Now Is Not the Time to Stop Praying

Election Day is over. That means, mercifully, annoying political TV ads have ceased, mailboxes are no longer overflowing with promotional flyers touting this candidate or that, and phone calls and texts generated by many campaigns no longer plague us.

 

In some quarters there’s been great celebration and rejoicing, while elsewhere there’s been grumbling and gnashing of teeth. Prior to the election, some celebrities boldly declared if their candidate did not win, they’d be leaving the country. No word on whether they’ve obtained their plane tickets yet.

 

Days before the election there was a call for prayer, asking God to guide the outcome. Millions of men and women answered that call. Many of them were pleased with how they believe the Lord responded, but others were not. Either way, since then the sun has continued to rise and set. Soon thoughts will shift to more immediate matters, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

But before moving on, let’s revisit this matter of prayer and its role regarding what transpires in the public square. For some of us, prayer is an activity we undertake only in times of crisis and distress. Hence the eagerness of many to engage in praying for the outcome of the recent election. But God never intended for prayer to be a tool for crisis management.

 

We’re told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (the first Bible verse I ever learned) to, “pray without ceasing.” As another translation expresses it, “pray continually.” To pray we don’t need to retreat to a special place, or to assume a specific posture. We can do it in the car (with eyes open), during a business meeting (no need to fold hands), in the midst of a conversation, or while cleaning a bathroom. Even in the middle of the night if we awaken and God brings someone or something to mind.

 

Too rarely do many of us remember the admonition of 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 

 

Years ago, I had a good friend who said he was praying every day not only for family members, friends and people he knew, but also – by name – for the leaders of the then-Soviet Union. I probably scratched my head then, wondering why we should pray for atheistic, Communist authorities. But my friend prayed – and on Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin wall fell. Not long afterward, the U.S.S.R. collapsed. 

 

Did this all occur because of my friend’s faithful prayers? I suspect he was just one of many whom God had impressed to pray in such a way. He understood clearly the biblical instruction that “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1).

 

Which brings us back to the current state of our nation and its impending transition of power. Whether we appreciated the outcome of the election or not, there’s no better time than now to commit to faithfully praying for “all those in authority,” that God would direct their deliberations and decisions. 

 

My own prayers will include the request that steps will be taken to return the United States to being a nation that recognizes and honors the involvement of God in the affairs of humankind. Our U.S. currency still declares, “In God We Trust,” and the Pledge of Allegiance, whenever it’s recited, includes the words, “One Nation Under God.”

 

Psalm 33:12 declares, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He chose for His inheritance.” Some may disagree, but I believe one reason our country has prospered is because it was established with Judeo-Christian principles – drawn from the Scriptures – as its foundation. Can we expect His continued blessings if we as a society persist in drifting further and further from Him? 

 

In less than two years, our nation will be observing the 250^th anniversary of its founding – its semiquincentennial. (I’ve just added that word to my vocabulary.) This is a duration longer than many revered societies over the course of history have endured, so we’d hope to find the United States of America in a healthy place on July 4, 2026.

A good start toward that end would be a regular observance, as I’ve noted in the past, of the exhortation from 2 Chronicles 7:14, “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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”