Slideshow image

Each day during the fast, there will be a set prayer focus in addition to our personal prayers. 

Today our prayer focus is the Nation.

  • Pray for Wisdom and Integrity in Leadership all levels (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
  • Repentance and Healing (2 Chronicles 7:14)
  • Unity & Peace (Matthew 12:25)
  • Justice and Protection (Micah 6:8; Jeremiah 29:7)

An encouragement from Pastor Hayes:

Daniel 9:3-5
3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 
4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 
5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.

We’ve all heard of Daniel. His life reads like a chronicle of obedience to the Lord. We know about his refusal to eat unclean food, his God-given ability to interpret dreams, and his rise to prominence within the Babylonian government. We remember how his faithfulness led him into the lion’s den simply because he worshiped the One True God.

But after all of that—after the miracles, the promotions, and the deliverance—Daniel begins what may be his greatest work.

He fasts.

Daniel puts on sackcloth, pours ashes on his head, and begins to pray. And if you read the rest of that chapter—and I encourage you to do so—you’ll notice something striking. Daniel repeatedly uses the word “we.” He doesn’t pray, “They have sinned.” He prays, “We have sinned.”

This is a prayer of repentance, not just for himself, but for the entire Jewish nation.

Daniel identifies with the sins of his people. Even as a righteous man, he humbles himself and intercedes. He understands that restoration for a nation begins with repentance before God.

Our nation may be one of the finest in the world, but we too have sinned against the Lord in many ways—abortion, gender confusion, drunkenness, lust, hatred, and more. The list could go on, but you understand the point. These are not merely cultural issues; they are spiritual ones.

Maybe you think that one church fasting and praying for a nation isn’t enough.

But Daniel was alone.

Daniel says, “I turned,” “I prayed,” and “while I was speaking and praying.” One man. One fast. One prayer. And yet his obedience set something in motion. His intercession began a process that would eventually lead to Ezra and Nehemiah returning to rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem.

One man’s fasting and prayer changed the course of history.

So during this season of prayer and fasting, let’s do what Daniel did. Let’s include our nation in our prayers. Let’s humble ourselves, repent, and ask God to bring healing, restoration, and direction—not because we deserve it, but because He is merciful.

God still listens to surrendered hearts.
And He still responds to repentant prayer.