8 August 2010 - ENCS

After worship we gave God a standing ovation
Then Pastor Kenneth spoke on "Praying for our nation"
From 2 Chronicles 7:14 and 1 Timothy 2:1-4
God wants us to pray for our leaders even more
So as Singapore celebrates forty five years
The congregation (some in red and white) were all ears

Pastor first asked 'why should we pray for our nations?'
He referred to three separate situations
First, comparing Sierra Leone to Singapore
With similar backgrounds, why is one so poor?
Sierra Leone has corruption and strife
While in Singapore we lead a good life
Leadership makes a very big difference
We should be thankful and pray in this instance
Second, he mentioned the USSR
Which was communism's biggest star
Gorbachev brought perestroika and glasnost
And soon the Iron Curtain itself was toast
But helping behind the scene
Was lots of prayer unseen
For one person's prayer can be heard
Per Kings, like Elijah's word
Third, he talked of Cali, home of the Columbian drug cartel
Every day to murder, many people fell
Then 25,000 people prayed in May 1995
Forty eight hours later, everyone stayed alive
Prayer rallies continued and churches grew
The cartel weakened and corruption declined too
So prayer can change a nation
Even if doesn't receive commendation
And since the destiny of a nation has a direct impact
On the destiny of its people (that's a fact)
We should all pray for Singapore
Or all of us the enemy will devour

Pastor then asked 'how should we pray for our nation?"
Even if this is only an interim destination
We must pray with passion and perseverance
For daily prayer can indeed make a difference
We must pray with the right posture
With humility and repentance that's for sure
If we acknowledge the sins of the country
God's forgiveness and healing we will see
And we must pray in His presence
To hear His voice there must be silence
For it is not true that God rarely doth speak
But we rarely listen even when Him we seek

In terms of 'what do we pray for our nation?'
Pastor gave a long list to the congregation
He also referred to Jeremiah 29:11
'Hope and a prosperous future' from God in heaven
Remember that the enemy is trying to lower our standard
We must live right for God, even if it is hard

So as Pastor finished with a prayer
It was clear that for the nation we should care
But the points also apply, it seems to me
To praying for ourselves and our family
The series 'Praying Effectively" ended with this sermon
But our prayer lives should never be done