Prayers & polling

Romans 15: 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

Today is our National Day of Prayer, so a lot of church people will be gathering in towns and cities across America to pray for our nation. Meanwhile, over in Britain, it’s National Polling Day, when the people get to choose who will be their Prime Minister for the next five years. I wonder how many prayers will be said as votes are being cast in polling stations across the United Kingdom.

Both our countries are facing troubled times. We’re involved in a highly unpopular and still indecisive war. We don’t have any clear sense of direction for the future. Most people just want to get on with their lives without too much interference from government, for this is the age of secularism individualism and social anarchy. There is no loyalty to leadership, responsibility, or duty anymore. People are longing to be free to do their own thing, in their own time, and in their own way.

That’s why prayer on both sides of the Atlantic is very important today. We need to stop for a moment and reconsider where we’re headed as a nation, people, and civilization. If we cut God off from influencing our decisions, we are in danger of becoming a godless society where anything goes and everyone loses. If we stop and think about who we are and how we got here, we’ll remember that God, in Christ, has played an important role in shaping our cultures, building our freedoms, and growing our nations. If ever we needed God’s joy and peace before, we sure do need it now. If ever we desired hope for our people, then our desire should be that an overflowing of the Holy Spirit spreads throughout our lands, our nations, and our world.

So, let’s take time to go on our knees before the Lord and ask His blessing on our nations, our peoples, and our world. Ballot boxes and casting votes change leaders, but as Tennyson once said, “More things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of.”

Prayer: Lord God, You are the Rule of the Nations and the Sovereign of this world. We ask Your blessing upon our peoples and pray that You will grant us the presence of Your Holy Spirit in our lives. Remind us that our first loyalty is to You and Your kingdom. Help- us to live according to Your ways and holy word. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.