Take time to vote and pray!

 

Lovely image from Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

Today, if you have not yet voted, I  encourage you to get out and do so!  (Here in our state, we do not have early voting except for absentee, so Mr. T and I will be going to the polls at our local elementary school today.)   I hope that we've all been praying about this important civic responsibility for awhile now, since the primary, at the very least.  If you haven't already made up your mind, do a little research (and a lot of praying) before marking those ballots.  

Beyond that, though, we all ought to be praying intelligently and specifically for our country every day.  I'm sharing an older post to encourage my readers (and myself!) in this, so if it seems you have read some of this information before, you probably have.   Feel free to skip the read, and just go vote.

Consider these words from the meaningful song "America the Beautiful":

"America! America!  God shed His grace on thee!" 

If our country ever needed God's grace, it is now.  I have come to believe that we are engaged in a struggle between good and evil -- a battle for the hearts and minds of our people.  Our liberty is truly at stake, friends.  This is not a battle between political candidates or between two political parties.  It is a battle between liberty and socialism and quite likely communism.  When one realizes that the leaders of one party are literally trained Marxists, it helps quite a bit in narrowing down our choices.

Mr. T and I are praying that evil will be exposed (and that it will be honestly and justly dealt with), that Americans will see the seriousness of our situation and that believers will pray faithfully for our beloved country.

For many years, I've prayed for our country every Thursday.  (I've shared about this before, but for those who may have missed it I will share the basics again.)  I begin by thanking God for the blessing of living in a free country.  I thank Him for the freedom to worship, the freedom to share my faith with others, the privilege of voting, and the privilege of living in a country with so many natural resources, such natural beauty, and a high standard of living.    I then pray for our president and other leaders, our men and women in the military, our judges and courts, my state and governor, and my town.

The printed page you see across the bottom of my prayer journal is from a pdf titled How to Pray for America.  It's a free download at Revive Our Hearts, and I have found it very helpful in praying for our country as a whole.   In 2016, these requests were printed in our church bulletin, and I clipped them out to use in praying for our country on a regular basis.  Below is a scan:

 

You will notice that one of these requests is for truth in the media.  Thankfully, there are a few independent news outlets where one can hear the truth.  We are not hearing it from the mainstream networks.  The Epoch Times is one that we have found trustworthy. We have also found many fascinating interviews and good news shows on Epoch TV.   If you subscribe to the newspaper, access to the interviews, etc. is free.  Check it out!

Another important request on this list is that people will be able to see truth, that error would be exposed, and that people with wicked agendas will be made weak.  I am actually praying that those who have wicked agendas will be caught in their own nets, thinking of some of the imprecatory requests that David prayed for the wicked.  Another great request is for God to overcome the enemies of truth and righteousness.  The Scripture verses for this request are pertinent:

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.  

"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies."
(Psalm 60:11-12)

 If you are not in the habit of praying for America, may I encourage you to do so?

  "America the Beautiful" also includes these powerful words:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"

I've often been reminded that truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws -- but we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. Our flaws have never been more obvious, it seems, yet never have I been more aware of how fragile our liberties are and how easily they can be snatched away.

  As we exercise our right to vote, let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land. Pray for His hand to be evident in the outcome of this election.  I'm so thankful today for God's sovereignty!