National Day of Prayer Meeting - 070503
The Prayer of Holy Faith Anglican Church tonight stems from the biblical passage of 2 Chronicles 7:11-16
When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, the LORD appeared to him at night and said:
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will 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. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. …”
Holy Father, we come before you tonight as Solomon did centuries ago to dedicate ourselves and those in our charge to you. This building is a temple for you, Lord, El Shaddai, in which we praise your holy name.
But beyond these doors, evil thrives and no longer stalks us like a lion looking for souls to devour. Satan now lounges like a stuffed jackal, filled to bursting from the carcasses that lay before him.
Lord, your holy Word that used to rain down on us from Heaven, was once welcomed and heeded in this country. Now, where it is not mocked, it is forbidden. We face a spiritual drought in our nation, where you are no longer regarded as truth. Where you are tolerated, you are considered merely one of many truths.
Bishops, Priests, and Deacons who vowed to be faithful in prayer, to boldly proclaim and interpret the Gospel of Christ, and to guard and defend his flock in your truth as faithful stewards of your Holy Word have instead chosen to deny the ascension, resurrection, and divinity of Jesus Christ. The shepherds who were chosen to lead your sheep, all too often lead them directly to the wolves instead.
Atheists and secularists devour our land, stripping our landscape of every image of your son’s sacrifice on our behalf. Our children are forbidden from mentioning your name in our schools. They are forced to participate in an entire day of silence to celebrate homosexuality, but forbidden to offer a momentary prayer at any school event.
Our children are prohibited from bringing Bibles to school, but provided condoms and abortions without our parents’ knowledge or consent.
Our plague today is a series of generations who have lost their way. Their moral compasses no longer point to you. Our children are shooting each other in high schools and university campuses.
Our sons and daughters are dying from sexually transmitted diseases that didn’t even exist a generation ago. Degradation and hopelessness have permeated our culture.
We slaughter more than 4,000 babies each day while still in the womb, about one million three hundred thousand babies each year, and call it a choice instead of a child.
Our founding fathers wrote that we are born with certain inalienable rights endowed on us by our creator, rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As a nation, we have interpreted and perverted their work to see an obligation to deny the existence of our creator, while endowing ourselves with the liberty to annihilate our offspring before their first breath, if it makes us happy.
Father, we have grown so far from you as a nation, we no longer hear your voice. Let our efforts tonight, and the efforts of other churches throughout our nation today, be an indication to you that a faithful remnant remains, that we are still in your grasp, and that our nation may once again turn to you for guidance and leadership instead of to ourselves.
Father, we are now called Christians, or little Christs; we are still called by your name through your son.
We humbly pray to you tonight to send us your Holy Spirit to heal us and help us turn from our wicked ways.
Hear us, Lord, El Shaddai, and forgive our multiple sins. Heal our hearts and our souls that we may be you light and salt to a dark and flavorless world. Heal our nation, Lord. Open your eyes and ears to our plea as you promised Solomon so many centuries ago.
Just as you had chosen and consecrated that temple during its dedication, we ask that you choose and consecrate us as we dedicated ourselves again to you, Lord. May your name be in our hearts forever.
Abide in us Father. Jesus said “Abide in me as I abide in you.” We ask that you hear our unspoken prayers as well as the words of this hymn:
“Abide with me, fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
I need thy presence every passing hour;
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide in me.”
(Henry F. Lyte)
Abide in us, Lord, and heal your nation. We ask this through your son, our savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
