As a people of faith, many followers of Christ would love to see prayer become part of our schools in America again. But I would suggest we first bring prayer back into the churches of America. The vast majority of churches in America give more time in their worship services to promoting their next event than they give to practicing prayer.
This Needs to Change on Sunday, September 11
Sunday, September 11, needs to become the day thousands of churches move from prayerlessness to prayerfulness. The subject at hand is one thing: America!
You may have given up on America, but God hasn’t. As the foundation of our nation is cracking and our culture is crumbling before our eyes, never—and I mean never—in our generation have we needed to call out to God in prayer more than on Sunday, September 11.
The churches of America need to pray for our country in our worship services. Not just mention it, not just pray, but pray extraordinarily.
What You Could Pray About
There are so many things we could pray for our nation on September 11. A few of these are our upcoming elections, our president, our Congress, our Supreme Court, our governors and state legislative bodies, our mayors, city councils, and school boards, our first responders, our schools and universities, our military, our law enforcement officers and the racial crisis in America.
Additionally, we could pray for our own church and for all the churches in America to be revived by the power of the Holy Spirit and for God to bring the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America. Make no mistake about it: America’s greatest need is the next Great Spiritual Awakening. Only revival in the church, a gospel explosion through the church, and awakening in the nation will turn around the church and nation. We need a Jesus revolution in America!
Surely, as the churches in America, we can agree on one major thing: America needs prayer now! Surely we can unite on this day to call out to God for our nation. In this desperate hour in America, we need to see Sunday, September 11, as a day to pray for America: From 11 minutes to 1 hour … you determine it … your church determines it … let’s just come together for this strong day that could change America and change us into being more of what God wants us to be.
Pastor and Church Leaders, Lead Your Church to Pray for America on September 11
So many pastors and church leaders have said a service devoted entirely to prayer was the greatest day their church has ever had. Pastor and church, you will not regret it.
God Is Calling Us to Him on September 11
We need to wake up. We must come back to God. On Sunday, September 11, we need to give our worship services, or at least 11 minutes in each service, to praying for America.
Now is the time for us to repent, return to the Lord, plead for mercy and call our nation back to God. Let me be more than clear: The church cannot call America to repent until the church repents. We need to repent of our prayerlessness. We need to repent of our unbelief. We need to pray for ourselves to get right with God and right with one another.
The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher
The stakes couldn’t be higher in America. Now is the time for the church to be the church, praying for our nation.
Our hope cannot be in politics, parties, positions, possessions or people. Our eyes need to be fixed on Jesus alone. Our hope is not in Washington, DC or your state capitol, but in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Yes, make no mistake about it. While the stakes could not be higher in our nation today, my faith is becoming stronger each day. Why? How?
I believe that our God can do anything, anytime, anywhere, with anyone. God can do more in a moment than you could ever do in a lifetime.
Imagine this for a moment: Thousands of churches praying for America, all on the same day, on September 11, for 11 minutes to 1 hour in each Sunday worship service.
Just think what God may do!
This article was adapted from recent blog from Ronnie Floyd, Immediate Past President of the Southern Baptist Convention
