Before the last presidential election I was reminded of the prayer Watchman Nee offered at the Keswick Convention in 1938, a Christian gathering held annually in England. And as this country’s next election approaches, it seems appropriate to bring that prayer before the Lord’s people again.

The year before the convention, Japan had invaded China, and since Brother Nee was at the convention and was from China, he was asked to intercede for the situation there. He offered this prayer, which deeply moved many of the attendees:

The Lord reigns! We affirm it boldly. Our Lord Jesus Christ is reigning, and He is Lord of all; nothing can touch His authority. It is spiritual forces that are out to destroy His interests in China and Japan. Therefore we do not pray for China, we do not pray for Japan, but we pray for the interests of Thy Son in China and Japan. We do not blame any men, for they are only tools of Thine enemy. We stand for Thy will! Shatter, O Lord, the kingdom of darkness! For the persecutions of Thy Church are wounding Thee. Amen.

Today, of course, with the next election just two weeks away, many of us are deeply concerned about the direction of this country. We may have different views about how the election should go, but hopefully as Christians we can all pray for the Lord’s interests in this country along the lines of Brother Nee’s prayer above.

So, I would like to modify his prayer for our time and offer it to the Lord once again:

The Lord reigns! We affirm it boldly. Our Lord Jesus Christ is reigning, and He is Lord of all; nothing can touch His authority. It is spiritual forces that are out to destroy His interests in America. Therefore we do not pray for one party or for the other, but we pray for the interests of Your Son in this country. We do not blame any men, for they are only tools of Your enemy. We stand for Your will! Shatter, O Lord, the kingdom of darkness in America! For the persecutions of Your Church are wounding You. Amen. Amen.

May the Lord grant us to stand with Him and His interest in this dark time in a way that is acceptable to Him.

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—  22 October 2024 —