Pray for the Supreme Court Marriage Decision
The eyes of many in the Church are watching closely an anticipated ruling in June by the Supreme Court of the United States regarding same-sex marriage. Many believe that this battle for the family and a traditional biblical view of marriage is already over. From a worldly perspective, that may be true. But we are a people of faith who put our trust in the Lord, not in courts, or presidents, or public opinion. The Word of God is filled with examples of God responding to the prayers of His people in miraculous ways that surprise a watching world. May He do it again as we humbly come before Him in prayer. We encourage you to pray though these points and scriptures regularly.
Here are some ways we might pray:
1.Thank the Lord for the gift of family. Express your gratitude that family is God’s by design and not human invention.
2. Ask for forgiveness on behalf of the Church for failing to model godly families before our society. We bear much blame for the deterioration of marriage and the family. (1 Timothy 5:8)
3. Pray for help to live out God’s intent for the family. May our homes become outposts for God’s kingdom. (Acts 10:2)
4. Confess our sins of responding to those caught up in a homosexual lifestyle with anger or hatred. Ask for help to love as Christ loves. (John 8:11)
5. Pray that the Lord would show us in practical ways how to speak the truth in love according to His Word. (Ephesians 4:15)
6. Ask God to pour out His wisdom on His people that we might see clearly the attack of the enemy on His design for marriage. May God’s wisdom give us insight into the results of tearing down traditional one man-one woman marriage. (James 1:5)
7. Plead with the Lord for divine intervention upon the Supreme Court. Pray that He would give wisdom and courage to these jurists to respond in righteousness. (Job 21:22; Job 9:24; Isaiah 1:26)
A Model Prayer
Father, we are grateful to be able to call You that. To know that through Jesus, we have been brought into Your family. Thank You that our earthly families, as imperfect as they are, are a reflection of the eternal family for which You are our forever Father. Forgive us Lord, for not being better pictures of what the family is intended to be. Help us Lord to live out our lives in families with godliness, love, purity, and truth.
This broken world has affected all of us in so many damaging ways. We thank You for accepting us in our brokenness through Jesus, and for Your commitment to bringing us to spiritual and emotional health and wholeness. Forgive us as your people when we have gone on the offensive against those caught up in any sexual sin. Teach us how to live as You lived as You walked among us, Lord Jesus. We want to love as You loved and speak truth as You spoke truth.
From a place of humility before You, we plead with You Lord, to intervene to preserve Your intent regarding marriage. From the High Court of Heaven, would you step down into the Supreme Court of the United States to bring about Your will and purposes regarding the family? Give that wisdom which only You can give. Pour out righteousness upon our land. According to the word of the prophet Isaiah, would You restore our judges that they might rule according to Your purposes and desires? We ask this, for your honor and glory, in the majestic name of Jesus. Amen!
- Dr. David Butts - Chairman of America's National Prayer Committee
President, Harvest Prayer Ministries, http://harvestprayer.com
© 2015. Permission granted to reproduce as long as web address and copyright statement is included.
Australia Calls World to Pray & Fast for 7 Days for USA
"We in Australia believe it is our turn to bless the nation of America and pray for healing for the USA through prayer and fasting according to 2 Chronicles 7:14. We in Australia are grateful for the protection that America gave Australia and the nations of the free world during World War II." -Alison Jessup
(Australia) - The team behind Australia's National Day of Prayer and Fasting (nationaldayofprayer.com.au), along with other prayer leaders are calling the nations of the world to prayer and 
fasting for seven days for the USA. This period of prayer will take place from April 30 - May 6, 2015. (Photo via Charisma News)
April 30 is America's National Day of Repentance, and May 7 is the 64th Annual National Day of Prayer.
Warwick Marsh, Australian coordinator, said, "April 30 is the 226th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration as a devout Christian president and the 152nd anniversary of Lincoln's Day of 'Humiliation, Prayer and Fasting' held during the devastating times of the Civil War. The theme for the USA National Day of Prayer on May 7, 2015 is "Lord Hear Our Cry," and is taken from 1 Kings 8:28: "Give attention to your servant's prayer and his pleas for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day." (To view this prayer for America: click here.)
Alison Jessup from Australia said, "We in Australia believe it is our turn to bless the nation of America and pray for healing for the USA through prayer and fasting according to 2 Chronicles 7:14:
"If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
We in Australia are grateful for the protection that America gave Australia and the nations of the free world during World War II. The 1942 Battle of the Coral Sea, led by the USA, was the turning point in the Second World War for Australia."
