The Pastor’s Piece, Kevin Cernek, Chaplain – September 27, 2024

FCFI

September 29, 2024

As election day draws nigh yet again, one can’t help but notice that the emotion level in the political realm is reaching new heights. Every four years election tension rises to new levels. I have read that 80% of Americans consider themselves to be Christians. If that number is accurate, that should mean that most of us are in agreement with the Bible, God’s Word to man. In Daniel’s book of prophecy, it says that Daniel prayed to the God of heaven and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom,” (Daniel 2:20-23 NIV).

That was Daniel’s prayer as he served a godless king in a hostile and godless government. It was good for Daniel to pray then, and it is good for us to pray today. Recently, we had a community prayer event where people from the towns and communities in this area came together to pray. Below are some prayers that I printed (from anonymous sources) that we offered to our great God and Savior, Maker of heaven and earth.

Prayer for families – Heavenly Father, we know that You have placed the family as an expression of Your nature. That Your desire is that we reflect intimacy, oneness, community, and fellowship within our families. We desire to honor You. Give us the wisdom, as parents, and grandparents, to guide our children to love and follow You. May our families bring You glory through Jesus Christ, Your Son.

Prayer for Government – Dear God, our hearts are heavy for our nation. We lift up our government. In Your Word it says: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the Lord, our God.” It is in this trust in You that we ask You to bless the institution of government that You created for our good. Protect our governments – local, state, and national, from corruption and fraud and lies. We ask You to strengthen our leaders to do what is right in Your eyes, not what is popular in the culture. Raise up Godly leaders, including the next generation, to be true public servants rather than politicians. We ask You to pour out wisdom on all in public office, on our president and his supporting staff, on our city councils, Congress, and the courts. Equip us to engage civic leaders with Truth and love and with boldness, as we exercise the rights that You’ve given us – and always directing others to Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer for our military – Lord, thank You for the privilege of living in our great nation. We ask you to richly bless and protect each member of our US Armed Forces. Those men and women who willingly stand in a gap to support our freedom in the United States of America. We ask you to bless each member of the US Navy, Marine Corp, Coast Guard, Army, and Air Force stationed around the world, being away from their families and in harm’s way. We thank you for giving them the desire to serve and we ask that You give them wisdom, strength, and courage as they do their jobs. Lord, we also lift up and ask you to bless the First Responders in our community, and those in law enforcement, our firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and 9-1-1 dispatch personnel, each of whom work tirelessly in protecting our families from the evils of this fallen world. Thank you for each individual who has embraced the calling You have put upon their lives. Protect them we pray from evil.

Prayer for the Church – Lord, You created the Church to fulfill Your purpose here on earth, and we now pray, that the gospel will continue to go forth in power in churches and communities across the country. And that we will be a light in the world to draw people to Jesus Christ that they may know You. We pray for an outpouring of Your Spirit on us and on our nation. And Lord, strengthen and empower us to speak the Truth in love to a culture in chaos and in desperate need of Your peace. 

Father, we ask these things from You, our Great Provider, in Jesus Name, Amen.

I believe God can do anything. I tell people every chance I get, that God can do more in a moment than we could do in a lifetime. And because of that, I am filled with hope and anticipation because I know God is able to do more than we can think or ask.  When you look at history, it doesn’t matter whether it’s in the Bible or historical precedence in our own country, there is no great movement of God that has ever occurred that has not first been preceded with the extraordinary prayer of God’s people.  We – God’s people – are the ones standing in the gap between our nation and total destruction by the evil one. Stand strong – and pray!

They say that in the last election, only 49% of Christians bothered to vote. I hope you will vote in this election. Voting is the power that we have, but it’s only power if we use it.

 (Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin).