Prayer for leaders in the American church this week:
The American church was slow to interpret 911, slow in its priestly actions of being the conscience and interpreters for the nation. Now again, in these elections there is much confusion, and few clear voices helping us interpret the “times”—not just the election but how, in our nation’s narrative, we got to such a moment of leadership crisis.
So we pray for our church leaders, the true spiritual shepherds. That they would have clarity of vision, thought and word in our hour. As in the times of Jeremiah, we need some Jeremiah’s to speak clearly the Voice of God, in His Presence.
Soon we will need Daniel’s; now we need Jeremiah’s to manifest and speak the heart of God into our situation. There is much confusion in the world, and in parts the church as well. We pray that He would raise up people of vision and clarity to help guide and interpret our days, and help us by understanding to abide in His Peace during these turbulent days.
We need to see how we got to this tragic moment, and then steps to get out of it and move back onto the path of our spiritual destination. A vision of our destination needs to be restored and re-stated. What is America’s true calling? How did she get far from that.
We remember in Jeremiah’s times there were two major sins: rejecting God, and building their own cisterns or containers to hole their “water” or spiritualities. Rejecting God and making up our own spirituality (what Dallas Willard calls the Oprah-ization of American spirituality). We repent for these two sins. And there were a few other sins in Jeremiah’s day listed. One was not welcoming the foreigner, defending the oppressed and caring for the orphans. We are also guilty of growing cold hearted in these areas, talking of walls rather than harbors.
We need to work on our harbors not our walls in our hour! We need to welcome and defend the oppressed. That is part of America’s calling. If we lose that welcoming generous spirit, we are truly lost.
The church itself needs more Jeremiah’s now, so we pray they arise in our hour of need. We pray for them daily. And that they would be given platforms to speak clarity like Daniel was given in his days.
That like Daniel they would be given vision of the sovereignty of God over all nations, and of His intimate involvement in the history of each. So we pray for that level of vision to see from the throne room, as Daniel did, whose name meant God is Judge. God is interpreter who makes distinctions between things from His Love and Righteousness. God still is in charge, and we need people who are wise judges from that place of His Authority. As Solomon was given “wisdom to render justice.” So we need these righteous judges to stand now. Even in the church, much less the public marketplaces. We pray for these judges to be stirred into action now and speak and teach.
God is not the author of confusion, and there is much confusion in this particular nation now. So we go to God in order to see from His Eyes, and bring understanding. And then we speak in the Voice of God, as Jeremiah did, and like him, we feel and manifest the Heart of God actively into these troubling times.
MLK said that the church is meant to be the conscience of the nation. Let her rise up and be that now, and speak as loving, unconfused, and informed (spiritually enlightened by His Spirit) priest in clarity interpreting these troubled days. For the categories of interpretation have been usurped and confused. The frames of discourse are not true. Bring us Your’s instead Lord. For You Alone are the Way, The Truth and The Life to live it by! You are the path of each nation, the truth about her story and the Life to empower her to live it!
And rise up wise men and women of God. Stir clear our consciences! Let us be readers of the times from His perspective. For we, as Jesus taught us, are responsible to be able to read the times from a spiritual perspective. Let’s. This is urgent in times of great interpretive confusion and such leadership crisis.
We were not good priest after 911, I ask that we would do better in the midst of this current crisis of confusion. God is a God of distinction–this is not also that, as we see in the Creation story. So we pray for those who can discern and make clear distinctions in our hour.
We know that you picked a sensitive Jeremiah type leader for such a time as his. And a Seer like Daniel to be in leadership, one who carefully studied the prophets and times, had visions and saw Your Throne of Authority, who was a practical mystic acquainted with Your Ways. We ask you raise up these types of leaders now.
Lord we need your Jeremiah’s now: those who can manifest and know, and express, both Your Heart and Mind about this present age. And speak in clarity and boldness, and in Your Peace (so Peace bringers; for we cannot gain understanding if we ourselves are not in Peace! Let us discipline ourselves in the ways of Your Peace as a practice and prayer for our times), from Your Voice. Stir us to pray and see and speak from Your Voice, and in Your Ways and tone (for the Tone of Love is the Voice of God; wherever you hear Love, go there, that is His Voice!) in our hour.
And a brief prayer for Europe:
Europe is in another part of her story. God is pouring forth waters of healing into her rivers, and just beginning to prepare her for a returning Glory. But she too has amnesia and needs resuscitation. And clear vision and values based on who God actually is. We pray also for her in this hour and her church to be open doors of welcoming and speak in the Voice of Wisdom. To become spiritual parents again, in this hour when the children nations have gone mad. So we pray for our parents also. And thank you for sending many African leaders to help bless her back into spiritual health. Heal her rivers and gateways of her cities. Stir her urban centers with those who can speak in love and righteousness. We pray for the unity of the church in Europe, as we know you are wanting the Blood to flow through the whole Body of Christ in that continent, and connect and activate and bring His Life again to its members. Let your blood flow in Europe again Lord. Amen.
We see you pouring out much healing and knowledge again into her rivers. Dredging out old unconfessed sins, but also causing axes to float again—i.e. retrieving spiritual deposits all across Europe. We see this in the prayer movements, and new branches streaming from Hernhutt and other centers of His Peace which carry deposits of Your Glory Lord. Thank you for those who have faithfully mined these deposits and continue to dredge the rivers of Europe. In You there is hope, which stretches backwards in history and forward towards a greater Glory in you. We know this continent is destined to find You again. Let her receive the healing You are pouring into her rivers. To prepare the way for many in the coming harvest to be baptized in her waters. Purify her waters to make them baptismal again. Thank Almighty Father for your endless Kindness towards us all among the nations. We recognize you as King over all nations, and Guide. Guide us now Lord in these things. We come under Your Authority, and seek Your Wisdom through Your Son’s Life, Jesus, and in His Name Amen.
