When God takes you to the middle-of-no where and leads you to pray with strangers…

Monday night we returned from a last-minute trip to Colorado.  Tim and I had met on a dude ranch in Colorado and taking the kids to the ranch had been on our bucket list.   All it took, was the prospect of virtual learning for the next nine weeks to get us on a plane headed west.

With the nearest town thirty-minutes away, we turned right off Highway 50 and drove nine miles down a dirt road.  There sat Waunita Hot Springs Ranch.  The ranch was surrounded by Gunnison National Forest and sat at an elevation of almost 9,000 feet. It felt like the middle-of-no-where and home at the same time.

The second morning there, we sat down to breakfast with some friends and strangers.  We exchanged the usual pleasantries but then we went deep.  We began to lay our burdens down.  You can’t even go to the middle-of-no-where without the trials of our nation following you.

Our hearts ached for our nation and for our God.  We ached for God to be glorified, for His ways to be honored, truth to prevail and peace to endure. We discussed the news, scripture, and what was the right way to pray.  Can we call down fire from heaven on our enemies like James and John suggested in Luke 9:54? It was certainly tempting, but Jesus was not pleased with the idea so we thought we better not.  God loves them and we should too.

But, talking wasn’t enough.  It never is.  It is never enough just to talk about our problems.

We decided to go to battle together.  We clasped hands, stranger and friend alike.  We brought our burdens to the foot of the cross.  We started with praise and thanksgiving.  Then, we lifted our burdens up to our Lord.  We prayed for our nation, our leaders and our people.  We prayed every lying tongue would be refuted, truth would prevail, God would turn the hearts of our nation back to Him, God would turn the hearts of our leaders like streams of water to accomplish His will.  God would forgive us for our anemic faith and use us to accomplish His will.

And then a stranger, who had become a friend, prayed the most brilliant prayer.  He said Lord, put stumbling blocks in the paths of those who have been given over to evil.  Inspired, we prayed God would frustrate the ways of those who work contrary to His will, frustrate their speech and let their words be like gravel in the mouths.  Soften the hearts of those who do not know you, so that they may come to the knowledge of You as Lord.  Give us eyes to see and ears to hear.

Our second day back in NC, I ran into another friend I had not seen in a year.  Once again, the trials of our nation came to topic.  My friend said God had been convicting him to pray for our nation and his enemies.

God is calling His people to prayer.

Sometimes, I think praying gives God permission to work.  Remember when people approached Jesus, He would ask them…What do you want?  Often, they would say…to be healed.  Once they came to Jesus and asked to be healed, He would heal them, but not before.  (Mark 10:51; John 5:1-10)

Let’s come to God and make our requests known to Him.  Let’s use as many scripture prayers as possible to keep our hearts in check.

Let’s say yes to God in prayer.