‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17
August 28th this year, will mark the 60th anniversary of the rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his now famous challenge to our nation – and an insight into the dream that motivated and mobilized him as a man of God and a leader. A dream about a nation where oppression would be transformed into biblical freedom and justice, where his children would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character, and where little children, no matter what their cultural heritage – would join hands with one another as sisters and brothers. Reverend King had a dream that was based on unwavering faith, hope, and trust in God Almighty.
As we cry out to God for our nation in the beginning of this new year, and we dream Holy Spirit inspired dreams of what God might accomplish in 2023, I want to encourage you to write down what He pours out into your heart. What are the visions He’s given you for your neighbors and nation? What are the Spirit inspired dreams that you have for the leaders in your state and local community? In order to see transformation in our nation, we must first pray for transformation in our own hearts – and then in the hearts of others. That the content of OUR character, conduct, conversations, and convictions would be based not upon the shifting sands of cultural influence, but on the solid rock of God’s Word and Truth.
For God’s people, there is not just a dream, but a plan that He has for each of us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”Jeremiah 29:11-13
As we march in unity into this new year, and as we pause this coming Monday to honor a man who stood up to make a difference and laid down his life for the dream that God placed in his heart, let’s give thanks to the Lord and pray that God would raise up other Godly men and women in our day, full of the Holy Spirit and of good character, who will stand up in this generation for the cause of freedom and justice, the cause of Christ, and for the dream that God has placed in their heart. Let’s pray:
Father God, You are the One with the plan to give Your people a hope and a future. You are the One who has poured out Your Spirit on ALL people. You are LOVE, and we pray for Your love, joy, peace, and patience to transform the hearts of the citizens of our nation. Lord, begin with us, and with the household of God. Give us dreams, the faith to believe them, and the trust that YOU have plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. Raise us up as a people after Your own heart and let us be known as a generation who will stand for freedom and justice – one that will seek You and find You when we seek You with all your heart. In Jesus Name, Amen!
In Christ,
Dion Elmore
Vice President, National Day of Prayer Task Force
