We've Been Summoned

Joel 1:14  “Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly.  Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.”

We’re just days away now.  With five of our six immediate family members registered voters this year, November 6^th is a pretty big event in the Crane household.  As Christians living in America, we’re earnestly committed to defending righteousness, so it naturally follows that we’re equally committed to ensuring that the government to which we pay taxes, and the leaders whom we elect to represent us, adhere to the Founding Fathers’ historic Judeo-Christian standards.   Admittedly, the stakes are pretty high next Tuesday.  

And yet, I must confess I’ve been struggling with “voter fatigue.”  The spin, the rhetoric, the constant droning and debating can deflate even the heartiest of citizens.  Dr. Dobson himself admitted he’d been “vexed” the past several months, overwhelmed by the wickedness swirling around us as this national election approach.   Can you relate?

It was within this context that we welcomed National Day of Prayer (NDP) Task Force leader Shirley Dobson and two of her colleagues to our Family Talk studios this past Monday.  What a breath of fresh air…suave to one’s soul!   It was as if God Himself was saying, “Take a deep breath and exhale, LuAnne.  I’m still on the throne.”

In the broadcast, “Prayer for this Election and Beyond,” the NDP team enthusiastically described how a contingency of 300 prayer warriors descended upon Washington DC recently as part of a movement dubbed “The Summons.”  Mrs. Dobson pointed out that this was the same number of fighters that God gave to Gideon when they descended upon Midian (Judges 6-7).  Coincidence?  I think not. 

These dedicated men and women were not in our nation’s capitol to sightsee or petition their congressman.  No, they rolled up their sleeves and went about the hard work of prayer.  From 8 am ‘til 1 in the morning, these God-followers spread out across the city: from the Pentagon to Capitol Hill, the White House to the Rotunda, humbly and earnestly interceding for the Lord’s sovereignty to be manifest throughout our land.

Most of the Congressmen themselves were back home in state offices, but their young “twenty-something” staffers on the Hill opened doors and hearts and welcomed the team in; parched souls soaking up the sweet aroma of God’s presence in an otherwise secular world.   Amazingly, a remnant of prayer warriors remain there to this day, having secured a permit to camp out (literally “camp out” – they’re in a tent) on the ellipse of the White House, continuing this fervency of prayer right up until the election next week.

Other prayer movements have arisen as well, many capitalizing on a “40 Days of Prayer” theme leading up to this election.  Perhaps you’ve joined one.  Bless you.

We're keenly aware that at times in history, God no longer heeds our prayers.  The prophet Jeremiah was told by the Lord, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people….I will not listen to their cry”  (Jeremiah 14:11-12).  And yet, on other occasions, as we learn from the story of Jonah, He relents.  Who knows what hour the U.S. finds herself in now?  “The Summons” group reported they did not sense the voice of the Lord saying, “I’m done with America.”  So, in obedience, we press on.

I’m convicted to join in this chorus of prayer and cry out to the Lord on behalf of my country this weekend, perhaps even fasting a meal or an item as Joel suggests in the Scripture noted above. This is one summons I simply cannot ignore.