How Your Prayers Today Can Shift the Nation and Prompt Revival

Millennials gather on the National Mall to cry out to Jesus in July 2016.
Millennials gathered on the National Mall to cry out to Jesus in July 2016. (Nick Hall/Facebook)

Today, millions of believers around the United States will humble themselves before the Lord and unite their hearts in prayer.

Following the theme verse of Daniel 9:19, Christians are crying out for forgiveness and interceding for the nation.

Many prominent Christian leaders will meet with President Donald Trump to discuss religious freedom issues that affect the future of the nation.

Scripture tells us that God moves when His people unite in prayer. Today, join with the body of Christ.

Here's what some are saying:

Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference:

Now more than ever, we urgently need to heed the admonition of Scripture, "Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1-4).
Join me today in seeking the heart and mind of God in prayer and repentance, for ourselves, for our families and for this country that we love.
We will all do so with a full heart, having already witnessed an answer to our prayers in the president's decision today to strengthen our religious liberties. I commend President Trump for fulfilling this promise.

Paula White-Cain, televangelist and pastor:

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know the hope to which He has called you" #Ephesians #NationalDayOfPrayer

James Dobson, founder and host of Family Talk radio:

The mission behind the National Day of Prayer, "to mobilize prayer in America and to encourage personal repentance and righteousness in the culture," is more needed than ever. My wife, Shirley, chaired the National Day of Prayer Task Force for 25 years, so I've seen firsthand what can happen when we invite the presence and power of God into our lives, our families, our schools and our institutions.

But it all begins with prayer.

So please join with Shirley and me in carving out a day of concentrated prayer for our country, for our elected officials and for our personal walk with God.

 Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship:

The National Day of Prayer is significant in that it highlights the essential role that faith is given in our nation. Apart from prayer, we have no way to attain daily direction for our lives, no compass pointing us in the way of truth and justice. Make no mistake, God cares for each and every American, regardless of our willingness to thank Him and acknowledge His hand of providence in our lives. I applaud the president and vice president for making this special day a priority and I thank them for acknowledging that faith in God continues to be an irreplaceable contribution to America. Let us make our requests known to God, and let us pray without ceasing—today, and every day of the year.

Ronna Romney McDaniel, GOP chairwoman:

On #NationalDayofPrayer, we give thanks for our blessings, ask for His guidance and offer earnest prayers for our nation.

Pat and Karen Schatzline, evangelists and authors of Rebuilding the Altar:

We must intercede for a nation on the brink of losing its very purpose. We are called to be the land of the free and the home of the brave. We must pray against the attack from within and from without. It is during this time we declare the righteous truth of God to a dry and weary land. We must rebuild the altar. All through God's Word, when the altar is rebuilt, the famine stops and the rain pours down. Just as Noah, who was saved from the flood, took the doors off of the ark and built an altar (Gen. 8:20) and then God drew near with compassion for mankind.... So too did Jesus become the door (John 10:9) on the altar (Heb. 10:9-21) with love and compassion for which out of his belly (John 7:38) comes the flood of love for mankind.

Terence Chatmon, CEO of the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International:

The National Day of Prayer is a reminder of our foundational heritage in this country. God is sovereign, and we are to seek His face and to humble ourselves for His glory. Through our prayers, the Holy Spirit can transform us personally, professionally, as a community and as a nation. We must be praying for our families. We must recapture the spiritual life of the family as the foundation for society. Family is the very fabric of America, and by strengthening the family, we can make America great again. What if the strongest families in the nation came from your home town, your church? It would make a difference. Train and instruct them in the Lord, Ephesians 6:4. If we start in our own homes, then we can spread the movement first through our Jerusalem and then through our Samaria. I would like to call all parents, especially dads, to consider their role in training and instructing in the Lord. They must be the leaders in developing a generational spiritual legacy for the family, which they can also do for their businesses.

Robin Bertram, author of No Regrets:

The National Day of Prayer keeps our nation focused on what is important. It lets the rest of the world see that we, as a nation, still believe in the power of prayer, the mightiness of God and the unity of the church. God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can change a man's heart, a city or a nation through dedicated, intentional, heartfelt prayer. God responds to our cries and what we know for sure, it does not take a multitude. It only takes a few dedicated prayer warriors to affect change. We should pray for the morality of our nation; that our hearts turn back to God. We should pray for unity over our nation, and we should pray for healing from racism. When we pray according to God's will, He keeps His promises to give us our requests. It is most certainly God's will that we turn from immorality, lovelessness, rebellion and hatred. It is most certainly God's will that man turn to righteousness, holiness and justice. How different our country would be! Through the prayers of God's people, He will breathe his breath back into this nation again. He will bring revival and set hearts on fire for him. He will push back the darkness and open the way for true revival to come to our nation. Pray, people, pray!

