On the Sundays leading up to the 2020 election, our church went through a series titled “Discern 2020.” On the first Sunday in the series, October 25th, our pastoral team spoke into various key issues surrounding the upcoming election: preserving religious liberty, protecting the most vulnerable, and promoting a free market economy. After each point, a prayer was given. I was asked to pray into the 2nd point: protecting the most vulnerable. I felt like the prayer was worth sharing:
Lord God, as we are gathered here before you today to seek Your discernment, we thank You that You are faithful to Your word. Lord Jesus, in John 15:7, You said if we abide in You and Your word abides in us, we can ask for what we desire and it will be given to us. Lord, what we desire is Your leadership, Your wisdom, Your truth, Your clarity. We desire for Your kingdom to come and for Your will to be done on earth… in our nation… in our state… in our city… in our homes in the same way Your will is done in heaven.
The Poor
- Lord Jesus, It is not your desire to see people locked in generational poverty. You came to proclaim good news to the poor. Give us eyes to see that true deliverance from poverty goes way beyond meager handouts… it goes way beyond programs that keep people bound in cyclical dependance. Give us discernment to know who truly cares for the plight of the poor… who is willing to meet the poor where they are and not only meet their immediate physical needs, but offer them the good news that will meet their ultimate spiritual need and give them a true hand up that will lift them out of poverty and into the life of provision you have for them.
The Exploited
- Lord, we rejoice over the recent reports of child pornography and human trafficking rings being discovered, dismantled, and brought to justice. We pray for the victims of those rings – the women and children who were exploited and trafficked. We pray that they would encounter You and experience the complete healing and restoration that only You can provide. We also pray that we will continue to have people of influence in positions of authority that are committed to doggedly searching out these exploitive organizations, bringing them to justice, and delivering their victims from the slavery of our day.
The Young
- Lord Jesus, we pray for the impressionable young people of our land. Give us discernment to know who is truly committed to their well-rounded and thorough education instead of being committed to their indoctrination, that we may partner with them and support them in their valiant efforts.
The Unborn
- The most vulnerable people among us are the unborn. Lord, we know from Your word that all people, even unborn people, are made in your image. From conception, every one of us has been fearfully and wonderfully made. Help us to be champions for the unborn. The sanctity of life is more than a political platform. Jesus, You came that all may have life and have it in abundance. Give us discernment to know who will truly stand for the rights of the born and the unborn alike.
The Prisoner
- Lord, as someone who has ministered regularly in our prison system, I have seen and heard how prisoners are often treated as less than human. I have also seen how desperate and hungry prisoners are for the good news of Your kingdom. Help us all to hear and understand the needs of those who are imprisoned by our state. Give us discernment to know who is truly committed to prison and justice reform and show us how we can be a part of bringing true freedom to those who are captive.
The Immigrant
- Your Word says that we must not exploit or oppress a resident alien. You also instructed in Your word, that when an alien resides with us in our land, we are not to oppress him, but are to love him as ourselves. Lord, we ask that You give us discernment that we would not be swept up in the rhetoric of our day… that we would not give ourselves over to attitudes that run contrary to Your word. Lord, remind us, by Your Holy Spirit, of how Your word instructs us to treat the immigrants that live among us. Help us to not place popular opinions over the ways of Your Kingdom. Give us discernment to find leaders and partners who do not use refugees and immigrants as pawns, but instead love, equip, and empower refugees and immigrants in the same way we would desire to be loved, equipped, and empowered.
We thank you Lord, that you hear us when we pray, so we pray all these things in mighty name of Jesus. Amen!
Jamie Hicks 