History in The Making

Most Canadians are shocked and bewildered at what is happening in Ottawa. The most common words I hear are 'Shocking' and 'Unbelievable' and I'm inclined to agree. In a time when our nation needs strong leadership and government, we are being faced with the prospect of a coalition government.

This is an historic moment in our nation. But.... it's a moment that God knew would appear AND it's also a moment for the Church to rise to the occasion and to assume our proper place as priest and intercessor on behalf of the nation.

As I write this, there's a book on my desk called 'Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting'. It's filled with examples of God intervening in current events in response to His people coming before Him in prayer. It seems to me that our best response as the Church is not outrage or indignation over what we see transpiring in Ottawa. Our best response is a posture of humility and brokeness where we ask the King of Kings to intervene in our political chaos for the sake of our nation.

It's to that end that we are encouraging our friends and prayer partners to give themselves to prayer in response to the current political crisis. We are providing the following prayer points as a resource to provide clarity and focus as you pray. These come courtesy of the National House of Prayer.

1. Pray for Governor-General Michaelle Jean as she consults with her advisors about the key decisions she needs to make in the days ahead. Pray that she would ultimately be guided by the Holy Spirit.

2. Pray for public calm and safety. Strong emotions are being stirred up by this crisis. Let's pray that as various demonstrations take place that peace and order would be observed and no violence would erupt that might cause personal injury or property damage. Pray that the potential divisions and alienation that could deepen in our land would actually be addressed and healed at this time. We have had many calls from people who are concerned about separatism in different parts of the country.

3. Pray that God's good purposes would be accomplished during this difficult "shaking" process. Pray that all party leaders and members would learn and grow through this crisis. Ask the Father to thwart every attempt that the enemy is trying to use to harm our nation and its governance. Pray that every dark motive and plan would be exposed, especially back room deals and hidden agendas that would feed self-interest and not our nation's greater good.

4. Pray for each of the party leaders that they would resist the lust for power and would approach their duties with humility and true servanthood. Let's intercede that each one would be able to receive godly wisdom and act in a responsible manner. Pray that righteousness and justice would prevail.

5. Pray for the media and all the "pundits" who are seen and heard in the various news agencies and networks, that they would be careful to represent the truth and not take advantage of the situation. Ask the Father to make this a time of maturing for everyone involved in the media as well.

6. Pray for our nation's economy and for good leadership through 2009 as we navigate our way through the global economic crisis along with the other nations of the world. Pray that all parties would understand how their decisions are affecting average Canadians and their economic health.

7. Pray for the emergence of a stronger and healthier democracy in our land as we move through this political uncertainty. Pray that all Canadians would realize the importance of their participation in the democratic process, especially the younger generation that needs to be engaged more fully.

8. Pray for all our members of Parliament, that a spirit of unity would emerge out of this fractured time. Especially pray for the Speaker of the House - the honourable Peter Milliken as he presides over the debates. Pray that M.P.s who are followers of Jesus Christ would set a higher tone and be exemplary in their conduct and conversation.

9. Pray for the "average Canadian" who is generally ill-informed and therefore reliant on the media for their perceptions. Pray that truth would prevail and that apathy or a spirit of resignation would be lifted from the general public. Intercede that the people would not become demoralized or cynical about the political realm.

10. Let's pray for a revival of prayer to come upon the Church in Canada. Pray that believers would rise to the challenge of the hour, and that a spirit of prayer would come upon us as we stand on guard for our nation in its hour of need.

To link to a printable copy of this page, please click here.

Praying For Wisdom

I'm amazed at the response to the email I sent out regarding this particular prayer focus. By last night over 700 people read the email that went on Monday and have begun to pray with us. Additionally, a pastor's prayer group from Victoria will be joining me at the Legislature on Thursday morning to represent the Church across BC. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited to see what God is doing.

Daily Prayer Focus

1. The debate has become fairly acrimonious as both sides seek to blame the other for the current situation. While our political system is adversarial by nature, we need our leaders to push partisanship aside and to collaborate on what is best for our Province. This can only begin through a move towards humility on both sides of the house.

2. Pray for the Speaker and Deputy Speakers as they moderate the debate. The Speaker demonstrated tremendous wisdom and leadership yesterday afternoon and will undoubtedly be required to do so again before the session ends.

3. Finally, pray for the Party and House Leaders from both sides. These 4 people are key participants in this debate and also can be key to the solution that comes out of this debate if they choose to be. Pray particularly that the desire to serve the people of BC overcomes the desire for power.

Prayer Focus for November 25, 2008

While I had hoped to be able to provide specific daily information for you as a way to support your prayer partnership with us, all I have been able to do thus far is secure the following information. This link takes you to the Orders of the Day as set out by the Government House Leader. This will help you to see what will be discussed today and in what order it will happen.

http://leg.bc.ca/38th4th/orders/o0825nova4.html

This link will take you to the live webcast which can also be watched on the BC Leglislative Channel on cable TV.

http://leg.bc.ca/hansard/video/live.asp?video=wven&toc=live

Thanks for praying with us.

Prayers Needed... NOW!

The next 4 days are extremely significant to the future of our province. The Legislature has been recalled to specifically deal with the government's economic plan to address the current economic situation. I think it's important for the Legislature to resume to deal with this matter. I think it's equally important for us to invest some time and energy into praying for them at this time. The decisions that will be made this week will affect our province economically, (which ultimately affects almost every other area in our province) for many years to come.

I'm convinced that as the Church rises to this opportunity to pray for our leaders as they debate this important legislation that God will respond and grant them the wisdom and insight necessary to make a decision that will be the most beneficial to our province today and in the months and years to come.

Here's what I'm inviting you to do. I'm asking you to pray specifically for the MLA's over the next 4 days that God will give them great wisdom and discernment. For those of you who are in the Victoria area, I'd like to invite you to consider visiting the Legislature to pray on site during the week. The Legislature sits from 10 AM to 12 PM and resumes at 1:30 PM to 6:30 PM. This is a critical time and a tremendous opportunity for us to stand in the gap for our entire province. In order to provide ongoing information, I will provide a daily prayer focus on this site to support your efforts. Thanks for participating in this. We are going to make a difference!

Civic Election Results

After over a month of praying for the election, today we want to pray for those who have been recently elected. To see who was elected in your community, click here to be taken to the CivicInfo website. In addition to praying with us today, I want to encourage you to consider doing something to recognize those who have been elected. Send a card, letter or email congratulating them on their election, thanking them for their willingness to serve and committing yourself to pray for them. Then work at building a relationship of blessing where your sole focus will be to serve and encourage those who lead your community.... I think it's what Jesus would do....

Election Day Resources

Today is election day! If you still aren't sure how to vote, here are some resources for you that we hope you find helpful.

Metro Vancouver Candidate Profiles

Lower Mainland Candidate Profiles

Rest of BC

School Trustee Candidate Profiles

How you vote, is less important than that you actually do. We are blessed to live in a nation that gives the privilege of choosing our leaders. As you do, choose prayerfully and wisely. I'd encourage you to consider calling a few friends and encouraging them to vote today as well.

Candidates for School Trustee

I just found a site that has candidate profiles for School Trustees across BC.

Click here to be taken to the main site where you can search for candidates by district or name.