How Can Americans be Saved?
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." (Psalm 33:12)
Pray that our leaders will follow the ways of the Lord and make their decisions based upon fear and reverence of His Word. Pray that we as a nation will not turn our backs to God's will and desires. Pray that our leaders will deliver us as a nation from destruction by honoring our Creator and Sovereign who has established us and desires to bless us as a nation.
By Jeff Coors, Executive Chairman of the Board for Intercessors for America
In the back of most Americans' minds today are questions about our nation's future. Can the future of this country be as bright as the past? Have we seen our best days? Does God care about America as a nation? People wonder, "Can America be saved?"…History is filled with the graves of nations who turned their backs on God, but this same downfall doesn't have to happen to America.
First, God can save groups of people from the wrath they deserve. As we read in Micah 5:15, God says, "I will take vengeance in anger and wrath on the nations that have not obeyed me." He does hold nations accountable for their collective actions, just as He holds individuals accountable for their personal decisions and actions. Isaiah describes God's standards of judgment when he writes in 64:5, "You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved (yasha)?" Jeremiah 5:1 answers this question: "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city."
It appears that our God will save a group of people from His wrath based upon the obedience of a few. An incredible measure of mercy! In the midst of this mercy He still demands a nation's obedience. Isaiah 45:22 emphasizes that only our Lord can save a nation: "Turn to me and be saved (yasha), all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other." Mercy comes, and yet complete obedience by all is desired. God saves nations from His wrath and also from outside threats…Pray that He would save us from His wrath, which we deserve, drawing us toward obedience as a nation; and that He would save us from our enemies.
U.S. CONGRESS: 2011 Most Futile Legislative Year on Record
Pray that our 2012 legislative sessions will reflect the heart of God's will for this nation. The Lord desires to bless the nation that honors Him. Pray that our legislators will be sensitive to the needs of our population and that they be granted wisdom for how best to address those needs with the stressed 2012 budget. Pray for reconciliation between the House and the Senate on the important issues which include the economy and national defense.
It's official: Congress ended its least-productive year in modern history after passing 80 bills - fewer than during any other session since year-end records began being kept in 1947. Furthermore, an analysis by The Washington Times of the scope of such activities as time spent in debate, number of conference reports produced and votes taken on the House and Senate floors found that Congress set a record for legislative futility by accomplishing less in 2011 than any other year in history.
The Senate's record was weakest by a huge margin, according to the futility index, and the House had its 10th-worst session on record.
Burma
Please pray for the resolution of Burma’s (Myanmar’s) ongoing ethnic conflicts even as there has been some improvement of the political situation in the nation with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy activists from house arrest and imprisonment. Pray for effective talks and actual, enduring ceasefires between the Burmese government and various tribal groups.
The Free Burma Rangers’ (FBR) mission is to provide hope, help and love to internally displaced people inside Burma, regardless of ethnicity or religion. Using a network of indigenous field teams, FBR reports on human rights abuses, casualties and the humanitarian needs of people who are under the oppression of the Burma Army. FBR provides medical, spiritual and educational resources for IDP communities as they struggle to survive Burmese military attacks.
For more information, please visit www.freeburmarangers.org.
Frozen to death as fuel bills soar
The number of pensioners dying from hypothermia has nearly doubled in five years, a period when a succession of cold winters has been coupled with drastic rises in energy bills. The official figures emerged after several days of Arctic conditions which drove temperatures across the whole country as low as minus 10C (14F). They showed that 1,876 patients were treated in hospital for hypothermia. The number of sufferers who died within 30 days of admission shot up from 135 to 260. Three-quarters of victims were pensioners, with cases soaring more than any other age group. The increasing toll of hypothermia over the past five years coincides with a surge in energy costs, especially gas prices which have gone up by 40 per cent. The row over energy prices is poised to be reignited later this month when the 'big six' energy companies reveal their latest profit figures. Campaign groups said yesterday it was 'scandalous' that pensioners in modern Britain could be suffering from hypothermia.
Pray: for effective support for the most vulnerable during the very cold weather. (Jas.2:16)
More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2100232/Frozen-death-fuel-bills-soar-Hypothermia-cases-elderly-double-years.html
Bishops and MPs criticise High Court ruling on council prayers
Bishops and MPs have criticised the High Court’s landmark ban on prayers during council meetings. The High Court ruled that it was ‘unlawful’ to say prayers during the formal business at council meetings, following a judicial review initiated by the National Secular Society (NSS). Responding to the ruling, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said that public authorities ‘should have the right to say prayers before meetings if they wish’. The former Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, was quoted by The Telegraph as saying that there was a ‘huge constitutional implication’ to the ruling. ‘Where will this stop – by a test case about prayer in Parliament? Prayers in Parliament are definitely part of the proceedings, they are recorded as such, they are on the order paper and part therefore of the constitutional arrangement of the country as the Queen in Parliament under God.’ (See also PA 49 2011)
Pray: for Christians to reclaim and assert the righty to prayer in public life. (Phl.4:6)
More: http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/bishops.and.mps.criticise.high.court.ruling.on.council.prayers/29307.htm
