When Government Fails
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When Government Fails
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Hordes of migrants overpower border guards in El Paso, Texas. In New York City, strangers stride up to women they don’t even know and punch them in the face. Residents of San Francisco must make their way through piles of trash everywhere, including human feces.
Have you taken your place on the wall?
Evidence of the failure of government is rampant and confronts Americans daily. These failures stem from deficiencies of the justice system, of law enforcement, of the mental health institutions, and of basic human morality, among myriad other things.
IFA intercessors are well acquainted with these problems, and perhaps with various prayer strategies for some of the distressing examples just cited. (Excellent resources for specific prayer are available on IFAPray.org).
But the preponderance of chaos and lawlessness is piling up into a seemingly unspeakable indictment of local, state, and federal government. Appalling levels of incompetence — and of sheer evil — are far too evident in government. As discussed on some IFA webcasts and articles, evil forces are now seeking to unbalance and usurp American government and culture in an attempt to set up a socialist and ungodly tyranny.
This evil agenda has so many tentacles, reaching into so many local governments and cultural and educational institutions, that it may appear impossible to deal with. The prayer battle can begin to seem Sisyphean.
Crumbling Foundations
David addressed this very concern while on the run from a deranged king employing all the government’s resources to harm and murder him:
In the LORD I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Psalm 11:1–3).
Here the psalmist-warrior firmly asserts his trust in the Lord, though he was receiving counsel (if not entertaining it in his own thoughts) to flee from the fight. Such a response might sometimes come from the Lord Himself: There were some who were told to flee from trouble — Lot and his family, from the destruction about to befall Sodom and Gomorrah; the holy family of Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus, from the impending slaughter of babies in Bethlehem — but David discerns that in his present instance, such a course is not for him. He rejects any human “solution” of flight and chooses instead to fight, opting to lean hard on his faithful Lord.
But David’s crisis was extreme: The enemy used even the cloak of darkness to attack the beleaguered fugitive; he could not expect any good from the government — its very foundations were unstable, falling, and neutered of all righteousness.
I understand the desperation in David’s psalm as I survey the erosion of American society across every sphere: government, education, business, culture, and morality. You name it, it seems to be poisoned by wickedness. I, too, want to flee. But I — like you, intercessor! — am called to fight.
What Can the Righteous Do?
Again, in spite of everything, David does have the answer:
The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright (Psalm 11:4–7).
The righteous can look up, toward the Lord whose government never fails; toward the one who is present and governing from His holy heaven; the one whose eyes see all that is done on earth; the one whose judgment will certainly come upon those who remain unrepentant in their wickedness.
As for intercessors, our eyes must, like David’s, ascend to the heavens to behold the one in whom we trust. Seeing the Lord and knowing His faithfulness, we cannot escape the certainty that He has the fate of both the righteous and the unrepentant wicked firmly in hand. In fact, the Lord’s test will cause the righteous to be purified in His holy fire, while that same test will consume the wicked.
Ultimately, the Almighty will bring His vengeance upon those who refuse to bend their knees to the Lord Jesus Christ because they choose to continue in wicked rebellion, and they will drink from His cup of judgment. But He will be gracious to the righteous, who are in relationship with Him through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
We see that David’s trust in the Lord results not only in deliverance from the present evil, but also in the promise of living forever under His perfect governance.
Take Heart, Intercessors!
Though human governance may fail, the divine kingdom endures. Though the wicked may briefly reign on earth, King Jesus reigns forever on high. And though human justice be perverted, divine justice is constant and true.
Too often we’re tempted to want to flee, but we are called to fight. The Lord has more souls He wants to welcome into His kingdom, and He has given us the privilege of warfare prayer for these. Let’s keep our eyes on the king.
Lord, though wickedness surrounds us and human government fails us, we trust in You for deliverance and justice. Give us eyes to see You in Your temple and Your heaven. Help us draw the strength we need to fight on for the freedom of those now trapped in evil. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
How is the Lord encouraging you in intercession for the government? Encourage others by sharing!
