perspective is sure to change.
See the full discussion about this year’s National Day of Prayer, the urgent hour that America is presently in, and so much more. Also, shared in this segment: prayer, humility, shifting of God, Babylonian Captivity, Stand in the Gap, Bill Clinton, and repentance. Greg and John shared in this segment.
New Poll: How Americans View and Read the Bible
As the Christian Post is reporting, LifeWay Research has recently released a study on how Americans respond to the Bible and what their thoughts are. According to the study, “1 in 5 Americans have read the Bible all the way through.” After graduating high school, some people never pick up another book again. Some people look at the Bible like every book imaginable, thinking it’s the same. But the Bible is a living book. It’s the only one that comes with the Author. As the study continues, “10% are not reading any of the Bible at all, 13% only a few sentences; 12% almost all of it”.
Truth is, most Americans don’t know the story of the Bible simply because they do not pick it up. Ironically enough, “9 out of 10 homes have a Bible, with the average being 3 Bibles in the home”. It seems as if more people were hungry for the Bible when they didn’t have it. Now, with the abundant blessings of having the entire Word of God at our fingertips, it is like information overload. Stories have been told of a man only having a single page of the Bible and winning multiple people to the Lord by speaking to them from this one page of the Bible. When this man encounters a pastor with the entire Bible, he is shocked as he says to him, “You must have won MANY people to the Lord!” This is such a convicting reality. What are we doing with the blessing of the Word that God has given us?
As this study continues to reveal how people respond to the Bible, 38% describe the Bible as a ‘Historical account’. While it is a momentous occasion when the Green family, the founders of Hobby Lobby, who have the largest collection of Biblical items, are constructing the first Bible Museumin Washington, we have to be mindful of this moment. Having a Bible Museum is not a bad thing, but we must not confine the Bible within the boundaries of a “historical account”. If we look over here and see a museum of dinosaurs, and over there, the Bible; some of these stats reveal that this is simply how people perceive the Bible to be. It is much more than that. It may be in a museum, but the Bible must also be in your heart.
In addition, “27% said they simply don’t prioritize the Bible”. It is so important that we understand the importance of priorities in our day. If we are not prioritizing God, we’re not prioritizing anything. “15% say they don’t have time”. Ironically, all of us have the same 24 hours in a day. Moses had the same 24 hours that we do. Jesus had the same 24 hours that we do. They may have had less distractions than we do. We are busying ourselves with that which we think is important. We must ask ourselves, ‘what is taking up my time?’.
Instead of looking at the Bible as something we should do, we must look at it as something we get to do. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Some people want to spend time with God; they want to read the Bible, but they just don’t know how. The Bible can seem overwhelming at first. Most people want a plan of how to do it. We all need a simple plan that we can do each day. iAbide.org is that simple plan. Take this day as the first day of the rest of your life as you begin to see the Bible in an entirely new light and witness your life change. See the full conversation about this revealing study, and so much more. Also, shared in this segment: ABC News, atheist, prayer, communication, hearing God, history, morals, The Kingdom of God, Webster Dictionary of 1828, Biblical World View, and knowledge. Greg and John shared in this segment.
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