Make Your Requests Known
Have you ever prepared for a vacation, praying fervently that it wouldn’t rain so that your family could make the most of the beach or monuments or whatever else you had planned? While you prayed against the rain, I can imagine someone in that same region praying for rain to cool off the summer or water the drought. This is how I feel when I pray for our president and against some of the laws that he wants to institute. While I ask God to keep some things from coming to pass, I know there are others who want these things to take place. So, what should I do? Stop praying since whatever will be will be? I don’t think so.
Philippians 4:6 tells us:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
I feel like that is God’s message to us in this season. Do not fear the future but, instead, talk to God. Let Him know what concerns you and boldly pray against the things that you know do not please Him or even the things that would present a hardship for your family. If there are things you would like to see happen, ask Him for those things. There’s a reason that God is called a righteous Judge. I can picture him in Heaven, listening to the petitions of one side and then hearing the cries from the opposing side. I expect that sometimes He weighs His decision based on the fervency of the prayers. But, ultimately, He answers according to what is best for His children in the long run, and that which will most completely accomplish His plan.
I have friends who are happy with the way the election turned out while others think this is God’s judgment and are preparing for the End Times. Regardless of which camp you are in, I hope that you will not become complacent. Our work does not end at the polls. We need to daily make our requests known, striving to be led by the Spirit instead of being guided by fear. When you see answers to your prayers, rejoice. Thank Him for those answers, but don’t stop praying for our leaders. Pray that God will guide them and turn their hearts to Him. And don’t view those who see things differently as your enemy. Christians need to band together and encourage each other while seeking to be a light to a dark and depressed world.
Photo by Alessio Lin on Unsplash
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