I said this before the election took place, and it's still true for me today: from now until Jesus comes, I am not concentrating so much on who wins political elections.
Even though the presidential election has been over for a while now, a lot of Christians are still talking about it. They're still wondering what it means for this nation. But I said this before the election took place, and it's still true for me today: from now until Jesus comes, I am not concentrating so much on who wins political elections. I am concentrating on what God has said to me concerning this nation—that He is cleansing it and separating it unto Himself.

I realize to most people, believers included, it doesn't look like He's doing that.

It looks like there's more corruption and immorality here than ever. It looks like ungodliness is on the rise. But, really, that shouldn't surprise us. When you start cleaning a floor that's been flooded with mud, it doesn't look nice and shiny the minute you put a mop to it, does it?

No, the first thing that happens when the soap and water goes to work is that a lot of dirt comes up. For a while, the floor looks worse instead of better. But if you stick with the process, you'll get the intended result.

I think about that often these days. I remind myself that the cleansing of this nation has begun, and regardless of what I see with my natural eyes right now:

God Is at Work in America
One reason I know that's true is because of a vision He gave me back in 2000. In October of that year, a group of us were praying, and in my spirit, I saw two huge double doors with beautiful brass knobs on them. The doors swung open and I stepped through them into what I sensed was the government seat of the United States. In front of me stood a massive colonial desk covered with documents that were soaked in blood, sweat, and tears.

"What is this, Lord?" I asked.

"There are those who shed their very own blood for America to be free and separate from other nations," He answered. "The tears and travail of the founding fathers are on those documents."
As I prayed that day, the Lord talked to me about how this nation's founders sweated over the Constitution and The Bill of Rights to make sure they were documents born out of heaven. He told me that every phrase of those documents had to be framed according to His Word because this nation is separated unto Him. Just as the people who came to this land on the Mayflower wrote in the Mayflower Compact: This nation is dedicated to God, to declare His glory, and to advance the Christian faith.

I don't mind telling you, when the Lord first spoke to me about those things, I couldn't foresee exactly what lay ahead. I didn't envision the ungodly direction this nation would take, so I didn't know what would be involved in separating her, once again, unto God.

But then, I'm sure the Israelites in Moses' day didn't know that either. When they cried out to God to be separated from the bondage of Egypt, they didn't realize they would have to go through a season of divine judgment before it happened.

New Understanding About Judgment
These days, I understand a lot more about that kind of judgment than I once did. For many years, I didn't think I needed to know anything about it. As a pray-er, God had trained me to flow with Him in mercy and that's all I was interested in. A few years ago, however, I asked Him what scriptural topic I should study during a trip I was about to take to Israel. His answer surprised me.

He told me that what I needed to know the most about for the season we were entering was the subject of judgment. "Get your Hebrew Bible," He said, "and when you're in Israel, read the book of Exodus. By the time you are finished, you shall be changed."

Sure enough, what I learned in those weeks of study revolutionized my perspective. It helped prepare me and give me revelation so that I could work with God in prayer for our nation in times like this.

"Oh, no!" you might say, "I hope you're not saying America is headed for judgment. That would be terrible!"

Not necessarily. According to the Bible, judgments are a vital part of the work of God. The first thing I noticed when I studied them was that they're marked by signs, wonders, and miracles. God uses those things in times of judgment to show Himself as God to sin-blinded humanity.

That's Not Terrible—It's Good!
It was certainly good for the Israelites who lived in Egypt. It was also good for the "mixed multitude" of Egyptians who saw God's wonders, put their faith in Him, and left Egypt when the Israelites did. (See Exodus 12:38.) For those people, God's judgments brought deliverance. His judgments brought them out from under the Devil's oppression and into the freedom of the Lord.

No matter how you look at it, that's a desirable result! And, according to Exodus 7:1-2, this is what set it in motion: The Lord said to Moses, Behold, I make you as God to Pharaoh [to declare My will and purpose to him];...You shall speak all that I command you, and Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land. (Ex. 7:1-2 Amp.)

Psalm 105:25-26 in the Hebrew Bible puts it this way: God "sent Moses His servant, Aaron whom he had chosen. They placed among them [the Egyptians] the words of His signs and wonders" (emphasis mine).

God's words always precede His works. When His words are spoken—whether in the prayer closet or in the pulpit—those words open the door for Him to act. That's important for us, as pray-ers, to know because we are part of God's sound system. We yield our mouths to the Holy Spirit, give voice to His utterances, and prepare the way of the Lord.

"That's what I've been doing when I pray for this nation," you might say. "I've been declaring God's Word. But things just seem to be getting darker."

As I already said, that's what happens sometimes. Moses can vouch for it. God warned him in advance: I will make Pharaoh's heart stubborn and hard, and multiply My signs, My wonders, and miracles in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt and bring forth my hosts, My people the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them. (vv. 3-5)

Excerpted from the newsletter Prayer Notes by Lynne Hammond
All rights reserved. Used by permission.