Making a Stand on Our Knees
PRAYERS FOR OUR GOVERNMENT
Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah, they are the Hebrew names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. For some reason we have used their Babylonian names that honor the Babylonian gods. Whereas their Hebrew names beautifully honor the Lord God. All three men stood when everyone else bowed. They chose to obey God over human government at the cost of their lives. The principle in the story being that we stand up for God’s ways.
I sat in tears last week as I watched the news about all the pro-Abortion bills being considered in the different states across our country including our own. Anger and grief struck me all at the same time. One of the things I have learned about emotions is that God gives them to us to move us into action. God moved me to stand in prayer. When the world around me seems to be bowing to evil, I will make a stand by bowing my knees to the Father. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed I do not even know what to say in prayer, so I’ve made it a habit to use Scripture to pray.
Here is a list of Scriptures and prayers for our Government and nation. I would love for you to join me in the next month as many of our state legislatures are in action. Under each Scripture is the Principle I see in it and a Prayer based on it. Let’s battle for our nation by standing on our knees through prayer!
1. Deuteronomy 10:17-18 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.
PRINCIPLE: The great, awesome God cares for the smallest, most weak, helpless individuals.
PRAYER: God, you care for the smallest, most helpless, help me to care for them also. Give me opportunity to act on your behalf for them.
2. Deuteronomy 16:18 You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgement.
PRINCIPLE: Judgement with righteousness matters to God.
PRAYER: Dear God, help our judges and rulers know Your righteousness and act according to it.
3. Deuteronomy 17:18-19 Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God.
PRINCIPLE: The ruler was to write, read, and know God's word and fear Him (know who the ultimate authority is).
PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help those in authority be exposed to your Word. Help those who know your Word to attain those offices.
4. II Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear them from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
PRINCIPLE: Here is a formula for returning to the Lord and having a nation's prayers heard,( identification with God, humility, prayer, seeking, turning).
PRAYER: Dear God,Help our nation to be identified with You by following Your ways, help us to choose humility, and to acknowledge You. May we seek You in prayer for our needs, our confession of sin, and repenting towards Your ways.
5. Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundations of Thy throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before Thee.
PRINCIPLE: The elements of rules God uses- righteousness, justice, lovingkindness, and truth.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, may our nation seek righteousness, justice, lovingkindness, and truth and utilize them.
6. Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
PRINCIPLE: Righteousness leads to rewards that exalt a nation, sin brings disgrace, no favor.
PRAYER: Dear God, May we as a nation act in righteousness and abandon our sin, that we may gain the rewards of following Your ways.
7. Proverbs 16:12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For a throne is established on righteousness.
PRINCIPLE: Evil rulers are literally stinky! Rule should begin with what is right, moral, and good. How can good be known apart from God, the ultimate good?
PRAYER: May our rulers not be wicked. Please place others in their paths that would lead them to you as you placed Daniel in Nebuchadnezzar's life.
8. Proverbs 25:5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
PRINCIPLE: Wickedness perverts and influences a ruler.
PRAYER: Lord, may you thwart those who would influence our rulers for evil. Remove the wicked from before them.
9. Proverbs 28:2 By the transgression of a land many are its princes, but by a man of understanding and knowledge, so it endures.
PRINCIPLE: The right man, a man of understanding and knowledge will lead a nation to lasting or enduring times.
PRAYER: Lord, please place men of understanding and knowledge in authority. Please give us wisdom in choosing them and discerning who they are.
10. Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan.
PRINCIPLE: Righteousness, God's way, results in those who are being ruled to be able to flourish. Wicked rulers result in those who are being ruled to suffer.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, we ask that you place righteous men and women in office who would honor You and that You would guide them in righteousness for the good of those they rule and for Your glory.
11. Proverbs 29:4 The king gives stability to the land by justice, but a man of bribes overthrows it.
PRINCIPLE: Justice is key to rule and stability. Justice is know through the One who is just.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, we pray that justice would rule in our land and that those who are against it would be thwarted.
12. I Corinthians 6: 2-5 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, matters of this life? If then you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between brethren…?
PRINCIPLE: Believers should not only be involved in political life but be leaders and judges in it because they will someday judge angels and rule over them
PRAYER: Dear God, we ask that You would help believers to be able to handle our own affairs in a way that honors You, that we would be wise so that we would be able to handle the affairs of our community, cities, states, and nation. We ask that You would help the church to step up and be leaders in our communities and governments so that we can propagate Your truth and ways to more people.
13. I Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge you that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
PRINCIPLE: Pray for rulers. Pray for the ability to lead tranquil life, for rulers to not interfere in our life unless we do evil.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, we pray for our rulers that You would be with them. We ask that they would rule in a manner that would give us freedom to live a quiet life.
14. I Peter 2:13-14 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
PRINCIPLE: The purpose of rulers is to punish evil and praise good. A ruler must be able to know the difference between good and evil.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, we ask that our rulers would make it easy to submit to them by doing their God-given duty to punish evil and reward good.
Thank you for joining me! Keep a look out for my second step. It has to do with the t-shirt!
May you live Abundant Days for His glory and your good.
Kristin Overman
