National Day of Prayer

May 3, 2007 is the National Day of Prayer. At Noon on May 3, a service honoring the day will be held on steps of the Greene County Courthouse in Leakesville, MS. If you can’t attend, I encourage you to make prayer a priority on this day.

For whom shall we pray? I believe Psalm 122:6-9 reveals to us a focus for our prayers. This scripture challenges us to pray for peace. Remember, true peace comes from being in a right relationship with God.

Specifically, the psalmist challenged his countrymen to pray for various people that served and lived in their country. Consequently, when we pray for the peace of our country, we must pray that the hearts of Americans are submitted to the rule of God.

I believe we can use his words as a guideline to pray for our nation.

1. Country- Military Leaders (v.6a) “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:” May God protect and guide the men and women who voluntarily serve our nation.

2. Commerce- Business Persons (v. 6b) “May they prosper who love you.” May our economy be characterized by Biblical Ethics and fair labor practice.

3. Crime- Law Enforcement Officers (v.7a) “Peace be within your walls,” Daily, local law enforcement officers take risks to protect property and persons in our towns and county. They need and deserve our intercessions.

4. Capital- Governmental Leaders (7b) “Prosperity within your palaces.” Pray for those National, State, County, and City governments.

5. Companions- Fellow Countrymen (v.8) For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.” We must pray our neighbors will develop a personal relationship with the Jesus, the real peacemaker.

6. Churches- Communities of Faith (v.9) “Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good.”

While many decry our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, the paramount hindrance to our peace is dependence upon ourselves. We need God to help us deal with our sin problem. He has provided the remedy for our sinfulness in the person of Jesus Christ. May our nation be a nation of praying people seeking and serving God.