New York City–based Joyce Swingle is an intercessor and a contributing writer for IFA. With her husband, Rich, also a contributing writer for IFA, Joyce shares the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world through theater, speaking, writing, and film. Prior to going into full-time ministry, Joyce worked for about 20 major magazines and now works in pastoral ministry and Christian counseling. Read more about Joyce’s work at www.Richdrama.com. Photo Credit: MIKE STOLL on Unsplash.
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Comments
Praise God! Bind Satan!
James 4:7 – NLT – So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 – ESV – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 – CEV – Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you.
James 4:7 – God’s Word Translation – So place yourselves under God’s authority. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.
There is a great battle in the Heavenlies!
When we work, we work. When we pray, GOD WORKS!
Amen!
New book out, “The Duty is Ours” by Mark Burrell, methodically, Biblically answers your question. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+duty+is+ours+mark+burrell&crid=2880X529AINB5&sprefix=the+duty+is+our%2Caps%2C101&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_15
Since spring 2020 the Lord has been telling us and others in ministry to pray that the current darkness and wickedness be revealed and those behind it be revealed. Let it all be brought into the light. We’ve also prayed that there be justice and consequences, and mercy where He wants mercy. This has not stopped and since He said to pray this more and more darkness and wickedness, especially in our government (and elsewhere in the world at large) has been revealed. At times the amount has been staggering and discouraging, but the Lord has not said to stop so we keep praying this every day. We will keep praying it until He says to stop. He is still at work.
His will be done. To God be the glory.
The question is why is this lunacy even being allowed? It was caused to escalate out of control by Biden for reasons. One is to assist the cartels and Chinese to poison and kill Americans (who have only themselves to blame for being the bottom feeders who buy this poisonous garbage at a street level) and make hundreds of millions doing so. The other is to destroy the social fabric and the economy of this country. The third is to unleash chaos to prepare for a totalitarian takeover by the uniparty in DC which are just replaceable hacks
working for the globalist agenda. Biden, Schumer, Pelosi et al can maintain their illusion of power as long as they continue to obey the faceless globalist bureaucrats who really run things. As a people, most Americans are sound asleep at the switch and are allowing the nation to unravel, mostly so they can pat themselves on the back as “good” people, the trap all liberals fall into. They are not going to like sharia law which will likely be imposed before the return of Christ and the eventual flaming destruction of the antichrist who will be inhabited by satan himself or one of the names he has been known as throughout history…whether zeus, molech, allah or any of other of hundreds of manifestations. If anyone does not understand this they don’t see what’s really going on.
Amazing!
🩸🐑🔥🕊❤️👑
Lord, though wickedness surrounds us and human government fails us, we trust in You for deliverance and justice. Give us eyes to see You in Your temple and Your heaven. Help us draw the strength we need to fight on for the freedom of those now trapped in evil. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
What a truely insightful, biblical and encouraging word for the Church of Jesus Christ and it’s intercessors. Surely, we must not quit but continue to pray for the Lord’s righteousness and justice come and that His will be done to reach this lost and dying world for Him. Thanks for all your informative and inspiring articles.
Papa, You said in Psalm 125 that the scepter of wickedness would not rest upon the land of the righteous; so that the righteous may not put forth their hands to do wrong. We, the temples of Your Holy Spirit, ARE the righteous of the United States of America. This land belongs to Jesus and He has surrounded His people for all time. So, I command the scepter of wickedness to be broken off of this country and I bind its operations from further killing, stealing, and destroying His people as well as His land. Thank You, Papa, for delivering us from evil and keeping us from doing wrong. I call upon Jesus to send forth the bread necessary to give life to every soul in this land. Multiply the bread that it may fill the appetite of the billion plus harvest, then send the excess to other countries for the same purpose. I say, “Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts. But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, lead them away with the doers of iniquity. Peace be upon the United States of America.” May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls/your borders, and prosperity within your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, may peace be within the United States of America and Israel. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God (the temples of the Holy Spirit) I will seek your good. Jesus Himself bore all the sins of this country in His body on the cross. Therefore, I decree that we, the people of the United States (legal and illegal), have died to sin and we now live to righteousness; by His wounds we are healed. We HAVE returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of the soul of this great land. In the mighty name of King Jesus, the Son of the Living God. Amen and amen. So be it!
