A PATTERN OF PRAYER — PART 3

In Part 1 of this series, I proposed to use Daniel 9:1-19 as a pattern or model for a prayer of my own. Why? What had Daniel done? Instead of telling an omniscient God what to do, Daniel begged God to do what He already promised to do. Daniel asked God to fulfill one of His promises.

In what follows, I seek to imitate Daniel.

In 2022 AD, at the beginning President Joe Biden’s second year as leader of United States of America, I, Tom, observed what many others have also noticed, world war seems increasingly probable. Most of the nations of the world have grown more and more authoritarian, and those that were already authoritarian — even totalitarian — are positioning and arming themselves for conquest.

The government of the United States of America has become horribly incompetent. Because of that incompetence, what some have called Pax Americana (In defense of Pax Americana: It has served the US and the world far better than letting dictators prosper (nypost.com)) may be coming to an end.

What is horribly incompetent government? Perhaps it would be more honest and accurate to say that a People and as a nation we have sinned recklessly. Instead of protecting our family, friends, and neighbors, we have pursued pleasure, wealth, and prideful ambitions. For the sake of cheap labor and cheap votes, we have thrown open our borders, indifferent as to who enters. We have allowed huge American corporations, wealthy investors, and scheming politicians to pursue profits and power at any cost. In return for access to vast markets and cheap labor, American companies in China and throughout the rest of the world have turned a blind eye to the evil nature of even the vilest regimes.

Yet what we have done here in America is still more abominable. We have not sought to raise Godly children. We have given our children over to the manipulations of activist educators and arrogant entertainers obsessed with strange political theories and sexual perversions. We have even encouraged pregnant women to abort tens of millions of unborn babies. How can a Holy God ignore such behavior? He cannot. Therefore, I wondered. For what should I pray? What promise has our Lord made that I could beg Him to fulfill?

Then I remembered what John the Baptist had preached.

Mark 1:1-8 New American Standard Bible

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

² just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“Behold, I am sending My messenger before You,

Who will prepare Your way;

³ The voice of one calling out in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

Make His paths straight!’”

⁴ John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. ⁶ John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And he was preaching, saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to bend down and untie the straps of His sandals. ⁸ I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins? Baptism with the Holy Spirit? Is that what I should pray for? Should I ask for a revival of Holy Spirit in our nation? Should I begin with a confession of our sins?

Oh, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and faithfulness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, we have done wrong, and acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants, pastors and teachers who preach your word to our elected officials, our leaders in commerce, our fathers, and all the people of the land.

Righteousness belongs to You, Lord, but to us open shame. Open shame belongs to us, Lord, to our leaders and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, because we have rebelled against Him; and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the Apostles. Indeed, all mankind has violated Your Law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice.

Keep your promise, Lord. Give us new hearts. So that we will obey you as we should, please write Your Law upon our hearts.

Hebrews 8:8-12 New American Standard Bible

8 For in finding fault with the people, He says,

“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,

When I will bring about a new covenant

With the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

⁹ Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers

On the day I took them by the hand

To bring them out of the land of Egypt;

For they did not continue in My covenant,

And I did not care about them, says the Lord.

¹⁰ For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel

After those days, declares the Lord:

I will put My laws into their minds,

And write them on their hearts.

And I will be their God,

And they shall be My people.

¹¹ And they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen,

And each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

For they will all know Me,

From the least to the greatest of them.

¹² For I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings,

And their sins I will no longer remember.”

Listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his pleas, and for Your sake, Lord, let Your face shine on the wayward Peoples of Your Creation. My God, incline Your ear and hear our prayers! Open Your eyes and see; for we are not presenting our pleas before You based on any merits of our own but based on Your great compassion. Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, my God, do not delay, because Your people are called by Your name.”