It’s Time To Pray
Almost a year and a half ago one of my sons who is a church planter was very discouraged about how things were going. After what he described as a poor Sunday, he told his wife, “I don’t know what else to do except pray.” He said when he spoke those words it was like he had stuck a knife in his heart. “I don’t know what else to do except pray.” He realized when he said that is that prayer ought to come first.
When we look at our current culture as it relates to the sanctity of life, it is discouraging. A few weeks ago, the Republican Party met and changed from their long-standing support for national restrictions on abortion to follow their candidate’s position to the leave-it-to-states approach. The recent gathering of the Democratic Party confirmed the label conservatives have called them, the party of death. Outside the convention there was a mobile clinic providing vasectomies and chemical abortions. Vice President Harris, in her acceptance speech, vowed to sign into law the bill known as the “Women’s Health Protection” Act which would nullify more than 1300 pro-life laws around the nation.
“I don’t know what else to do except pray.” I hope many who are reading this have already made prayer for pro-life causes a priority. But if not, it is time to pray.
In Psalm 12, we have the prayer of David.
Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. (2) They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. (3) The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: (4) Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?
David saw a general decline of faithfulness among his people. He saw faithlessness, lies, and flattery. David not only declared the need, he also affirmed his trust in the LORD’s righteous judgment when he said, “The LORD shall cut off flatter lips” as well as deal with the proud who say, “Who is lord over us?” Note the opening of his prayer, “Help, Lord”. We tend to think we have to DO something to effect change. We should do what we can but prayer should come first and along with doing something. Don’t wait to pray until there’s nothing else that can be done.
The Psalm continues with the Lord’s response to David’s prayer:
(5) For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. (6) The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
The LORD says he will arise and meet the need. Added to that is the confirmation that the words of the LORD are sure, described as pure as the purest silver.
In response, the believer is assured that the LORD will guard him in spite of the wickedness of this world.
(7) Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. (8) The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
This reminds us that instinctively, we should turn to the LORD to ask for His help in our troubled world. The last verse points to the generation David spoke of. It also reminds us of our own times—wickedness prevails when evil people are lifted up.
I return now to my son’s statement, “I don’t know what else to do except pray.” After he became convicted that prayer is what should have been first, he and his wife committed themselves to pray for two families to join them to help their church grow. God answered that prayer. Recently he shared how they had a baptism with over 60 people in attendance. The church is growing. Now is the time to pray.