Unleashed: As You Go – Pray
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
During a 1940s field trip in England, theology students visited various residences of leading historical church figures. The bus stopped at the home of John Wesley, and after touring the home, the students were shown Wesley’s bedroom. On the floor were two knee imprints where Wesley had prayed for hours on end for God to send a revival to England and the United States.
Once back on the bus, Dr. Orr realized one of the students was missing and went back to look for him. Going into the bedroom, he found the young man kneeling in the same place praying fervently, “Do it again, Lord! Lord, would you do it again?! And would you do it again with me?!”
The professor touched the young man’s shoulder and told him it was time to go, so young Billy Graham stood and rejoined the other students on the bus. I believe Dr. Graham understood fully what Oswald Chambers had written years before. “Prayer does not equip us for greater works—Prayer is the greater work. “
It was with that same fire and determination that Graham stood on the U.S. Capitol steps on Feb 3, 1952 challenging the political and government leaders to pray for spiritual revival in the United States. On April 17,1952 Congress passed a bill designating a National Day of Prayer which President Harry Truman signed into law.
Thursday, May 6 marks the 70th anniversary of the “National Day of Prayer.” The question each of us must ponder is this, “Do we really want God to intervene in our nation? Are we really ready to pay the price of fervently praying for God to intervene in our nation?” A. W. Tozer said, “To desire revival . . . and at the same time to neglect prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.”
We are facing unprecedented times of spiritual darkness, both in our nation and globally. Now is not the time to “neglect prayer and devotion” but to pay the price that John Wesley and others have done over the course of history. We are reminded by Paul in Ephesians, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (6:10-12)
Billy Graham will always be known for his great crusades and his passionate call for everyone to come to faith in Jesus Christ, but equally important was his call on the steps of our nation that cold, February day challenging our nation’s leaders to prayer. I thought it appropriate to end this article with his grandson Will Graham’s prayer on behalf of our nation.
“Heavenly Father, today we confess that we are in great need for you. Lord, our lives are in a mess. We have traded the truth for convenience and temporal pleasures. Forgive us for loving ourselves so much. Forgive us for thinking that we have all the answers. Forgive us for calling good evil and evil good.
We have made a mess of our lives apart from you. But we ask for your forgiveness right now. Lord, cleanse us anew now, we ask. May your glory be seen in us. We ask for the Holy Spirit to guide each of us that we might be better able to discern your will in the days ahead. Give us the wisdom you have promised to those who ask and the strength that you alone can give.
Lord, we need you. Our country needs you more than ever. Therefore, we take this time to confess our total dependence on you. Lord, we pray that the glory of the Lord will shine during this time. May people see your glory in us. As the world is captivated by fear, help us to be captivated by your glory. May the world turn to you and call to you in our time of great need.
Help our eyes to be fixed on you during this storm. And through the storms of life, we ask for your Holy Spirit to unite us, to fill us and intercede for us in our time of need.
In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.”
May it be our time to again pray as Billy Graham did decades ago, “Do it again, Lord! Lord, would you do it again?! And would you do it again with me?!”
God is great,
Pastor Lynn