by Kenneth Copeland
The future of this nation is not in the hands of the politicians.
So, no matter what political candidates you like or don’t like…or what party you may support, that should be good news to you right now. There isn’t a politician anywhere who is wise enough to guide this country safely through the challenges and threats it is facing these days. Only God can do it.
And it is prayer, not politics that brings His power and wisdom on the scene. As long as Christians are praying for this nation, as long as there are believers here who seek the Lord, the future of the United States of America will remain safely in the hand of God. He, Himself, will direct, guide and heal this land. He has given us His Word on it.
In 2 Chronicles 7:14, He said: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
The Lord reminded me of that promise in a fresh way on July 4, 2003, during our West Coast Believers’ Convention. While I was preaching, the word of the Lord came to me saying:
Have no fear! Take no alarm for the future of this nation. No politician can destroy it. This nation, under God, was established in answer to the prayers and cries of My people, says the Lord. It’s not based on politics. It’s not based on world affairs. This nation, its foundation and its continuation, is based on the prayers and the worship of My people.
Only when there are no more of My people praying in My Name, crying out unto Me, only then will this nation come to a place where her existence is in danger. And My people, called by My Name, all over this nation have repented, are repenting and are turning from their wicked ways. I have heard….I am hearing….and I will continue to hear from heaven; and you rest assured, I am in charge!
Born in Answer to Prayer
Most people don’t realize it, but this nation was born in answer to prayer. God established it because people all over the world started crying out to Him for a place of freedom. They were praying for a place where they could freely worship God.
He established it on this continent because the tribal peoples here were crying out to Him too. Even though they didn’t know His Name or His Word, many of them were standing under the night sky, gazing up at the stars, talking to Him and saying, “We know You are there. But we don’t know anything about You. Who are You, Great Spirit?”
God answered those prayers by sending that first band of believers (people who knew His Name and carried His Book) aboard a little ship called the Mayflower. On board that vessel these believers entered into a covenant with Almighty God in the Name and in the blood of Jesus. Then the first thing they did when their feet hit the shore was to pray.
It’s a good thing they did, too, because the devil hated what they were doing. He hated the idea of giving people freedom to worship God. If he could, he would have destroyed this nation before its birth; but he couldn’t do it then and he can’t do it now. He was stopped by the prayers of God’s people.
Certainly the devil has done his best to mess things up along the way. There’s no question about that. As a result, this nation has been through some very dark times. But even in those times, the hand of God has prevailed—this nation has been preserved, and His purposes have been accomplished.
What the Devil Meant for Evil…
In the late 1600s, for example, when hostilities arose between the European settlers and the tribal peoples, some cruel and terrible things were done. Take the case of the little Indian boy who was captured, taken to Europe and displayed in a cage as a “Savage From America.” Certainly the devil meant that for evil. But God caused some things to happen that the devil hadn’t figured on.
The little boy escaped from his captors and found refuge in an English monastery. While he was there, he became fluent in English. He began reading the Bible, got saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
When he finally had the opportunity to return to his homeland in the eastern part of the United States, he found the colonists were having trouble learning how to raise crops in their new climate. Some of them were on the verge of starvation. What’s more, the Indians were attacking them and they were on the verge of an all-out war.
Do you know who stopped it?
That young Indian man who had been taken captive years before.
He stepped out on the battlefield and began speaking to both sides in their own languages. He let them know he was a believer in Jesus Christ and he instructed them to put down their weapons. Sure enough, they held their fire.
Before long, that young man was preaching the gospel to both groups. Under his influence, the Indians began to teach the colonists how to work the land in the northeastern climate, and the colonists began to teach the Indians some of what they knew. For 75 years, those people lived together in peace sharing their lives and their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none” author=”Kenneth Copeland”]…It is prayer, not politics that brings His power and wisdom on the scene.[/tweet_box]
Free Indeed!
In the 1800s, the devil tried to destroy this nation with the evil of slavery which at that time was a thriving, worldwide industry. But in 1860, the United States of America raised her hand and said, “We’re going to crush this thing forever!” When she did, it put an end to open slavery all over the world.
Ever since that time, slave runners have been forced to operate underground. They’ve had to hide because God used this nation to turn the whole world against them.
Why did He use this nation? Because His people here were crying out to Him. Those on both sides, slave and free alike, were praying for Him to put an end to the demonic institution of slavery. They were asking Him to intervene…so He did.
Those praying people knew the truth of God’s Word. They believed Jesus meant it when He said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). And we’re a free nation today because of their prayers.
Like it or not, everybody in this country—everybody who has ever gotten up in the morning and made their own decision about what they’re going to do or where they’re going to go—owes their freedom to the praying members of the Body of Christ. They owe their freedom to the fact that Jesus suffered, bled and died on the cross. The liberty they enjoy today is theirs because somebody believed the gospel and prayed.
Pull for Them Not Against Them
Remember that the next time you see a politician on television saying something foolish (or even something seemingly wise). Remind yourself that this nation is not subject to the mistakes and misjudgments of politicians and pundits who think they’re smarter than God. It’s not sustained by its great statesmanship.
This nation is sustained by the power of God. Its very existence is an answer to the prayers of His people. And if we as His people will continue to obey Him and pray as He directs us to, “For kings, and for all that are in authority…” (1 Timothy 2:2), He will heal and uphold our land!
To do that wholeheartedly, however, we’ll have to deal with some things in ourselves. We’ll have to shut our critical mouths and drop our judgmental attitudes. Instead of condemning those in public office (regardless of their political party or opinions) we’ll have to say, “Lord, You put those people in office and I’m going to pull for them and not against them.”
“But Brother Copeland,” you may say, “what should we do about getting ungodly, dishonest politicians out of office?”
Don’t vote for them. Vote for God-fearing men and women who uphold principles of righteousness. Then just pray and let God handle the rest.
He’s well able to do it. In years past, I’ve seen God remove politicians in sovereign and sobering ways when they stubbornly resist His purposes and plans. I know of one congressman a few years ago who unexpectedly died in office when he decided to get rid of all the television preachers. I’m not saying God is responsible for that. I’m just pointing out that he is now gone…and television preachers are still here.
Thankfully, we’re not called to pass judgment on situations like that. We’re just called to pray and trust the Lord.
So when you see government officials on television, answer that call. Instead of criticizing them, start praying for them right then and there. If you don’t know what to pray, pray in tongues. Pray for God to turn their hearts toward righteousness and justice (Proverbs 21:1). Pray that He’ll enable them to govern wisely so that we can live peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty (1 Timothy 2:2).
Pray that they will know the truth because it’s the truth that will make us all free!