Alabama Baptists are invited to join together on Nov. 1 for a statewide day of prayer for spiritual awakening and revival in America, as well as for the local church and individual hearts.
“Our nation is in obvious crisis,” said Tim Cox, president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention and senior pastor of Liberty Baptist Church, Chelsea. “The only way our nation will get back on its feet is for God’s people to get on their knees.”
With much at stake in America today, Cox said now is the time for the Church to be truth and light in the darkness.
“This is not political; it is biblical.”
To participate, Cox suggested churches consider:
- Praying specifically for America during worship services on Nov. 1.
- Calling out to God for spiritual awakening and revival (2 Chron. 7:14).
- Praying for those in leadership (1 Tim. 2:1–4).
- Praying for a peaceful and fair process for voting on Nov. 3 (Rom. 12:18; 13:1–7).
The spiritual and emotional problems facing Americans make prayer essential, said Brad Smith, pastor of Eastview Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa.
Praying for the lost
“As I understand it, two out of every three people that we encounter are potentially lost,” Smith said. “There’s a high suicide rate and the coronavirus has added to depression and the abuse of drugs and alcohol.”
Smith noted Eastview Church will center its Nov. 1 service around focused prayer, Scripture reading and praise, with a time of testimonies and reminding worshippers that regardless of politics, COVID-19 or the economy, God is in control and can be trusted.
‘Pray for peace’
“We need to pray for the lost, for families and for marriages,” Smith said. “We are coming up on an election, and there’s such division in our country. We need to pray for peace.”
When Christians gather in prayer and repentance, Smith added, they find encouragement in knowing other churches are doing the same thing.
“Every great revival has begun with God’s people praying,” he said. “If this at least brings revival to me, to us as Christians individually, God has done a work.”
Important resource
Rick Lance, executive director for the State Board of Missions, said prayer is the most important resource for believers, not only during the pandemic but at all times.
“The value of prayer is because the God of the universe loves us and thus loves and hears the prayers of His children.
“With all the unique problems of 2020, where could we turn but to the Lord?” Lance asked. “I encourage Alabama Baptist churches to participate in the Statewide Day of Prayer for Our Nation — to spend time on Nov. 1 during Sunday worship asking God’s blessings, protection and guidance for our nation as we face significant challenges during the weeks and months ahead.”
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