This year has been a very, very interesting year. Some will say it has been a difficult year. Others will say that it’s been a frustrating year. But all would agree that it’s been an unforgettable year.  My last message to my Church before the “shutdown” was a prophetic one, without even knowing it.  It was one that God knew that I and our Church family needed to hear.

It was from James 4:13-15, which says,

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.

In 1899, Charles H. Duell, Commissioner in the U.S. Office of Patents said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.”  Yet, since then, the world has witnessed the advent of airplanes, automobiles, manned space travel, computers, cell phones, and literally countless of other devices and products that we use and take for granted every day.

Our view of the future is so limited.  We are able to look backward fairly clearly on the past, but we cannot fully see into the future. People spend millions of dollars per year calling psychics and visiting palm readers to no avail. Our view and understanding is limited.

With the upcoming elections, civil unrest in our streets, and the brokenness in our communities, we have no idea what the upcoming days will hold.  We don’t know what tomorrow will hold… but we can know and fully trust Who holds tomorrow.

Now, more than ever, we need to seek the face of God.

Here are some things to petition the “Holder of our tomorrow” in the days ahead:

Please Pray:

• FOR THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS: To be clear – our hope does not reside in Washington, but in the Lord. But what takes place in Washington does affect us as believers.  Let’s pray for God’s will to take place in the November 3rd General Election – which is 82 days away. Pray for the General Election and for godly candidates who must find ways to get their campaign messages out during this time of social distancing. Pray that a large wave of pro-life/pro-family candidates would be triumphant in their race for local, state and federal offices.

• FOR UNREST ON OUR STREETS: Behind every riot and act of looting, there is a deeper need.  As you watch the news and see the headlines, let us pray for each and every lost soul who desperately needs to experience the healing power of Jesus Christ.  True healing is ultimately in Him.

• FOR THE CHURCH: Pray that we seek God’s face on a daily basis and that we be serious about His call to be salt and light to a lost world, powerfully sharing and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As the early Church “turned the world upside down,” let’s get back to the mission. Please pray that God will draw more and more people to Himself during this time of fear and uncertainty.

• FOR JUDGES AND THE COURTS: Let’s pray that they will seek the wisdom that comes from above rather than any personal or political agendas.

Pray for Families:

• FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS: One silver lining of the COVID-19 lock-down has given us the opportunity to grow closer together as families. Pray that Christian fathers seriously take responsibility to be spiritual leaders of their own home, teaching their children about God and His Word every day, so they will know God’s perfect love and His standards.

• EDUCATION CHOICES: Various news reports tell us that many parents are leaving government schools and instead choosing home schooling and private school options. Please pray for those moms and dads (grandmothers and grandfathers) who are embarking on home education. May God pour out His wisdom, discernment and patience to them. Pray also for our friends at Illinois Christian Home Educators as they assist the influx of new families who are exploring home education to instruct, equip and train their children to thrive as independent and productive adults. Pray that IFI’s homeschooling webinars will reach the right people at the right time.

  Pray for Christian schools across the country who are navigating an influx of new students and how to welcome families new to Christian schooling. Pray for God to protect these schools and families from arbitrary government regulations that are still a risk and for God to prevent obstacles that hamper the growth of school choice for families. Pray also for government leaders to recognize the benefits of educational choice and the constitutional limits of government.

• GRANDPARENTS: That God would inspire and encourage grandparents to be the mortar in the bricks of their children’s families, filling in gaps and helping to cement bricks together. Pray that God would give them a vision for their role in the training of their grandchildren and wisdom on how to instill a Biblical worldview.

• FAMILIES AS SALT AND LIGHT: Pray that God would use your family to spread the truth and light of the Gospel.

Pray for the Sanctity of Life:

• ABORTION: That God would have mercy on those who are considering abortion. Pray that He would convict the hearts of mothers to choose life for their babies. Pray that God would provide a strong and visible support system for these women.

• EVILDOERS: Pray that Planned Parenthood and other abortion organizations would financially fail and be deprived of achieving their objectives to terminate the lives of OUR innocent pre-born neighbors. Pray specifically for the closures of the newest abortion mills in Flossmoor, Fairview Heights and Waukegan. Pray Psalm 34:16, which says “The face of the Lord is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.” 

• U-TURN: Pray that employees at your local abortion mills would see their work for what it is, have a change of heart and mind, and be converted by faith to God Almighty, the Author of life and Perfecter of faith. Pray that abortion mills cannot fill positions and are forced to shut down.

• PROTECTION: Please pray for protection for Christian medical professionals who are facing conscience challenges in the workplace. Pray for courage for those who find themselves called to take a stand for the sanctity of life. We pray for pro-life and Christian healthcare professionals to be empowered to unite their voices together and effectively stand for religious freedoms across the nation. We also pray for nonprofit, faith-based hospitals that find themselves pressured to provide medical procedures that destroy life and conflict with their faith.

Pray for the Government:

• CORRUPTION: Pray that the federal government’s investigation into political corruption at various levels of government in Illinois would root out self-serving wicked incumbents and government employees.

• LIBERTY: Pray that government officials in every branch of government will not only recognize the God-given liberties identified in the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence, but that they would work diligently to uphold and protect religious liberty, conscience rights and parental rights.

• FOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY: Pray for the political leaders listed below as they continue to make important decisions about how to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis, the lock-down and the resulting economic downturn:
  • U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield)
  • U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro)
  • State Senator Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago)
  • State Senator John Curran (R-Lemont)
  • State Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Chicago)
  • State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris)
  • State Senator Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo)
  • State Representative Keith Wheeler (R-North Aurora)
  • State Representative Tom Demmer (R-Dixon)
  • State Representative Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island)
  • State Representative Fran Hurley (D-Chicago)
  • State Representative Steven Reick (R-Woodstock)
  • State Representative Andre Thapedi (D-Chicago)

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.
(Psalm 107:28-30)

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