“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.” (Psalm 20:7-8)
“… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face ….” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
It is time for Christians to recognize that there is no adequate political or military solution to the crisis of radical Muslim terrorism. There is no adequate political or border security solution to the complicated problem of illegal immigrants and refugees.
There are also no adequate political solutions to the fragility of our nation’s financial condition, to include our incredible national debt and the rising tension between the “haves” and “have-nots”; or adequate technological ways we can protect our children from the rising tide of immoral sexual imagery that saturates the media world in which we live; or adequate law enforcement strategies to keep insane acts of violence from occurring in our public places.
There are no adequate human-based solutions to any of these problems for one simple reason. The root of these problems is spiritual.
The true battleground for all these problems is the human heart, and the true foe is not flesh and blood, but spiritual powers of destructive evil. (Mark 7:20-23; Ephesians 6:12) Our 21st century versions of chariots and horses – our bombs and bullets, and our political and financial manipulations – are simply not up to the task. To the contrary, they have consistently made things worse.
As people of God, we know there is an answer to these problems. It is set forth in Psalm 20. Trust in the wisdom, goodness, and power of the Lord our God! And we know from 2 Chronicles 7:14 that trust in God does not simply mean sit and wait for a divine bail-out.
We love and trust the Lord by obeying His commandments. (John 14:21) One of His fundamental commandments is that we pray. (Mark 11:17) Other commandments tell us how we should pray if we want to see the amazing results He has promised.
Pray for His Kingdom to come on the earth and for protection from the evil one. (Matthew 6:9-13) Pray in His name with faith in His faithfulness: a confidence that when we pray His will, His answer is always “Yes”! (John 14:13-14; Mark 11:22-24; 1 John 5:14-15) Pray together because numbers matter, and pray in agreement because teamwork is essential. (Leviticus 26:7-8; Matthew 18:18-20; Matthew 12:25)
Finally, pray with passion and pray without ceasing. (James 5:16-18; Romans 12:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:17) God cares how much we care. (1 Corinthians 13) And the fire on the altar is never supposed to go out. (Leviticus 6:12) The Lord’s command is to “keep asking” because it is perseverance that brings breakthrough. (Luke 11:5-13, 18:2-8)
“Christ-ians” are the people assigned to this absolutely essential task of unceasing intercessory prayer: all those who belong to the Lord and are called by His name. In order for us to fulfill our collective assignment, we must be connected together in ways that we have not been yet been connected.
You are all invited to become part of the Watchmen Prayer Network of TN/VA, a newly birthed 15-county network of Christians in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia who are committed to covering our region in prayer 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year.
For a comprehensive description of this regional prayer network, please go to watchmenprayernetwork.com, where you can learn in detail about its purpose, prayer focus, methods of operation, and how you can get involved.
In a nutshell, we are inviting Christians to commit to one or more hour-long prayer slots in the week. Each individual or small group will pray at their own home or wherever they choose. When all 168 prayer slots are filled, we will have continuous prayer coverage over our region, which is composed of the 15 counties where the Jesus Video Project was so successfully accomplished in 1999. Then we planted seeds. Now we water.
There are about 725,000 people in this 15-county region. 80% are over 16 years-old and about 75% of those are professing Christians. If all of those professing Christians were to take part, we would have 435,000 prayer warriors praying each week – as many as 2,500 for every hour of the day. Frankly, that is the way it should be, but even if we just get a 10% commitment, we will have as many as 250 believers praying every hour of every day. The impact of such prayer would be phenomenal!
Scripture tells us of the times God’s people prayed and worshipped, and the Lord struck down armies that were besieging them. (2 Chronicles 20:1-30; 2 Kings 19:35) God warned His people in advance of the ambushing strategy of their enemies, and even surrounded and disarmed enemy armies with angelic armies of fire! (2 Kings 6:8-23)
God gave His people godly leaders like Deborah, Gideon and David, and gave wisdom and revelation to ungodly leaders through godly advisors like Joseph, Daniel and Esther. The Lord converted Saul into Paul. And the Lord has not changed! All things are possible for those who trust and obey and pray! (Mark 9:23; John 14:12-14)
I beseech all of you to join this prayer network, and to urge your family and friends by personal contact or social media to join as well. Please be a hearer and doer of this word from the Lord. (Matthew 7:24-27)
God bless you, and God bless our communities.