2016 was an amazing year where prayer was concerned. In my 20-plus years in the prayer movement, I am not sure I have ever seen anything like the amount of praying that has gone on. From multiple ministries coming together as Pray As One to rally prayer for the nation and election to 100,000 plus believers gathered on the Washington Mall at Together to Pray to churches calling for prayer meetings and groups of churches in a community having joint prayer gatherings, this has truly been a phenomenal year.
Our parent ministry, Harvest Prayer Ministries, saw its reach expand in multiple ways as well. One resource, Desperate for Change: 40 Days of Prayer for America, which we first published in 2012, had great sales for several months in 2012 but then sold just 2,000 or so a year since—until this year. We saw more than 18,000 sell the nine months prior to the elections. Our election prayer guide that first appeared in our March Prayer Connect issue “There’s Still Hope,” sold more than 40,000 copies in its booklet form and was viewed online or downloaded by another 50,000-plus. That same March election issue of Prayer Connect sold 2,000 more individual copies than any previous issue. And our web traffic this past fall was up more than 900 percent, with most coming to the Pray for America section.
Other ministries that provide resources to pray for America have voiced similar results.
A nerve of desperation was clearly struck.
Making no comment on the quality or lack thereof of the winning candidate and results, everyone has to admit the election result was truly unprecedented. Almost no one saw Trump winning, he did. Intercessors were praying desperately for truth to be revealed, for a standard of righteousness to be raised up, for God’s purposes for our nation to be released. We know from Scripture that God raises up and takes down kings and rulers, so we have to trust that He did that in this election—in an amazing fashion, a result that is nothing short of miraculous. Clearly God has a purpose for bringing this seemingly absurd, long-shot candidate to power.
What Do We Do Now?
Many believers will now sit back, thinking the elections are over and “God’s individual” is in leadership. But that would be the absolute wrong thing to do.
We need to keep praying, to raise up even more prayer. Why?
First, no one by any stretch could call President Trump a godly man. He needs prayer to make godly decisions that are best for the nation and will turn our nation back to God.
Second, as I have mentioned before, most major revivals in history came during times of serious social desperation. When people are unsettled and in major discomfort, they look heavenward for answers. Hundreds of thousands of believers have been praying for revival in the American church and for spiritual awakening for our nation. Social desperation certainly describes our nation in this hour. I think we are on the cusp of the significant revival and awakening we have been seeking. Keep praying.
To help us all pray, a number of ministries have come together to launch Pray 100, a prayer initiative to pray for President Trump and the nation, starting on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2017 and running for 100 days. Why not check it out at prayasone.org.
You can also “like” the Pray100 Facebook page and receive a prayer each day of the 100 days.
Jonathan Graf is the publisher of Prayer Connect magazine. Used by permission of Harvest Prayer Ministries.
