“God Bless America” is a familiar cry from people across the country after a tragedy of some kind. You will see it on signs in yards, on billboards, on cars and you hear people saying it as well. It is good to see people rallying together to support one another after a tragedy.
I remember right after the bombing of the World Trade Center I saw these signs all over town. As I was driving I kept thinking to myself, "That's great guys and we do want God to bless our country, but He told us some things we need to do to receive the blessings."
One of the most frequent scriptures quoted is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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." Lord knows we need a healing in our land. In order to get that healing we need to humble or submit ourselves to God and His way of doing things. This is not what many folks in the world want to do. Most want to live their lives their way and don't care about others. "Look out for number one" and "If it feels good, do it" are their mottos.
If you truly want to see God's blessings in your life then you need to line up with His word. God can only bless us as far as we will let Him. The more we are lining up with His word the more He can bless us.
As Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." This is something we are supposed to be doing every day. Unfortunately, many times we fail to do so.
I want to encourage you to start praying for our leaders, our country, our military, and our churches. Many times when I explained this to the residents in the nursing homes, where I used to minister, they responded with, "But I don't know what to say or pray about." You may even feel that way about your prayers. Don't sweat it! I have come across a book that was published several years ago entitled "Pray for Our Nation” by Harrison House publishers. In this book are prayers you can pray for our president, congress, the military, teachers, and many others. At the end of each prayer is a list of the scriptures that the prayer is based on it also quotes notable people from throughout history. This book will be a blessing and a great help to those who struggle with what to pray. You should be able to get it at your local bookstores. If not contact us at ExodusMinistries@aol.com and we will help you get a copy.
Let’s not wait until a tragedy hits to support one another and pray for our leaders, our country, our military, and our churches. Let’s do it now and watch the blessings flow as we line up with the God’s word.