An Article of Faith

The very institution of God’s design for marriage as the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime is on trial.
“As hard as it is to believe,” writes Tim Wildmon, “nine people (U.S. Supreme Court justices) will decide if our nation will honor God and obey Him, or turn its back on the most fundamental building block of society and on God Himself. This will be the most important decision in the history of America. I’m urging you to do just one thing...Pray.”
John Wesley (1703-1791) – the founder of the Methodist Church and a man who spent two hours a day in prayer – once wrote, “God does nothing except in response to believing prayer.”
Do you believe in the power of prayer? If so, make it a priority. I want to challenge you to commit to the following “rhythm of prayer” for revival in our land. God has used this rhythm of prayer to ignite great movements of revival in our nation’s past and we desperately need God to ignite another great movement of revival in our nation’s present. But it will not happen apart from prayer. Persevering prayer is the price to pay for revival.
Commit to the following five-fold rhythm of prayer: (1) Pray daily for revival as an individual; (2) Pray weekly for revival as a family; (3) Pray monthly for revival as a church family; (4) Pray quarterly for revival with other churches; and (5) Pray annually for revival as a nation on the National Day of Prayer.
Let’s take a moment right now to pray for the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and for our country: Heavenly Father, we lift up our Supreme Court justices to You. And we pray for Justices – Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, Breyer, Roberts, Alito, Sotomayor, and Kagan. And Father we pray for them today and everyday – especially as they’ve heard oral arguments for and against the redefinition of marriage in America – and then rendering their opinion on this on this matter in late June. Father we pray that these justices consider what they’re doing, for they’re not judging for man but for the LORD who is with them when they render judgment. So Father, let the fear of the LORD be upon each one of them; and may they be very careful what they do – for You Father – the LORD our God – will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe (2 Chronicles 19:6-7).
Likewise Father, we lift up our country to You as a whole. “Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your indignation toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will You not Yourself revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your lovingkindness, O LORD, And grant us Your salvation” (Psalm 85:4-7). In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land,” declares the LORD, “I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land” (Ezekiel 22:30 NLT). Are you willing to “stand in the gap” – to be an “intercessor” – so that God doesn’t have to destroy our land?

Jessie J. Charpentier Sr. is pastor of Jenkins Memorial Baptist Church in St. Martinville.