Matt Prater from Australia said, "We are calling the nations of the world to join in prayer and fasting with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the USA. Last year we had people from over 40 nations join with us. This year we are believing for over 100 nations to join us in prayer and fasting for the USA."
And Lana Vawser from Australia said, "There is a fight for the destiny of the USA right now. The destiny of America hangs in the balance. The Lord is calling His people to arise and pray for the United States of America. It is time to contend." (To view this full article posted on the Elijah List by Lana Vawser, "United States of America, It Is Time to Fight!" click here.)
Submitted by the National Day of Prayer, Australia
A Personal Prayer Journey by Danny Cahill
Danny Cahill
Can You Relate?
This morning, I woke up and began reading an article. It talked about two people who knew the same person in different ways. Two different people can know someone in completely different ways and on completely different levels. The article sounded as though they were talking about a different man! This opened my eyes to something that I’d like to share.
While in the airport, I sat next to a man named Joe who was stressed out about something. When I asked where he was going, he replied, “Paris, then Austria.” I replied, “What have you got to be stressed about! That sounds fun!” Then he said, “I’ve been worried about leaving everything for two weeks. But this is going to be fun. My brothers and I are going with my mother. When she got cancer, her bucket-list included this trip.”
“Wow! I’m sorry, but it’s great that you are going to get to do this with her!”
He went on, “Crazy thing is that she’s in remission now, so it’s a kind of bucket-list/celebratory trip.”
I talked to Joe about my father’s death 3 years ago. After he died, we found a book he was filling out for my son. My sisters and I were in tears! It was as though he was speaking from the grave. What I got most from the book was how little I knew about my father! I got to spend more time with him than anyone but my mother. Still there was so much that I never asked him! I urged Joe, “Don’t take this time for granted! Ask you mother everything you can. Get to know her! Spending time is a great way to get to know her, but really seeking out those things you don’t know about her is important to knowing who she really is!”
Joe said he’d do that and we parted ways.
Seek, and ye shall relate
I thought I knew what that verse meant. You know the one: “Seek and ye shall find.” (Matt 7:7) I used to equate it only with asking what you wanted or needed from God. I see it from a new perspective after talking to Joe.
Yesterday was my father’s birthday. He would have been 71 years old. For 20 years, we worked together, we fished and hunted together, he coached my teams, and we lived together for most of that time. Yet I knew so little about him. Why?
I now think I was so obsessed with sharing my feelings with him that I hardly ever paused to hear his. I always told him what I wanted or needed, but never asked him what he wanted or needed. I spent so much time talking and so little time seeking that I missed so much about knowing my father’s heart.
Relationship is all about seeking
In my walk with God, I’ve spent a lot of time in prayer with Him. But unfortunately, most of that prayer was about what I wanted – what I needed. Doing this is an important part of relationship, but I’ve been missing out on what is really important in my walk with God: knowing His heart, His wants and His needs. You see, I’ve been missing out on the best part of our relationship – my knowing of just who He is.
I know he is my Father. I know He has my best interests at heart. I know that He created me for His purpose. So why wouldn’t I seek exactly who He is?
If I know more about God, I’ll surely know more about what His purpose for me is, right? If I know more about God, I’ll trust that he has my best interests at heart, right? If I know more of just who God is, I won’t have to wait until we meet face to face to see what he has in store for me. And I don’t want to miss it. I don’t want to lose an opportunity. I want to seek, I want to find, and I want to know; to know God’s heart is the key. And to know God’s heart will take one thing and one thing only: to seek; to ask; to have an honest and open relationship with Him.
True relationship is two-way, not one-way. I think I’m going to focus a little more on seeking what I can find out about this wonderful, all powerful being that created me in His image to do something that no one else on earth was called here to do. And I believe if I truly do that, the direction of my life will be forever changed in a direction towards God’s will for me, and not towards my will for my life.
Look out God – here I come!
- Danny Cahill
Danny is the winner of NBC's The Biggest Loser! He lost an amazing 55.58% of his body weight during the show, still the largest percentage of any man in the history of the show and 2nd overall, and can now happily say he is “less than half the man he used to be!”
