We are going through a time of great uncertainty as a nation. What is around the corner? The good news is that God knows what is around the corner and we can depend upon Him. As leaders our greatest response to uncertainty is prayer. I read this article this morning from Patricia Raybon and found it very encouraging - I hope you do as well and that it leads you to pray.
1) Be still.
Commit to stop spinning in circles about the “financial meltdown,” the “impending financial catastrophe,” the political campaign – how it’s all going to turn out, what’s in the news, who’s ahead in the polls – or even about your own family’s financial future, says Raybon. “Instead, follow the examples of Bible heroes and first be still before the holiness of God.” Especially during a crisis, but on every day, “take real time to get quiet and turn your attention solely on God – focusing on the Lord, breathing in his rest, peace, wisdom and his amazing presence.” She cites Psalm 91:1 as a reminder. "They who dwell in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1) The result? Renewal, refreshment, vision, power in prayer.
2) Seek God.
Put aside your worries and concerns to instead seek God’s face. Seeking him “changes our focus from the news, the problems, the crisis, ourselves – back to God. As we humbly seek him, meantime, we’ll recognize he is already taking care of our nation and its concerns, providing his answers to our problems.” She cites the Matthew 6:33 as a familiar but key verse: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
3) Be Humble, Fast and Forgive.
Glorify God and unlock his prayer answers by humbly turning from the wickedness of unforgiveness against others. Or as Jesus said: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (Mark 11:25) Adds Raybon: “Ask the Holy Spirit to remove vengeful, evil feelings about others from your heart, especially during the tenseness of these tumultuous days. Look to Jesus instead for his light and healing. After the cleansing of forgiveness, you will pray with renewed power.” A reminder: "The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous." (Proverbs 15:29)
4) Turn from Evil.
If you have a hidden fault – one you know is offensive to God – now is the time to turn from it for good. Focus today not on what Wall Street executives did. Instead, examine your own life. As the Lord told Solomon in II Chronicles 7:13 “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.”
5) Get up.
Put some “feet on your prayers.” Go help somebody else. Indeed, as the Lord told the prophet Jonah regarding Nineveh’s national crisis, “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” In other words, use this time of national crisis to reconcile yourself to God – but also to others, by helping somebody else. Ask God to show you another’s needs you can meet. In that way, praying is not just about asking, “it’s about how we live,” says Raybon. “That’s the message in these biblical stories. Be humble. Seek God. Pray. Clean up our own living. Then God will also heal our land.”
For more information about her ministry visit: www.patriciaraybon.com.
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