Beginning with August 30, the first day of the Jewish repentance season of Teshuvah, we have been praying through the 40 days of Teshuvah.
For the first ten days we prayed for personal repentance in keeping with literal meaning of Teshuvah: to return to the presence of God. For the next ten days, we have prayed for Church unity, in accordance with the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20-23 that we be united in Him.
The unity Jesus prayed for was a purposeful unity, so that “The World will know that You sent me” (John 17:23). Yet there are five billion people in the world who do not know Christ. In America more and more people are adopting a secular hedonistic lifestyle, leading to the rise of an anti-Christian culture. The result is a plague of fatherlessness, bringing poverty and crime, and our national shame of 60 million abortions. Christian values and Christian faith are under attack in the Public Square, and the nation is bitterly divided politically. Now is the time for God’s people to unite and pray for the healing of our land.
It is clear that only God’s people can humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and repent to bring about healing of the land (2 Chronicles 7:14). The Church must repent of its division, coming into visible unity, so the world will know Christ. We must bless and not curse, turning on the light and partnering with God so we can fulfill our calling to be a blessing (1 Peter 3: 9). Christians should transcend politics to bring Christian principles back into both parties. And we must get out of our four walls to reach the needy with care for both their physical and spiritual needs.
Beginning with September 19 and continuing through September 28, we will pray for the restraint of evil and the healing of our land.
• September 19: Healing the land (2 Chron. 7:14)
• September 20: Blessings and curses (Deut. 28)
• September 21: Standing in the gap (Eze 22:30-31)
• September 22: Humility (Matt. 23:12)
• September 23: Bringing heaven to Earth (Matt. 6:10)
• September 24: Praying in confidence (1 John 5:14–15)
• September 25: Unity of the Believers so the world will know God sent Christ (John 17:23)
• September 26: Protection in God’s presence (Ps.27)
• September 27: Bless and curse not (1 Peter 3:9)
• September 28: Friends of God (John 15:14)
While we are praying to heal our land we can also remember the ministry and impact of Billy Graham as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of his historic Los Angles crusade which began on September 25, 1949. Graham called America to repentance during Teshuvah on the day after the Feast of Trumpets. Ultimately he preached to 100 million in person and 2 billion through media, bringing millions into the Kingdom of God. He was a champion of Church unity, founding the international Lausanne movement dedicated to “The whole church carrying the whole gospel to the whole nation – and to the world.” Be in prayer and consider attending the annual meeting of the Table Coalition, the U.S. Lausanne Affiliate, beginning on September 25 in Los Angeles. See (https://thetablecoalition.org/events-news/) for more details.
Also be in prayer and consider attending the Kairos 2019 conference in Dallas, Texas on October 3-5, 2019, which will feature Kenneth Copeland, Lou Engle, Matteo Calisi, and many others uniting in Christ to see the whole church carry the whole gospel to the whole nation. See the attached short video (https://youtu.be/pw-bR54E1iQ) and visit the Kairos2019.com website.
“Only a united Church can heal a divided nation” –Lou Engle