Since winning “The Biggest Loser”, Danny has appeared on numerous national television programs including The Today Show, The Jay Leno Show, Live with Regis & Kelly, The Doctors, The Joy Behar show, Larry King Live, The Suze Orman Show, Issues with Jane Valez-Mitchell, Joyce Meyer’s Everyday Living, and many more! He writes and records music and is now a highly sought after Motivational Speaker with an untold story you won’t believe! He will inspire any listener to reach new heights, reclaim their hopes and dreams, and move forward and face any obstacle in life! Click here to connect with Mr. Danny Cahill >>
Prayer Begins With...The Kingdom of God
“Prayer is everything,” Oswald Chambers wrote. The ministry of intercession involves all types of prayer, and this type of prayer is always at the center of whatever is happening in this world for God. The emphasis of the prayer ministry in intercession is the needs of others and the advancement of God’s interests in the world. It is not simply focused on praying for things for oneself, but for others.
In his book With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray wrote: “Christ has opened the school of prayer specifically to train intercessors for the great work of bringing down, by their faith and prayer, the blessings of His work and love on the world around.” He added, “Though in its beginnings, prayer is so simple that the feeblest child can pray, yet it is at the same time the highest and holiest work to which man can rise.” Oswald Chambers reflected the same thought when he said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.” Through prayer God invites you to make a profound difference in the world but you’ve got to pray.
- Lance Wubbels
This article is part eight in our 8-part series on Prayer.
(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)
Leadership Summit
The upcoming National Day of Prayer is only the beginning!
You are invited to join with intercessors from around the world in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the Leadership Summit, October 16-18, 2015. Discounted registration is available (for a limited time) and includes 5 meals and transportation! Learn to mobilize people to intercession as you gain a deeper understanding of prayer with like-minded believers. Register now at prayerleaders.org
The Leadership Summit speakers will challenge you through powerful ideas, stirring discussions and biblical models. They will take us through life-changing principles that will serve as a roadmap for effectual prayer.
Together, we will also experience a Concert of Prayer at the Jericho Center, focusing on personal repentance, intercession and praise, that will help us draw closer to Almighty God as He prepares us for the work ahead. There should also be plenty of time for fellowship and networking, which are invaluable. It is our hope that you will depart having learned important truths, formed valuable insights and charged-up to commit yourself to action – inspired with vision that ignites audacious faith.
Get registered today and we will see you in Colorado Springs, October 16-18, 2015!
Make a Statement
National Day of Prayer T-Shirts
Kerusso has partnered with the National Day of Prayer Task Force to help mobilize prayer in America. Kerusso was founded and exists today for the sole purpose of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus.
On Thursday May 7th, followers of Christ, who believe in the power of prayer, will join together to repent and seek God’s forgiveness for our nation. Purchase your National Day of Prayer t-shirt and show your unity with other believers. On an average, more than 3,000 people will see a message on a t-shirt! So, Make a Statement today.
Group Rate - Buy 10+ Tees and pay only $9.99 each. Available in most sizes.
Will you answer the call? Will you stretch your faith and trust God to move in a mighty way throughout the United States? Mark your calendars. Wear your National Day of Prayer t-shirt. And most importantly, agree with others through prayer for God’s Spirit to be poured out.
Prayer Begins With...Worship
Many effective prayer warriors recognize the importance of spending much time in worship. This deepens our fellowship with God, increases our faith, and pleases the Holy Spirit. We are then more likely to really hear His voice and thus pray more effectively.
- Lance Wubbels
This article is part seven in our 8-part series on Prayer.
(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)
Lord, Hear Our Cry
Shirley Dobson
The 64th annual National Day of Prayer is fast approaching! On Thursday, May 7, NDP Task Force volunteers throughout the country will coordinate events where millions of Americans will gather to humble themselves before the Lord – and there are additional untold numbers who will be participating in other ways.
This annual observance powerfully demonstrates the religious freedoms that were secured by our Founding Fathers who recognized that our innate human rights are inexorably tied to our relationship with the Creator.
America’s rich tradition of prayer was established by those who sacrificed to lay the foundation for a government based on the principles in God’s Word. Yet our nation has departed from those solid underpinnings, abandoning our hard-won birthright. We now waver between righteousness and immorality, and this vacillation puts us in great jeopardy. In the words of one early leader, President James Madison:
We’ve staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us … to Govern ourselves according to the commandments of God.
One of the greatest “layperson revivals” in American history occurred in 1857. At that time there were 30,000 men idle on the streets of New York. Drunkenness was rampant, and the nation was divided on slavery. On September 23, 1857, Jeremiah Lanphier, a praying businessman, began a noontime prayer meeting on Fulton Street in the Financial District of Manhattan. Out of a city of one million people, six individuals showed up. However, the crowds grew, day by day, and within three months there were prayer meetings all over the city. More than 50,000 people in New York City alone paused each Wednesday at noon to pray. The prayer revival soon spread across the nation, and in about 18 months, a million people were converted to Jesus Christ.
