Blow the trumpet…sound the alarm…for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand– Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God… Joel 2:1, 13
Last week, while writing my post for the letter “I,” I had a clear vision that my word for the letter “J” would be judge or judgment. I needed to put off thinking about that for a few days as my calendar was very full of other things that needed my attention first.
I thought my post was going to be about the problems I see so often where people are judging the hearts of others, or rushing to judgment after hearing one side of a controversial story, without taking time to consider that there are always two sides (and silence doesn’t mean guilt either, while I’m mentioning that).
I am thankful that I did not begin writing a word study immediately because by the time this week arrived, I understand why God whispered the word to me. My focus has completely changed now.
A friend forwarded an email to me a couple of days ago, from Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of Billy Graham). In the email was a link to Anne’s blog where she discusses the coming judgment, and ultimately an urgent call to prayer for our country.
You can read more about what God has been teaching her, but here is an excerpt from her article —
Just recently, He has given me another assignment, which is to call His people in our nation to prayer.
This assignment came indirectly from a Syrian pastor through a National Day of Prayer attendee. In obedience, I am blowing the trumpet…sounding the alarm…issuing a national prayer initiative entitled 7 7 7: An Urgent Call to Prayer. The Call is for God’s people to pray for each of the first seven days in the seventh month—July 1-7. Then on the 7th day, July 7, we are to pray and fast for 7 hours.
The purpose is three-fold:
· For God the Father to restrain, protect, and deliver His people from the evil that has come into our world.
· For God the Son to be exalted, magnified, and glorified in His church, in our nation, and in our lives.
· For God the Holy Spirit to fall on us in a fresh way, compelling the church to repent of sin and our nation to return to faith in the living God, resulting in a great national spiritual awakening.
You can sign up to receive daily prayers from Anne that will guide you and your family in praying for our country to turn back to God, before it’s too late. Today is already day 3, but don’t let that stop you. I’ll even share the links here for Days 1, 2, and 3. Go ahead, pray them all today.
Click on a banner to find the day’s prayer.
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