Michael Brown, radio host and cultural commentator:

If it is symbolic alone, a National Day of Prayer is not that important, but if it is a real call for Americans to get on their knees in humility before God and seek Him in repentance—is there anything more important? When we pray, we are asking for God's involvement, for Him to do what only He can do. Nothing is more powerful than that. We should pray for the reality of God to come to our nation! For the consciousness of God to pervade our country! For revival in the church and awakening in the society! If our prayers can make us truly desperate for God, He could send revival, which could change the nation. This can only be a catalyst if something supernatural happens. Otherwise, it's only one day. But perhaps out of this something can happen. Let it be a good step in the right direction.

Jentezen Franklin, pastor of Free Chapel Church:

Please join me in sincere prayer as we meet with the president this week to discuss faith and religious liberty. We will be praying with the president and his staff on the National Day of Prayer. "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14).

Bill Shuler, Lead Pastor of Capital Life Church

We should be praying for kingdom priorities to be established on a national and international scale. It is imperative that we be aligned with God's heart and not tossed around by the opinions of man. Wisdom, boldness and the timing of the Lord are imperative. The church must be salt and light. Prayers can refocus the church and move the hearts of our leaders. It is not too late to live up to our calling as "one nation under God."

Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church:

I'm honored to join President Trump, Vice President Pence and America's faith leaders for a day of prayer for our nation. Days like today remind me that as long as America humbles herself before God, pleading out of sincere hearts to truly know and serve Him, we will remain a "nation under God." On this solemn occasion, I pray America will experience a return to God's truth that will lead to a new revival and spiritual awakening that will impact our generation. I'm thankful for all this this administration has done over its first 100 days to advance religious liberty, protect the unborn and strengthen the role of faith in America. In the first 100 days of a President, evangelicals have never had a stronger relationship with the White House.

Marcus Gill, pastor and author of Everybody Wants to Win: But Nobody Wants to Wait:

I'm so excited about the National Day of Prayer. This day is so important for our nation, our local cities, our spiritual communities and our families. It gives us all an opportunity to connect our hearts and faith for many different things. We often keep our prayers to ourselves, but the National Day of Prayer invites unity. We take time to pray together. Jesus said, "where any two of us are touching and agreeing for anything here on earth, it shall be done by our Father who is in heaven!" When we pray, God hears us, and He's willing to answer us. When God hears our prayers, change takes place and a shift happens. I believe that prayer is our way of showing God that as a nation, we still trust Him and acknowledge Him. By doing so, He directs our paths. One of my prayers on this day is that National Day of Prayer would be the tone-setter, for our nation to fully turn back to God, His Word and righteousness. I'm so thankful that we have a day that openly says the United States of America is in agreement with God.

Larry Tomczak, author, speaker, cultural commentator:

Over four decades ago, our ministry, entitled Intercessors for America, was launched to equip and motivate patriotic Americans to pray and fast for our elected officials and the welfare of our nation. The man John Hagee calls the "greatest Bible teacher of the 20th century," Derek Prince, cast the initial vision and helped multitudes with his classic book, Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting.
Our key Bible passage then as it remains today on this National Day of Prayer, is 1 Timothy 2:1–4. "Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
"First of all" makes clear where God places the priority. Let us all remain united in this sacred task on this very special day.

Matt Fry, pastor of C3 Church and author of I Am: Encounter the One Who Gives You Purpose and Peace in a Crazy World

A mentor of mine once said, 'Nothing of eternal significance ever happens apart from prayer!' And there is exponential power when believers come together to pray with one heart and one mind. I thank God for the National Day of Prayer movement because it reminds us all that we should pray for revival in our nation. I recently wrote a book called I AM: Encounter the One Who Gives You Purpose and Peace in a Crazy World. And the primary way that we can experience God's power is when we have a fresh encounter with Him through prayer. I believe this is a critical time for God's people to unite together so we can not only see God move in our nation but also our world! 

Dr. David Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church; founder and host, "Turning Point"

"Since the foundation of our nation, prayer has been a secure anchor to weather the many challenges that come our way. It has also been the quiet source of comfort and encouragement that has guided so many of our nation's leaders. On this National Day of Prayer, we turn our eyes again toward God and ask Him to be our guide and our anchor. We ask Him to lead us—our president, vice president and leaders—to live as a people that honor and fear Him. And we thank Him for the incredible blessing of living in this beautiful and free country!"

Linda Znachko, He Knows Your Name ministry:

Unity. There is nothing more unifying in our diversity than coming together in prayer to acknowledge our need before God, our Creator; we are made in his image, we are his children. There is the relationship part of prayer. In a nation that has been divided, prayer crosses all kinds of religious boundaries and unifies us all. We are held together, amidst diversity, as we recognize we are children of God.

 

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