We believe that God can bring about another great awakening in our nation if we humble ourselves and pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways (II Chronicles 7:14). There is still hope for America. That is why Dr. Jack Graham, our Honorary Chairman, and I are calling for 30-days of fasting and prayer to begin on the National Day of Prayer.
It’s my heartfelt prayer that this year’s theme, Lord, Hear Our Cry, will prompt our fellow citizens to turn to God in reverence and humility. As 1 Kings 8:28 reminds us, “Hear the cry and the prayer your servant is praying in your presence this day.” The Almighty is waiting for Americans to turn back to Him in a posture of prayer and repentance. May we, this day, determine to surrender our ways to Him, giving God the honor He deserves so that, as Psalm 85 states, “His glory may dwell in our land.”
If you can assist us financially during this time of National Prayer, it would be appreciated greatly. And please do plan to participate either locally or in Washington D.C. on May 7th, our nation’s National Day of Prayer.
May God bless you and may God bless America!
Sincerely,
Shirley Dobson
Chairman, NDP Task Force
The Power of Intercessory Prayer
Fast forward to a similar situation in America today and voices would be raised, heads would roll. Moses’ response was one of absolute humility. He fell face down and instructed the people to show up the following day with their incense and incense holders and see who God would accept. The next day the glory of the Lord appeared to everyone and God told Moses and Aaron to get back so He could, “put an end to them.”
Again, Moses’ response was incredible. He fell face down and cried out to God to save the people, but the damage was done. God caused an earthquake to occur and swallowed up the leaders of the rebellious alliance, their families, and all their belongings. Then fire came out from the Lord and consumed the remaining 250.
You would think that this would have been enough to convince even the worst skeptics, but just a few verses later the Israelites are back at it, and this time it was worse. Not just a few, but the entire assembly of the Israelites revolted. As they gathered in front of the Tent of Meeting the same thing happened … only with a twist.
God instructed Moses and Aaron to get back so that He could destroy the entire nation, and with that a plague spread out from the Tent of Meeting and began to destroy the Israelites. With no recorded directive from God, Moses told Aaron to take his censer, incense, and fire from the altar “and hurry to the assembly to make atonement.”
Aaron sprinted from the front of the crowd toward the back as the deadly plague was released over the congregation. In front of him people were gasping, moaning, and dying. Chaos ensued as fear gripped the crowd, and the people began to stampede. As Aaron gained ground toward the edge of death, the scriptures say, “He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.”
There is a plague of death sweeping America today. Will you unite with us in our effort to Get America Praying by mobilizing thousands of additional intercessors to stand in the GAP between life and death, to help avert judgment and bring Christ’s atonement to this country? The plague of death is quickly progressing over virtually every area of our culture. Now is the time to pray and act with humility and concern for every American.
Join us on the National Day of Prayer and please visit GetAmericaPraying.com to learn how to join this nationwide intercessory effort.
—Dave Kubal serves as President / CEO of IFA
Prayer Begins With...Thanksgiving and Praise
Thank God for what He has done for you – for answers to prayer, for forgiving your sins, for coming in to your life, for making you His child. We can thank Him both for blessings seen and those as yet unseen. It is a key to faith, and it is natural and right that we give thanks always to the One from whom all good things come (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Thank God for the results of prayer, both before and after you see the results (Philippians 4:6-7). Pray with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving expresses your confidence that God has heard and answered your prayer even before you see the result.
To praise God is to tell Him how great He is. This is declaring good things about God, both about His character (who He is) and also His actions. To say “God is good” is to praise God, and it is good to use the Word of God to praise Him. This is not a form of flattery in order to get God to give you things, but it is only fitting to praise Him and to Honor Him in reverence. Thanking and praising God will increase your faith, since you will begin to fix your eyes on God, His goodness and faithfulness and greatness and power, and not on your problem.
There are many styles of praise. Some are noisy and exuberant; others are calm. Praise can be well-expressed through music, singing, words, shouting, clapping, dancing, and giving to God. It can also be expressed in quiet surrender. It is truly a matter of the heart – an expression of authentic love and adoration for the Almighty. Regardless of your style of praise, just remember to P.R.A.Y. – Praise, Repent, Ask and Yield and then watch God work in you and the situation you are praying in to.
- Lance Wubbels
This article is part six in our 8-part series on Prayer.