I had a dream Saturday night, the night of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump. In the dream, a friend asked me to watch over her baby for the day. It was a small baby, unable to walk or talk, and the mom provided very detailed instructions on feeding and caring for the baby. In the morning, I fed the baby as instructed, but as the day went on, I forgot to continue feeding it. It wasn't until the mother was returning that I remembered my neglect.
I’m not sure if it was a dream or another realm, but I heard my name being yelled so loudly that it woke me up. When I woke up, I understood it was God asking me to pray. It was around 3:30 in the morning, and He gave me specific prayer points:
The heart of our leaders, the heart of the people, and the hearts of intercessors.
God told me, "If you had the mother’s heart for the child, you would not have neglected the baby." This reminded me that as believers, we have been given dominion and an obligation to be the hands and feet of Christ, His mouthpiece. We must do it with His heart, if we want to do it well.
Sometimes, as believers, we can check out concerning the things of the world, thinking it’s not our problem. But I was convicted because on the night of the attempted assassination of Trump, I wasn’t moved to pray. I watched people immediately assume it was staged and say hateful things. I recognized my own desensitization, unable to grasp the reality of what I had seen, observing as if it were just a movie.
This led me to a time of prayer for our leaders, our nation, and ourselves. Here is the prayer that I prayed:
Lord, arrest the motives of our leaders and soften their hearts. Let them mirror Your own heart and prevent them from being self-focused or self-motivated. Guide them to lead with Your desires and heart for the people. Help our leaders to prioritize You over everything. Provide them with outlets to be fed, poured into, and held accountable. Give them the desire for wholeness and healing for themselves. Address secret sins, deceit, hiding, and lying. Intervene, Lord, and give us wisdom on how to better care for our leaders.
Father, help us not to idolize any leader over You. Help us to humanize our leaders and see them as people first. Heal our perspective and bring back our compassion for one another. Unify us as a nation and give us leaders who desire unity. Restore our sensitivity, not for ourselves but for others. Let us be disturbed by violence and not easily consume it. Let our hearts break for what breaks Yours.
Lord, as intercessors, keep our eyes on You. Let us be sensitive to what grieves You. Help us to quickly move and be moved by Your heart for the world and Your people. Reignite us, refresh our hunger and desire for You. Restore our intimacy with You. Let us find joy in being used by You again.
Lord, we love You and don’t take it for granted that You have positioned and selected us for such a time as this. We worship You, we put You back on the throne of our hearts, and give You complete control over our lives. Have Your way in our lives, in Jesus' name, Amen.
As believers, it's essential to stay connected to the heart of God, especially in times of chaos and uncertainty. Our role as intercessors is not just to observe but to actively participate in bringing His will to pass on earth. Let us remain sensitive to His voice and committed to praying for our leaders, our nation, and our communities. God has given us a powerful position of influence through prayer, and it's up to us to steward that responsibility well. How can we commit to praying more intentionally for our leaders and those around us?
How has God been prompting you to pray in recent times? Share in the comments below how you've been interceding for others or any prayer points that God has laid on your heart. Let's encourage one another in our prayer journeys!
1 comment
This is so powerful and appropriate for this time in our country.