I have been covering the various election-oriented prayer efforts that are currently being carried out by Religious Right groups, including Pray and ACT which consists of not only 40 days of prayer, but also 40 days of fasting.
And to make this grueling process somewhat easier, Pray and ACT and the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission have produced a day-by-day prayer guide [PDF] for participants. For instance, on October 17 they are to pray for the “Sanctity of Human Life”:
Ask God to…
• Convict public officials to protect and serve every member of our society including the most marginalized, voiceless, and vulnerable
• Raise up leaders to end our nation’s culture of death and recognize the equal value of all people
• Give our nation the compassion it needs to assist women struggling with problem pregnancies
• Raise up leaders to protect the weak and the vulnerable from violent attack with no favoritism, partiality, or discrimination
• Help our world leaders develop a consistent ethic of love and life for all people and all circumstances
• Convict the scientific community to end the barbaric practice of embryo destructive stem-cell research
• Help you put an end to our nation’s abortion-on-demand policies
And the next day they are to pray for “God’s Design for Marriage”:
Ask God to…
• Raise up leaders who will protect God’s design for marriage as the union of one man and one woman
• Convict Christians to uphold the institution of marriage and model its true meaning
• Help the church instill in young people a sound understanding of the importance of marriage
• Cause our nation to understand the destructive effects of redefining marriage
• Help the church engage in compassionate redemptive ministry to those struggling with same-sex attraction
• Help the church minister to those struggling in their marriages
• Cause our nation’s leaders to enact laws and policies that encourage and strengthen marriage
And then, as we get closer and closer to Election Day, the prayer targets become more focused on getting Christians elected to office, with prayers to “prevent Satan from blinding the judgment of our public officials,” and “give Christians who run for public office favor in the eyes of the electorate,” and “confound the counsel of candidates who don’t support biblical values,” and “discourage ungodly people from running for public office.”
And finally, just before Election Day, activists are enouraged to pray for the “wisdom to elect the
best officials” and realize that “God’s judgment or blessing on a nation is related directly to the morality of its citizens”:
Ask God to…
• Send the strong convicting presence of His Spirit throughout the nation
• Raise up leaders who will advance and support God-honoring policies, especially policies protecting life
• Help you know who He wants you to vote for in the upcoming election
• Expose to public scrutiny people who are working to undermine God-honoring laws and morality, like efforts to undermine God’s design for marriage
• Convince Christians that they need to be involved in the life of the nation both politically and socially
• Confound the plans of the enemies of the United States.
• Help the United States continue to be the world’s leader in promoting freedom for all people, especially religious freedom.
