Praying For The Well-Being Of Your Country
"Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7 NIV).
Biblically, all Christians are implored to pray for their country and its people's (1 Timothy 2:2) well-being and the above scripture is clear that by so doing we invite the peace and prosperity of God into our communities. When we don't pray we literally allow the enemy of our souls to sow seeds of discord, confusion, and destructive behavior amongst us (Matthew 13:25). Also, we increase the severity of the sword in our nation(s) if we don't intercede (Numbers 16:46) Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Christ established prayer as one of the single most basic yet important ways of accessing the grace of God (John 15:7-8). In addition, we have also repeatedly emphasized on this platform how much God values prayer and regards it as the key to solving all problems.
It is a fact, Christians are not consistent in praying for their countries. In the vision the Lord gave Charis a few years ago, the Lord rebuked the people of Ukraine for not praying enough for their country (Please see the vision regarding Ukraine in our visions section). Now, what does the Lord mean when He said, they are not praying enough? Well, the Lord did answer us a few years ago that when He said not enough, a person or body of believers is not praying earnestly, persistently, and consistently for an answer to the problem (Luke 18:1-8). It is true, some believers do pray for their countries but they do so casually and without any form of urgency. As it is, the Lord is teaching us in the preceding verse in Luke to pray continuously and watchfully so that we will not be denied His blessing (Luke 21:36).
Being Consistent In Prayer
I (Brother Glenn) have learned first-hand from the Lord that when He commanded us to pray, we need to do so without ungrudgingly and without question. A few years ago, a friend and former colleague of mine got involved in a fatal car accident. I was shown his accident in a vision before it could happen.
As it was, he ended up in the hospital and being on life-support. I visited him in hospital and prayed for his recovery and a few weeks thereafter the Lord showed me in another vision that through my prayers, my friend would be discharged from hospital, and this came to pass and he was released from the hospital with severe mental problems and being unable to walk and the Lord promised to heal him if I would continue in prayer.
Admittedly, as he recovered and even being able to walk I thought that he was now fine so I stopped interceding for him and forgot to mention him in prayer before the Lord. While I considered his condition as having improved remarkedly, I received a call that the gentleman passed away and immediately I felt heavily convicted and the Lord started dealing with me that I disobeyed Him for not praying consistently for my friend and as a result of such disobedience my friend died because nobody was interceding for him. This then led me to repent for days for my folly until the guilt of disobedience was lifted from me (1 Chronicle 21:8).
How Intercessory Prayers Helped The Church And Others
In conclusion, we know that Abraham prayed and interceded for Lot and the Lord saved him (Genesis 18:16-33). Similarly, our Lord Jesus prayed for Peter and for His entire disciples so that their faith may not fail and that the gospel is being proclaimed through them (Luke 22:31-34; John 17:6-26). In the aftermath of these prayers, we have their testimony and the Bible and we owe our faith to their obedience, and shouldn't we be equally obedient by praying continually and consistently for our communities and countries?
Brethren, prayer is a form of ministry and we need to understand that the word minister simply means to 'serve'. thus as ministers of the gospel, and this includes all believers we intercede for our land, families, friends, and communities before God not just for their well-being but that it might go well with us too (1 Timothy 2:2). As a serious matter, the Lord did reveal to us that Christians who are not effective will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 7:19) and that is not just applying to so-called full-time ministers but to the entire body of believers (Matthew 25:14-30). Therefore, no believer should think that certain portions of scripture apply to certain people, we will all be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ in terms of the expectations of the scriptures (2 Corinthians 5:10). Finally, as believers make it a point of interceding daily and without fail not just for you and your immediate family but for all people everywhere including your country to avoid being a tree that does not bear fruit (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
Blessed Grace
Brother Glenn
