Dear Church Family,
Anarchy: noun: A state of society without government or law. Political and social disorder due to the absence of governmental control. A lack of obedience to an authority; insubordination. Confusion and disorder.
Sovereignty: noun: the quality or state of being sovereign, or of having supreme power or authority. The status, dominion, power, or authority of a sovereign; royal rank or position; royalty. Supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community. Rightful status, independence, or prerogative.
Right now it might appear that these two things are in opposition to one another, and that the mere outbreak of anarchy suggests that there is no absolute sovereignty. The key word in that last sentence is the word “appear.”
Remember the words of Psalm 2…
Psalms 2:2-5 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers plot together, against Jehovah and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands in two and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; Jehovah shall mock at them. Then He shall speak to them in His anger, and trouble them in His wrath.
Attempts at anarchy did not begin last week. The wholesale attempt at insubordination to the Great Sovereign of the nations has been going on for some time, but now we see those who have defied God’s authority are having their own authority challenged—a natural result of their actions.
As God’s people, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to be making our appeals to the Sovereign who reigns with absolute authority. He is the One who can take the anarchy of men and women and turn it as a tool for His own glory, and ultimately our blessing. He is sovereign indeed and all things serve His will.
We do not need to appeal to Him to take charge; He has authority over all the affairs of men and nations. We need to be praying in faith that He will use that authority to restore order for His glory to our troubled land. His glory needs to be at the heart of that prayer—not our comfort or our prosperity.
Once we get His glory at the top of the list, then we can begin to pray for mercy and grace. It was the grace and mercy of God, and not virtue, that gave birth to our nation. Our Founding Fathers and Mothers acknowledged that often in the public forums of the time.
We can call on the Sovereign Lord to give wisdom to our leaders—for His glory.
We can ask Him to protect those we know and love—for His glory.
We can ask Him to restore peace and order—for His glory.
We can ask Him to bring forth justice—for His glory.
We can ask Him to subdue the wicked and their anarchy—for His glory.
And all according to His mercy and grace through the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we pray, please remember our first responders and Watchman. Our brother Watchman has been called up with the Guard and does not know yet how he may be deployed.
Also, pray for the session as we determine the process for on-site services shortly.
And remember to pray for the security of our property. There was an incident last night that may or may not be related to the present unrest, but we are thankful that the fire department was on top of it—a tree was burned near the entrance to the driveway; but other than the loss of the tree, all was secure.
Our Father who art in heaven, (Exodus 15:11) Who is like You, O Jehovah, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? If it were not for the grace that we have found in the Lord Jesus Christ there would be no room for us before Your throne. Our sin would make us unfit to come into Your presence, but our Savior, by paying the price of our sin at Calvary has made that throne a Mercy Seat for us; and though we be sinners, we come before you as sinners saved by grace to find help in this time of need.
We would acknowledge, dear LORD, that all that we have and all that we are has come from you and that (Psalms 92:1-2) It is good to give thanks to Jehovah, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to show forth Your loving-kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.
We come to You because You are the One who (Psalms 66:7) rules by His power forever; the One whose eyes behold the nations; and we pray, let not the rebels lift themselves up.
O LORD, (Psalms 11:3-5) If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? You are in Your holy temple; Jehovah’s throne is in Heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids examine the children of men. Jehovah tries the righteous; but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
We confess that we are wholly dependent upon Your grace and mercy, and though we, as a nation, have wandered far away from You and Your revealed will, we plead for grace—not based on our merits, but the ground of Your (Psalm 51:1) glorious loving-kindness and the multitude of Your tender mercies.
Father, friends and family may well find themselves in harm’s way as they stand between us and those who seek anarchy. Invoke Your sovereign power and secure their safety (Psalms 89:17-18) For You are the glory of their strength; and in Your favor our horn shall be lifted up. For Jehovah is our shield; yea, our King is the Holy One of Israel.
Bless our leaders with wisdom and sanctified common sense, that they may (2 Samuel 23:3) be just, ruling in the fear of God.
And calm our own fears and concerns by strengthening our faith in Your sovereignty, even in the face of man’s anarchy. (Jeremiah 32:17-19) Ah, Lord Jehovah! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and stretched out arm. Nothing is too great for You. You show loving-kindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their sons after them. The great, the mighty God, Jehovah of Hosts, is His name, great in wisdom and mighty in work; for Your eyes are open on all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.
The power and glory are yours forever! Receive our praise and hear our prayers in Christ’s name, Amen!
