Amid daily doses of bad news, Psalm 33 is an important and encouraging text for intercessors — verses 10 and 11 in particular, which say: The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
I don’t know about you, but I can get easily depressed by the headlines, and I often feel like I need a shower for my brain after researching some of the stuff I write about. Perversion, corruption, legalized sin, conflict, divisiveness, hate, economic instability, border issues, political mudslinging – the list goes on.
Some have surmised that America is facing its final battle. Others speculate that our nation might break up into blocks of conservative and liberal states forming independent countries. No one will argue that our nation is deteriorating morally, economically, and socially.
How does one pray? Do we dare believe that God will rescue America? Is some powerful demonic stronghold or national sin causing all this? Can intercessors put a stop to this by fasting and prayer?
The answers to those questions are of such a magnitude that they remain beyond our ability to understand fully. More often than not, our wise heavenly Father withholds from us the complete picture, so that we may stay close to Him and follow His directions, each of us according to our particular assignment in kingdom ministry.
What we do know is that intercessors pray into these things from a place of hope — hope that is fed by two things:
- that we know from Psalm 33 and many other places in the Bible that God is greater than anything or anyone in the universe, and that nothing happens apart from His will;
- that His kingdom purposes stand forever. Everything that is happening in the world around us is part of the unfolding of His redemptive plan to save from among mankind a people for His own possession (see 1 Peter 2:9) and to rid the universe of evil corruption once and for all.
God’s purposes stand forever. His reign is eternal. It is those purposes that intercessors represent in how they pray. All of our millions of prayers for thousands of things echo what Jesus taught us to pray: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
The most important part of our priestly ministry before the prayer altar in heaven is that we should pray God’s kingdom counsel — the plans of His heart — into the chaos all around us. That is how we apply Paul’s exhortation: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1– 2).
So then, what are those things that are above and which we represent by our intercession for the nation?
The common theme that runs through the entire New Testament is the advance of God’s kingdom reign in human hearts. It is the Great Commission of the Church — given by Christ at His ascension (see Matthew 28:17–20), still in full force today, and to be completed at His return — to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the ends of the earth until every tribe and nation has heard. Everything else that happens in the world takes a backseat to that purpose and mission.
- Spiritual warfare prayer to neutralize demonic forces is so that those oppressed by them may be freed to see and serve Jesus Christ (see Mark 3:27).
- Prayer for good government and all its affairs is so that their actions may facilitate the spread of the gospel (see 1 Timothy 2:1–4).
- Prayer for missions, missionaries, open doors, and revival is so that the word may spread quickly (see 2 Thessalonians 3:1).
- Prayer for justice for the oppressed is so that they may see the love of the Father (see Luke 4:18).
What can easily fool and at times discourage us is that God’s kingdom advances in ways unlike those of any other: It often looks like defeat, while wickedness in the world seems to be “winning.” Consider the cross of Christ, for instance, which looked like the failure of Jesus’ ministry, even to many of His closest followers. But instead, it was actually the greatest spiritual victory in human history, as He conquered Satan, sin, and death. The persecution and martyrdom of many of His apostles looked like a failed movement, but instead gained them an eternal wealth of rewards in heaven and caused the gospel on earth to spread faster. That is still true today, as the Church grows the fastest in countries where Christians are the most severely persecuted. And in the Last Days, lawlessness will abound as love will grow cold. The world will move irreversibly toward globalism, which sets the stage for the coming of the Antichrist, who will force the whole world to worship him, not Jesus (see Revelation 13:7–8). The nations will be shaken with unimaginable disasters to remind them to repent — and yet no one does (see Revelation 9:20–21).
In the midst of all that, God’s work of redeeming for Himself a people of His possession continues as it has from the moment the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost. It continues despite turmoil, recession, war, social upheaval, chaos, and hostility against Christ and the gospel. There is nothing and no one in the physical or spiritual realm that can slow it or stop it.
And not just that. God, in His limitless wisdom and power, uses everything Satan intends for evil into good. Perhaps our leaky border is bringing millions – good and bad – into our nation so they will hear the gospel. Perhaps violence, crime, homelessness, drug epidemics, hatred, division, and economic upheaval are shaking our nation so that hearts are being prepared for the spiritual awakening we have been praying for. Perhaps the legalization and celebration of perversion and the attacks on the Church that exposes it as sin help unify and purify us as the Body of Christ.
We must see everything as being under God’s dominion. Even where Satan seems to have the upper hand and moral destruction and corruption reign, he is operating on a leash that will always be firmly in God’s hand.
We’ll never lose our faith and delight in God as long as we keep our eyes on Him and pray from the knowledge of the plans and counsel of His heart. Listening prayer – praying back to God what we hear from the Holy Spirit is the most essential discipline at our disposal. Things are happening so fast and are so complicated that we cannot do without the Holy Spirit telling us what to pray (see Romans 8:26). He searches the mind of God, where His counsel is formed, and reveals to us what we need to know so we can pray prayers through which God works out His eternal kingdom purposes.
If you feel overwhelmed and depressed by the news, look at the face of God. Then, from the delight in what you see, pray for His hand to move.
“Father, my heart is heavy with the worsening moral corruption around us and the celebration of so many things that are an abomination to You. Yet I know that Your counsel and plans stand forever. Open my eyes so that I may see the invisible and have unwavering faith. Open my ears so I may hear what the Holy Spirit wants me to pray. Enlighten my heart that I may love You and delight in You more fully and free from the contamination of earthly things. I affirm my faith that the advance of Your kingdom continues despite world events and that everything Satan means for harm You turn to good. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Remco Brommet is a pastor, spiritual-growth teacher, and prayer leader with over 40 years of experience in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the U.S. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and pastored his first church in Amsterdam. He moved to the U.S. in 1986. He and his wife, Jennifer, live north of Atlanta. When not writing books, he blogs at www.deeperlifeblog.com and assists his wife as a content developer and prayer coordinator for True Identity Ministries. Jennifer and Remco are passionate about bringing people into a deeper relationship with Christ. Photo credit: ©doidam10 via Canva.com.