"Independence Eve"

On the eve of independence,

When forefathers took their stand,

A wave of intercession,

Swept across the land.

People went down on their knees,

Beside their candles, lit,

Cried out to their Creator,

And promised not to quit,

Till the rule of tyranny,

Was broken once for all,

The world would see a miracle,

And hear sweet freedom’s call.

Not everyone believed the same,

But united for the fray,

And in it all and through it all,

Knew that they must pray.

God answered prayers of patriots,

They won their freedom dear,

Through suffering and sacrifice,

But it was very clear,

That God had helped and blessed them,

Against all odds they won,

And through that tiny group of men,

God’s miracles were done.

Now generations later,

Our freedom still holds sway,

But many have forgotten,

That we still need to pray.

How much longer can it last,

If we no more believe,

Equality comes from the Lord,

We from His hand receive.

If He’s the author of our freedom,

Then good men everywhere,

Need to call upon His name,

In fact they need to dare,

To do it like our fathers did,

And take a stand so sure,

That no matter what the others say,

We pray through and endure.

I know the Lord will hear us,

‘Cause I have known HIs care,

And the future of this nation,

And this world everywhere,

Is in His hands forever,

But we have a part to play,

And it begins right here and now,

When we kneel down and pray.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and one very occasion…” (Ephesians 6:18, NLT)

Ephesians chapter six is perhaps the most in-depth passage about spiritual warfare in the New Testament. These verses explain that our real enemies are not human, but are spiritual and supernatural. To fight them we must rely on the power of the Spirit and arm ourselves with spiritual armor. Each part of the armor describes a different part of our relationship to Jesus and our identity in Him. The final weapon is God’s word, the “sword of the Spirit.” But all of this is tied together by Paul’s concluding words. It is then that he counsels the believers to always pray in the Spirit. It is in the place of intercession that the battle is won or lost. The spiritual battle for the souls of people in America is raging. It is time for God’s people to pray in the Spirit.

Lord, teach us what it means to embrace the ministry of intercession, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bruce Greene, brucegreeneart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bruce, and God bless you.