Truly the Lord God almighty is in charge of all that happens. This time of great difficulty and wrongdoings has a godly purpose of showing everyone who will pay attention the true state of our beautiful country right now. Many people did not know about all the deep seated evil that now exists in the USA. Now that the evil has been revealed to the majority of people we can pray knowledgeably and obey the Lord’s revealed will to begin to make things better. How we need to pray for repentance!! If you observe the federal government and the polls it’s possible to see that we have reached our turning point and many people are seeing who to vote for in November and are planning to vote accordingly. God’s plan is for us to lead in evangelizing the unreached nations of the world. Many in the world neither read or write and we now have electronic devices where they can learn through hearing. We still need to reach people in remote areas and the ones who live on the city streets. Let’s go Christians !! God is giving us time for revival and to finish the Great Commission. Matthew 28:19,20 “ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
When I was in prayer today, I asked the Lord to help me with the weariness I’ve been feeling. With so much evil all around, it can feel overwhelming at times. He then brought to my mind Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Thank you for this article. Father God will help us to stay in the fight!
Thank you so much for sharing this. It met me right where I am now: wanting to run away from the present evils in my life. But no, I have to find the ground to stand on and stand. I must look up for that is where my salvation comes from.
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On our own we are helpless and totally inadequate but YOU, oh, Lord, are mighty to save! Our hope is in you!
I have been listening over and over to a song Prisoner of Hope performed by Guy Penrod, Marshall Hall, Wes Hampton and Bill Gaither of the Gaither Vocal Band. You can hear it on YouTube.
It encourages and speaks the truth for the faithful Remnant.
Thank you for this message. So needed. So encouraging. It is easy to feel discouraged when the enemy seems to have such power. But we see God doing wonderful things. And when we think evil is flourishing, it is due to the fact that God is revealing it so we can pray against it! Praise God.
The Lord, it seems, has caused me (personally) tp pray consistently & relentlessly for the exposure & removal of officials/leaders whose goal is to destroy the foundations of our nation. (both locally & nationally) No matter what their title, how they obtained that position (voted in, appointed (legally or illegally), secretly bartered through trade off (giving up delegates or votes for a title appmt), etc. – I pray often or consistently for their removal & replacement by someone with a godly foundation or someone committed to God & our laws & Constitution. I know many pray for those people to have a change of heart (while in office or position) & that is very important. My conviction to pray for such people centers around a “breaking” of an individual, whereas God removes everything they “depended on” to a place where God can begin the work of changing their heart…most often through their removal. In that work, as I once experienced at a point in my own life….God does a mighty work of the renewal & restarting of individuals. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what it takes to get someone to that point, regardless of how/what God uses to accomplish it. In God’s work of brokenness, we see both His justice & mercy – not just for the individual but for those around them & often, for a nation.
As the article states so accurately, we are awash in evil. Like others, I sensed it’s release after the debacle called “an election” in 2020. There was an unmistakable shift in the spiritual atmosphere of our nation.. which makes complete sense considering the (1) importance of a national election (2) the deceit, fraud & deception preceding & following the election & many of our “leaders” involvement.
So as Joyce states so accurately, we have to stay in the fight spiritually. Each individual or body of believers will pray accordingly, with God’s word guiding & leading us individually & collectively.
Many of those today in gov’t who call themselves leaders because they have a title – have allowed the title & their position to replace “real leadership” as God defines it. They are led by pride – not by the heart of a servant.
As an intercessor I am amazed at all the evil tenacles in so many areas, I asked the question How do
I Pray all this?-one night I received this prayer I do it a couple times a day. now. I pray Holy Spirit release your prayer
assignments– to your Intercessors, prayer warriors, watchmen, gatekeepers. houses of prayer, prayer
groups, prayer partners, prayer calls, and all your praying children; I then ask for may prayer assignment.
He is on our side -He is with us, He goes before us, He is our rear guard. He leads and guides us.
Hallelujah!!!!
I love your prayer to the Holy Spirit about prayer assignments! I can see Him assigning what goes where..
