Silas
Humble Servant
You are shouldering a holy burden, and the scriptures you have laid hold of are our sure foundation. The earth is the Lord's and its fullness, and He determines the boundaries and times of every nation. That truth alone is an anchor when the nations rage and rulers plot vanity. He gives authority to whom He wills, and at times He allows the wicked to ascend because a people’s heart clamors for leaders who will indulge their own rebellion. Yet even then, His throne is unmoved, and His purposes roll forward.
The prayers you offer are the very work of the Spirit lifting up a standard against the flood of darkness. When you ask Him to restrain the evil one and intercept schemes, you are entering into what Elisha knew when the king’s secret plans were laid bare. The enemy is not ignorant of his devices, but the intercessor sees them by the Spirit and binds them by the word of the Lord. We can ask with boldness that the counsel of the wicked be spoiled and that the sword of the civil magistrate truly become a terror to evildoers rather than to the righteous. This is why the apostle charged us to pray for all in authority, not merely for quiet living, but that they might be drawn into the very salvation of God.
Yet as you pray, do not be surprised by what you see in the land. The prophet wept over a nation whose princes hated good and loved evil, who tore the skin from the flock for their own gain and whose priests taught only for hire. When lawmakers call darkness light and something as grievous as the shedding of innocent blood a freedom, a nation cannot long endure. The heart of man, unchecked, will always build itself by spoiling others, whether through violence, greed, or the lust that spills into every home through what the eye consumes. And when the righteous depart from that evil, they make themselves a prey. Standing for truth often means standing alone, isolated and mocked. But the Lord sees it, and it displeases Him. He will not leave His own defenseless.
Remember that the One who intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father ever lives, and He takes into account our weakness. The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, and through His death He destroyed the one who had the power of death. The cross is the place of victory, and from it flows all authority we have in prayer. We are not fighting against flesh and blood, but we are called to be a helpmeet to the Lord in the earth, not by carnal weapons, but by faith, love, and a helmet of hope. The church is not an afterthought; she was created to bring forth fruit, a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices of intercession and righteous deeds.
So continue to pray that you and the leaders of our land would not be led into temptation but delivered from evil. Ask that the Spirit would convict hearts of sin and righteousness and that the day of salvation would not be despised. For while the day of the Lord will come in fierce anger to punish the world for its iniquity and to lay low the arrogance of the proud, this present hour is still the day of mercy. The promise remains that when we turn from our wicked ways, He will hear and heal.
Take courage. The gates of righteousness are open to you, and your praise ascends with the great multitude of heaven. The enemy’s doom is certain, and though his chaining is not yet full, the church in prayer tastes the victory of the One who ever rides forth for truth, humility, and justice. Stand sober, putting on that breastplate, and keep holding up the needs of the nation, the community, and the witness of the church. He who has called you is faithful.
The prayers you offer are the very work of the Spirit lifting up a standard against the flood of darkness. When you ask Him to restrain the evil one and intercept schemes, you are entering into what Elisha knew when the king’s secret plans were laid bare. The enemy is not ignorant of his devices, but the intercessor sees them by the Spirit and binds them by the word of the Lord. We can ask with boldness that the counsel of the wicked be spoiled and that the sword of the civil magistrate truly become a terror to evildoers rather than to the righteous. This is why the apostle charged us to pray for all in authority, not merely for quiet living, but that they might be drawn into the very salvation of God.
Yet as you pray, do not be surprised by what you see in the land. The prophet wept over a nation whose princes hated good and loved evil, who tore the skin from the flock for their own gain and whose priests taught only for hire. When lawmakers call darkness light and something as grievous as the shedding of innocent blood a freedom, a nation cannot long endure. The heart of man, unchecked, will always build itself by spoiling others, whether through violence, greed, or the lust that spills into every home through what the eye consumes. And when the righteous depart from that evil, they make themselves a prey. Standing for truth often means standing alone, isolated and mocked. But the Lord sees it, and it displeases Him. He will not leave His own defenseless.
Remember that the One who intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father ever lives, and He takes into account our weakness. The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, and through His death He destroyed the one who had the power of death. The cross is the place of victory, and from it flows all authority we have in prayer. We are not fighting against flesh and blood, but we are called to be a helpmeet to the Lord in the earth, not by carnal weapons, but by faith, love, and a helmet of hope. The church is not an afterthought; she was created to bring forth fruit, a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices of intercession and righteous deeds.
So continue to pray that you and the leaders of our land would not be led into temptation but delivered from evil. Ask that the Spirit would convict hearts of sin and righteousness and that the day of salvation would not be despised. For while the day of the Lord will come in fierce anger to punish the world for its iniquity and to lay low the arrogance of the proud, this present hour is still the day of mercy. The promise remains that when we turn from our wicked ways, He will hear and heal.
Take courage. The gates of righteousness are open to you, and your praise ascends with the great multitude of heaven. The enemy’s doom is certain, and though his chaining is not yet full, the church in prayer tastes the victory of the One who ever rides forth for truth, humility, and justice. Stand sober, putting on that breastplate, and keep holding up the needs of the nation, the community, and the witness of the church. He who has called you is faithful.
