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Focus for USA

We are praying and fasting for the USA for three days from 30 April to 2 May. This will climax with 24 hours of continuous prayer for the USA on Zoom beginning at 8 PM (AEST) on 2 May. Join as you are able anytime over that period. Both the USA and Australia need revival, repentance and deliverance. See here for more details.

Intention

To believe that the God of heaven is the God of America, and He can bring revival.

Scripture

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.”

– Psalm 22:27–28

Reflection

Through a series of miraculous, God-ordained events, my (American) bride and I relocated to the United States last year. So, though I am an Australian, I write to you from the nation for which we are praying over these three days.

I love America. Though the battering ram of secularism continues to swing, the United States remains the most Christian nation on earth. More than a cheap epithet, America’s Christian character has profound, practical outworkings for the rest of the world — whether in missionaries sent out, humanitarian aid given, disaster relief provided, or scientific and medical innovations that continue to benefit the rest of the world.

The world — Australia included — needs a robustly Christian America.

America is a nation with many faults. But it was founded on ideals that have stood the test of time — namely that God governs nations (Daniel 2:21, Psalm 22:28, Acts 17:26), and that all people, as His image-bearers, are deserving of liberty, justice and equality (Genesis 1:27, Galatians 3:28, Micah 6:8).

When I first visited America in 2019, I pondered long on this rich history as I toured the nation’s first capital, Philadelphia. However, it was not long before the decaying effects of America’s apostasy became evident all around me. Less than five years later, those effects have increased all the more.

Radical ideologies have overtaken many of the country’s once-great institutions. Roads, buildings and whole neighbourhoods lie in a state of disrepair. The smell of drugs wafts through city streets. The borders are open. Congress is bankrupt. Addictions, unhealthy lifestyles, mental illness and a sense of nihilism continue to grow.

Even so, all hope is not lost. It was in similarly dire circumstances that the First Great Awakening utterly transformed Great Britain. Within a generation, much of the drunkenness, poverty, violence, exploitation and hopelessness disappeared, as men, women and children turned to Christ and whole towns and cities were reformed.

Is it too much to ask for the same in America today? No, it is not too much to ask, because we serve a God of revival.

Psalm 22:27 declares that “all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him”. This is a promise that will be fulfilled in totality only at the return of Christ. But the next verse is true in all times and places: “For dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations”.

The God of heaven is the God of America. The Lord rules over the United States. This is the truth that we cling to as we pray for revival in America.

God is more than able to bring transformation, even in the bleakest times. In fact, that’s often when He shines the brightest.

Video

Prayer

A prayer by Billy Graham:

Our Father and Our God,

We praise You for Your goodness to our nation, giving us blessings far beyond what we deserve.

Yet we know all is not right with America. We deeply need a moral and spiritual renewal to help us meet the many problems we face.

Convict us of sin. Help us to turn to You in repentance and faith. Set our feet on the path of Your righteousness and peace.

We pray today for our nation’s leaders. Give them the wisdom to know what is right, and the courage to do it.

You have said, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” May this be a new era for America, as we humble ourselves and acknowledge You alone as our Saviour and Lord.

This we pray in Your holy name, Amen.

Author Bio

Kurt Mahlburg continues to work with Canberra Declaration as he and his wife, Angie, look to serve in South-East Asia. He hosts his own blog at Cross + Culture and is also a contributor at the Spectator Australia, MercatorNet, Caldron Pool and The Good Sauce. Kurt is also a published author. He authored the book Cross and Culture: Can Jesus Save the West? and recently co-authored Jesus: The Centre of It All.

Prayer Points and Purpose for GO Month 2024

1. To worship Jesus and give extravagant praise to God. 1 Chron 16:23–31.
2. To pray for revival, repentance and deliverance for Australia and for millions to find Christ. Acts 2:1–41.
3. To pray for five people by name to find Christ and share the gospel with those five in May. Matt 28:18–20.

We invite you to support this prayer campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for Family, Faith, Freedom, Life, and the Good News of God’s love through Jesus Christ His Son.

Join us for our nightly Zoom prayer call:

DATES: Every night in May

TIME: 8 PM (AEST); 7:30 PM (ACST); 6 PM (AWST)

ZOOM URL LINK: https://zoom.us/j/776881184

Daily devotions are brought to you by the Canberra Declaration.

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