The Focus

Just thirty years ago who would have ever dreamed that within our nation we would be...

> debating whether the Ten Commandments or Christmas manger scenes should be allowed on public property?

> voting to define marriage as a union explicitly between a man and a woman?

> arguing as to whether life begins in the womb?

> contemplating whether 'One Nation Under God' should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance?



What is happening here??



Well, what's happening is that we are becoming a nation that is forgetting who God is and therefore, our walls of morality are crumbling and deteriorating.



If you're a Christian...this may ring a bell with you! Remember Nehemiah?



You may recall the story from the Old Testament...it had been over 400 years since Solomon built the great temple in Jerusalem; and now - - it has come to Nehemiah's attention that the walls and the gates of Jerusalem are in absolute disrepair.



More importantly, though, he realizes that in those 400 years, the nation of Israel has 'crumbled' time and time again because of it's rebellion and disobedience to God.



So, Nehemiah intercedes in prayer on behalf of both the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. He asks God to forgive the people's sins, and in effect, give them another chance at being recognized as a nation...a nation that worships the one true God!



God honored Nehemiah's prayer of intercession. He did so because Nehemiah was a man of action. God knew that Nehemiah would give more than just lip-service in uniting nation...he would fight for it.



It's incredible to discover that Nehemiah rallied the nation and the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt in just 52 days!!!



However, his faithful action also led to a spiritual rebuilding of the nation of Israel as well!!!



Perhaps, just perhaps, if each of us will pray on behalf of our nation . . . God will listen and help us turn back to Him.



Will YOU be a Nehemiah?



"O Lord, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for Your people. I confess that we have sinned against You. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned."

- Nehemiah 1:6 (NLT)



"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)



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'THE FOCUS' is a weekly email devotional prepared by:

Dennis J. Wheeler, Pastor

dennis_wheeler123@yahoo.com - email

used by permission.

NDP and Children

Dear National Day Of Prayer Leaders and Mrs. Shirley Dobson,

I’m writing to thank you all for your hard work and dedication in leading our Nation to pray during our annual National Day of Prayer. Your efforts have surely made a difference in the destiny of our great Nation and on the present and future welfare of our people. Thank you so much. I wanted to also share with you how the Lord has used your ministry to specifically touch the lives of children.

Last year I felt compelled to start a special event for children on the National Day of Prayer, called “Power Play – Play and Pray at the Park”. We talk so much about the importance of prayer for our Nation, but yet it seemed to me that I was doing so little in regards to teaching this all important spiritual discipline to our future leaders. So for the past two years, on the National Day of Prayer, we have gathered with the children of our church and other churches at a local park where the children played and had snacks followed by a devotion and prayer for America. It is a National day of Prayer event for kids.

I am particularly burdened for the future of our Nation and feel that it is critical that we teach our children today how to pray for America. I wrote a simple prayer for the Play and Pray at the Park event and distributed it to all of the children. As we all said the prayer together we released red, white, and blue helium balloons reminding us that our prayers were reaching the ears of our heavenly Father. Each child was given a small American flag and a little blue card with this short prayer printed on it to take home with them. It was a very meaningful time. But my biggest blessing was yet to come.

A few days after the National Day of Prayer, I noticed my eight year old son, Caden, had his little blue prayer card sitting on his night stand beside his bed. I really did not think much of it, but was glad to see that my effort to teach these children how to pray for their country, with this little blue card, at least made it to his bedroom and did not end up in the trash can or lost in the endless sea of school papers.

Just last night, as we were preparing to say the blessing over our evening meal, Caden asked if he could say the prayer. I of course obliged. As our family of five bowed our heads, my eight year old son began to pray from memory the words of the prayer that I had written for the National Day of Prayer event:

“Thank you God for America,

keep her safe and always free.

Make our land a Godly Nation,

for me and those born after me.”

I was so blown away that this simple prayer, that I never really thought would go past the National Day of Prayer, had made its way into the recesses of his heart and mind. It was then that I knew, the future of our country rests on little boys and girls learning the power of prayer today and on moms and dads showing them how.

Thank you again, for all that you do to draw us back to the source of our strength as a Nation, as families, and as individuals.

God bless America.

Darren W. Thomas Ed.D.
Minister of Education
First Baptist Church of Springfield, GA