I was interviewed this week for a podcast highlighting the importance of prayer and intercession and how that could and should look like in our community. Although I would not call myself an intercessor as far as describing someone in whom that is their main or major function, I have been a person who understands the importance of prayer and have engaged in it on many different levels over the years.

My pastor and his wife along with my parents began to meet early in the morning at 5 while I was away at college in the 1960s and I would join them when I came home and then when I moved back to Miami for a season. During that time three out of the four of them worked full time jobs and were still raising children who lived at home. God began to move in a powerful way and many young people began to get saved and come out of the drug culture they had been a part of. So on top of rising early, working all day, they had extended meetings in the pastor’s (who was a dentist by vocation) home. Hundreds of young people heard the gospel and many of them gave their hearts and lives to the Lord. I attribute that move of God to their dedication and sacrifice in faithful, consistent prayer.

I have many, many books on prayer in my extensive library that covers various aspects of prayer. There are many different types of prayer to consider. I have books on cultivating a deeper personal relationship with the Lord which to me is of the utmost importance for a personal prayer life that sees results. When you know the Lord’s heart about something, it is much easier to pray effectively and with confidence that your prayers will be answered.

I have several books that include amazing testimonies of the power of prayer and intercession to change the course of history. May I recommend two: “Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting” by Derek Prince and the biography of Rees Howell, Intercessor written by Norman Grubb. The history of our own nation has been shaped by prayer. Many of our early leaders were godly men who believed in prayer. Abraham Lincoln made a powerful proclamation in 1863 encouraging public days of prayer and fasting that helped to shape the destiny of our nation. The two Great Awakenings our country experienced were the result of prayer.

Prayer changes things. We only need to visit two biblical examples to see that history can be changed by prayer. Daniel was in captivity when he became aware through his study of scripture that the time for their deliverance was coming. He positioned himself to pray and intercede and his “boss,” the emperor Cyrus actually helped the children of Israel to restore their temple and their land. Queen Esther, a Jew, was also used of the Lord to turn the heart of a heathen king, her husband, toward her people for a great deliverance from the evil plot of a man named Haman to destroy every Jew in his kingdom. Other godly men and women in the scripture were used to bring deliverance to their people because they heard the Lord and interceded on their behalf.

If there ever was a time when the church ought to be praying and interceding for our country, it is now. There have been a few times in the history of our young nation where many heeded the call to prayer and things shifted and changed in the right direction to put our country back on the course of her great purpose and destiny. Our country has been sliding down a slippery slope of compromise for many years and I along with many others realize that we are very close to a place where, if we do not have Divine intervention, we could end up in a place none of us want. 

Many in the church have been sleeping through our watch and the results are what we are currently seeing manifest in the natural. It is not just the responsibility of a few dedicated prayer warriors to turn the tide, but every believer who loves this country and the freedoms and opportunities that we have all enjoyed and taken for granted.

God’s love is also an important key to great deliverance, healing, freedom and fulfilling destiny. A deeper revelation of God’s love will destroy fear which is now rampant all across our nation. A more complete understanding is needed that every person on the face of this earth has value because they have the image of God imprinted in their very being. How can we not treat those who may be different than us with the same respect and honor that we ourselves would like to receive? God’s love can open our eyes to the value God has placed on every individual who is living and breathing. He placed unique redemptive qualities in each of us that are supposed to be expressed in a way that will give God glory and bring fulfillment in the lives of those who have embraced their unique mandate. I am praying for a deeper revelation of His love to manifest in my own life.

We would do well to heed Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 5:44-45 which states: “I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” Help us Lord, to pray this prayer sincerely.

Maybe your little world has not yet been shaken or not been shaken as much as you have seen and read that others have gone through especially recently. Is it going to take a great shaking in your personal life (your family, your business, your relationships, etc.)? God’s Word declares that He is allowing this shaking to go on in order that what cannot be shaken will be obvious (it will not be destroyed). I believe that is only those things that are established upon the firm foundation of His Kingdom that will not be shaken. Together we have the power through prayer and agreement to change anything that is not in line with God’s ways. Do not wait for things to get even worse before you engage in prayers of desperation. Now is the time to posture your heart and be a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem.

There is currently a massive move from different leaders calling this nation to repentance and prayer. If you want to be a part of seeing God turn this nation back to righteousness and truth, find a group to be part of and begin to contend with thousands of other believers. Find a local group in your church or sphere of influence and make this a priority. There is going to be a third Great Awakening in our country and I want to come into agreement with many others for that to happen now. 

Will you be a part?