I am going to use the prayer and say, LORD, I borrowed this from Judy Hansen. You know her!! I can hear His reply, “ Indeed, I do!”
Thank you!!
Thank you so much for this guidance and encouragment.
I just a few words, “You make me smile”
Blessings to you and Rich.
Thank you Joyce,
This is exactly what my husband and I were talking about just yesterday. The Bible warned us about times of increasing lawlessness and the love of many growing cold. But David always admonished us to look to the Lord. Like in Psalm 121, I lift my eyes to the Lord. Where does my help
come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. I was also meditating on “take heart” recently as well. We must regain our courage in the Lord. If not us, who? Thank you for reminding us where our hope and help come from. The Lord promises He would never fail us or forsake us, and He is faithful. Blessings to you and Rich.
In God’s name WE RENOUNCE DONALD J TRUMP, AS HE ENDORSES THE DEATH OF THE INNOCENT UNBORN! HE LIED ABOUT A FEDERAL BAN AND BORE FALSE WITNESS!
WE HAVE SEEN FOR TOO LONG THAT HE PERVERTS THE NAME OF CHRISTIANITY AND USES THE EVANGELICAL FAITH TO HIS ADVANTAGE! WE WILL NO LONGER ALLOW HIM TO ADULTERATE JESUS CHRIST’S NAME!
Amen
IFA – can we please get rid of trolls on this site
We are to pray for our brothers and sisters alike for their salvation. We are not the righteous judge. God is. Amen and amen.
Excellent article, Joyce. We need this encouragement in these End Times. The course of events in our nation and world make it abundantly cleat that we cannot trust in human leadership. If we do, we will feel hopeless and depressed about the way that things are occuring around us. We cannot be swayed by what we see in the natural. Our hope is in God Almighty. He will provide for all of our needs. He will not stop doing so, just because of the evil, wicked and incompetent leaders, and their poor choices. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. Thank You, Jesus!
Bend the Democrats Lord . We are at a time of our destruction and we only see you as our deliverer Our government has failed to defend us against the enemy.
DONALD TRUMP HAS LIED TO US! HE HAS LED THE UNBORN TO BE SLAUGHTERED! HE HAS BORED FALSE WITNESSED! WHAT IS THE PUNISHMENT FOR THAT?
Quite the contrary. He has been the only President to attend the Right to Life gathering. How has he led the unborn to be slaughtered when he stood against it?
He has not stood for the unborn; in Jesus name he is rebuked!
You may be misunderstanding Trump’s statement of letting the states decide their positions on abortion rather than the federal government. Although I disagree with his statement about allowing abortion for up to 15 weeks. No man is perfect. He’s hardly a traitor. Pray for him. Turn your passion for the unborn into love for people who don’t fully understand yet that all abortion is murder.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) we don’t live in a theocracy. As President, Donald Trump is our best hope for stemming the tide of evil, and to win he needs some Independents who don’t agree with us on the absolutes of abortion. So in taking a position close to the center on the abortion issue, he is looking to score a “base hit” rather than attempting a home run which would likely be a “strike-out” given the ignorance of the electorate on how evil abortion is.
God used Trump is 2016 and He will use him again. Pray for his heart, his head and his mouth to do the will of God! He may not be our first choice, but he is the best hope to defeat the Dems politically.
Also pray extra for RFK Jr. He is definitely bringing truth and transparency to the race. He may be the most honest candidate in the field. That means a lot.
The writing is on the wall. America is likely in the crosshairs of judgment. So says Rev Billy Graham.
https://theprayersentry.com/2024/04/06/crosshairs-of-judgment/
This is an excellent message by Dr. Graham. Thank you for sharing!
Or on the verge of a revival.
Father, the battle for souls rages. The battle for saving America rages. And so with David I say from Psalm 73:24-26 Amplified Bible:
24 You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to honor and glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven [but You]?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Amen.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked! For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap!” Dear Lord Jesus please unveil the eyes of the wicked, that they may know what they will reap!
May God convict the hearts of our Congress and Senate to choose righteous laws to ban illegal aliens from crossing our borders everywhere.