God Can Give the Answer to Any Problem
“I don’t know about that,” somebody might argue. “America has such serious problems right now that I don’t think any leader—no matter how righteous—will ever be able to solve them.”
Listen, God can give the answers to any problem we face if He has the right people in the right places. He can do for leaders today the same thing He did for Samuel: He can appoint them and then anoint them with the wisdom and ability to conquer even the worst national crises.
Take the conflict and division that’s all but stalemated our country in recent years, for instance. That might seem like an insoluble problem. But Samuel faced a situation that was just as bad when he stepped into office and one of the first things he did was to call the entire nation together. He brought unity to Israel—not by telling the people whatever they wanted to hear but by telling them the spiritual truth.
Because of God’s anointing upon him, when Samuel spoke “to all the house of Israel” and said, “Put away the foreign gods from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him only,” everybody listened and obeyed. They got rid of their idols. Then “they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, We have sinned against the Lord.” (1 Sam. 7:3–4, 6, Amp)
Think of it! Samuel’s leadership sparked nationwide repentance. He awakened the entire country to God. Under his influence, all of Israel stepped into the fulfillment of the promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Of course, even after Israel got on the right spiritual path, they still had some natural crises to conquer. The Philistines, for example. When they heard that the Israelites had unified, they got mad and attacked them.
But once again, Samuel knew exactly how to handle the situation. When the Israelites asked him to intercede on their behalf and petition God to save them from their enemies (That’s a switch, isn’t it? A government leader with such a powerful prayer life that the people are asking him to pray for them?), Samuel offered a sacrifice, cried out to the Lord, and God answered.
He sent a supernatural thunderclap that threw the Philistines into confusion and they were defeated. “So the Philistines were subdued and came no more into Israelite territory. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel” (v. 13 Amp.).
A Defining Moment for America
Just a couple of months ago when I was traveling in Israel, I went to the place where Samuel is buried. Located in Ramah, right by Ramallah where the Palestinians live, it’s considered by military experts to be an extremely strategic spot. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is set up there because it’s so vital to the nation’s security.
As I stood on that sacred site, the spiritual significance of it struck me. I realized that just as IDF must occupy that place to protect Israel, the Church in America must occupy in the spirit the places of national authority that Samuel represents. We must hold onto those places in prayer. We must pray righteous leaders into position for the furtherance of the plan of God.
This is a defining moment in America. We can have a great future, a great life, and a booming economy. We can have godly people in government and a divine awakening throughout this land. We can have the Gospel flowing like a river from this nation to the world.
Or we can go the opposite way, spiraling down into darkness and corruption.
We’re at the crossroads now. If we pray, we’ll make the right turn. If we, as the Church, will take our place as watchers on the wall, we can thwart the Devil’s plans and see this nation finish her race. We can watch her step into her glory days.
Granted, praying for America might sometimes seem like a daunting assignment given all the negativity that’s swirling around us right now. But this is the truth: God has placed each one of us here in our particular city and state for such a time as this, and He’s given us the spiritual equipment equal to the task.
He’s given us His Word and He’s given us His Spirit. If we don’t know exactly what to pray for, we can pray in other tongues. We can tell the Lord, “I know You want to work on behalf of this nation. So use my mouth right now. As I pray in the Spirit, take my prayers and use them to advance Your plan for America.”
Even if we just pray two minutes a day for this nation, we can make a tremendous difference. And we can all find two minutes here and there—in the car, in the kitchen, or in the shower.
So let’s get to it! Let’s beef up our praying and encourage other believers to do the same. Let’s keep on keeping on in prayer for our country to stand whole and complete in all the will of God.
(To read Part 1, search by author/speaker for Lynne Hammond, then search under articles for America on the Rise: Part 1)
(Minneapolis: Lynne Hammond Ministries)
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”