Our IFA Montana state prayer group praises God for a general increase in the consistency and numbers of people on our weekly prayer call (a doubling since last year!) and an increased interest in prayer within our communities and churches. At the beginning of 2024, God placed upon our hearts two main issues: for life to prevail in Montana, and for judicial renewal.

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Sanctity of Life

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19 CSB).

Recently, we have seen a progressive, activist Court system at work. A district judge struck down three pro-life bills passed by the legislature back in 2021. The Montana Supreme Court also upheld a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood against the State of Montana challenging House Bill 391, a bill passed in 2013 which prohibited anyone under 18 from getting an abortion without notarized written consent from their parent or legal guardian.

Additionally, despite the Montana Attorney General’s efforts to stop approval for gathering signatures for CI-128 (a Constitutional Initiative that would enshrine abortion in Montana’s constitution), the Montana Supreme Court overruled. This means that by June 21, pro-abortion advocates will be seeking to harvest over 60,000 necessary signatures to get the measure on the ballot in November.

Our state prayer group is proactive along these lines, working alongside other pro-life organizations throughout Montana to research and support efforts to squash this initiative through prayer, while educating people to “Decline to Sign.” The consequences of this initiative, were it — God forbid — to pass, are broad-sweeping and devastating. The initiative would essentially enshrine abortion as a “right,” with seemingly no restrictions on time frame (partial birth, after-birth abortions/infanticide, etc.), no parental notification, and no easy means to bring accountability or to walk this egregious initiative back.

Judicial Renewal

“Then I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning; after that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful city” (Isaiah 1:26 NASB).

Our prayer is for God’s promise in Isaiah 1:26 to be fulfilled for us. On the judicial front, we have seen our prayers answered through multiple avenues. Besides being able to communicate (and sometimes pray) with candidates running for the two open seats during this election year (Seat No. 3 and Chief Justice), we were able to express our concern to many others regarding the biased decisions and the grave overstepping of judicial authority by the current court.

The court struck down conservative legislative decisions arbitrarily while upholding more liberal ones, and it ordered the executive branch to conduct a veto override poll of the legislature on Senate Bill 442. Generally, over the last few decades, the court was often inconsistent, ambiguous, unpredictable, and unjust. This has led to economic and civil instability throughout Montana.

Our prayers and efforts (along with many others) have led to a great renewed interest, especially among churches and believers, in seeking judicial renewal across the state. Montana Senate Republicans created a special committee toward this end. We believe this is a direct answer to our prayers for people to become educated and seek to have God’s will for a godly government, which leads to peaceful and quiet lives and to opportunities for many to be saved (see 1 Timothy 2:1–7).

As another answer to prayer, we have also tracked and supported efforts to gather signatures for a ballot initiative that would bring more accountability to the Montana Supreme Court (CI-124).

Open Doors

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

Our Montana state prayer group witnessed many “open doors” in 2024. God provided opportunities to pray with candidates running for the legislature, Supreme Court, Clerk of the Supreme Court, local school board, and other positions. We gained connections to political and community leaders, local pastors, church leaders, and ministries throughout the state and in certain key cities and locations. Various events, like “Don’t Mess with Our Kids,” the National Day of Prayer, and a ministry fair in Billings, all brought more attention to our call to intercede.

Although we don’t always see how God is answering our prayers, we do believe and trust that He is “on the move.” We continue to pray and fast for revival in this generation across our state and our nation.

Share your testimonies below about how God is moving in your own state!

Sandy Graham and Brian Friess are the IFA Montana state prayer co-leaders. In a recent IFA Action email, they raised awareness about CI-128 and invited Montana intercessors to pray for their secretary of state. This is just one way to advocate for the state’s godly foundation by prioritizing life and liberty for all citizens. Photo Credit: Jantanee Rungpranomkorn/Getty Images via Canva Pro.