What if God’s People Prayed?

Yesterday evening at a Twin Falls city council meeting, Mayor Suzanne Hawkins gave a proclamation which reaffirmed the sanctity of all life, to include the unborn. This same proclamation also called on the residents of Twin Falls Idaho to set aside Sunday 1 March 2020 to pray for the city of Twin Falls, the state of Idaho, and the whole nation.

This was a brave proclamation from Mayor Hawkins. Even though she is the mayor of a relatively conservative city in the midst of a conservative state, roughly 30% of all abortions that occur in the state of Idaho are carried out within her city. To say that she faced opposition prior to making this proclamation goes without saying. I can only imagine what she is facing in these days immediately following. Pray that she maintains her courage in the face of great opposition.

The issue of abortion is not a political issue. If it were, there would be many deeply red states in our great union that would have abolished this abomination decades ago. Yet here we are. The problem is not that we can’t decide when a fetus becomes a human being. The problem is not that we are not intelligent enough to determine where a woman’s body ends and the baby’s body begins. The problem isn’t even about the millions and millions of dollars to be made in the slaughter and sale of these unborn and unprotected victims. The problem is that we, as a nation, despise God.

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” – Romans 1:28-32

The debate before us is not one based on logic, statistics, or even economics. There is not a single reason in the world that makes an ounce of logical sense why we should kill our own children, pay to have our children killed, or profit from the killing of our children. Yet as a culture we rush to do this evil thing and give hearty approval to those who do. Please understand, my dear reader, that unless God works a miracle, the miracle of renewing that depraved mind and regenerating that stony heart, there will be no end to the massacre of the unborn.

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:1-10

Unless God grants His grace and mercy upon our citizens and those who represent them in our state and federal congresses, this is an uphill battle. But what if God’s people prayed?

Any citizen who does not communicate with their representatives is immediately complicit with the evil that those same representatives vote into law. Any resident of Idaho who is not writing, calling, or emailing their representatives to forever abolish abortion is directly complicit in the fact that this heinous act continues. But any resident of heaven who just so happens to be living here on earth who does not bring this matter before the throne of grace is just as complicit.

The difference between our human representatives and our divine advocate before the Father, King Jesus, is that our advocate is holy and righteous and He listens. Just like we ask ourselves, “What if the citizens of Idaho all rose up and marched on Boise, demanding that abortion be forever abolished?” I would ask all who call themselves by the name of Christ, “What if we all humbled ourselves, got on our knees, and begged Almighty God to show His grace and mercy upon our state legislators?” What if God’s people prayed for righteousness to be done in our state? What if God’s people prayed for the salvation of our representatives? What if God’s people actually walked by faith instead of talking of it? What if we prayed with the same intensity as we preach?

I would add my voice to Mayor Suzanne Hawkins and call on all Christians to bow in prayer for our cities, our state, and our nation. I would call on all who follow King Jesus to pray for God’s saving grace to invade the congressional halls of Boise. But why wait? Let’s not only set aside this next Lord’s Day to pray. Let us pray now! In our homes and in our churches, let us pray this day, this week, this month, this year. Let us pray that God show His grace or bring His judgment. Let us pray that this blasphemous attack upon the image of God be stopped, one way or another.

What if God acted in our land? What if Christians actually were salt and light throughout the state of Idaho? What if God’s people prayed?