Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

attributes, and character of God, and ofHis laws and government."God's Word speaks to us with authorityin this present hour. It reminds us, inRomans 13:1, "There is no power, but ofGod." Israel's ancient Singer declares, inthe 20th Psalm, "Some trust in chariots,and some in horses: but we will rememberthe name of the Lord our God." Warningmen, in Isaiah 10:1, "Woe unto them thatdecree unrighteous decrees." God speaksto the rulers of men and nations in theSecond Psalm: "Be wise now therefore, Oye kings: be instructed, ye judges of theearth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoicewith trembling."In I Timothy 2:1,2, the Bible speaks tothe citizens of the nation concerning one oftheir highest duties as citizens: "I exhorttherefore, that, first of all, supplications,prayers, intercessions, and giving ofthanks, be made for all men; for kings, andfor all that are in authority." Whether ornot they actually are spending time inprayer for their nation, most men feel thatthe nation needs to be prayed for. TheBook of Common Prayer of the ProtestantEpiscopal Church lists, among otherthings, prayers for the President, theCongress, the State Legislatures, theCourts of Justice, the Army, the Navy,peace, and deliverance from our enemies.As citizens we will, of course, bemindful of the fact that in answer toprayer, God often works through people. Itis largely through the activities of peoplethat rulers are chosen, decisions are made,taxes are raised, laws are enacted, andproblems are resolved or enlarged. As wego to prayer we might ask ourselvesfrankly, the extent to which we would bewilling to make personal efforts andpersonal sacrifices in order that we mightbe instruments through whom God couldanswer our prayers for the nation. Howlong, for example, has it been since wehave written to any of our public officials,commending them for taking a courageousstand on moral issues?In our prayer time tonight let us prayfor:1. President Nixon: that he will begiven very great wisdom as our chiefexecutive; that he may be kept in healthand safety; and that he will keep his ownchannels of prayer open, as he fulfills thetremendous duties of his office. Pray alsofor the members of his Cabinet, and hisadvisers. Remember in prayer, too, thegovernor of your state and the officials ofyour locality.2. The Congress: that God will so workm the hearts of its members, that wise andnecessary legislation may be enacted; andthat in the midst of politics there may bemuch of statesmanship. Don't forget topray for your state legislature, countycommissioners, city council, etc.3. Our courts of justice at all levels:that our judges may be men of integrityand wisdom; and though they are subjectto human error and frailty, pray that theymay be given Divine guidance in theirdifficult assignments.4. Law enforcement officers who oftenare facing situations of gravest danger inorder that the rest of us might enjoy ameasure of safety, and freedom from fear.5. Those in our Armed Forces: manyof them have been drafted into the service;many are far from home; some are sorelytempted, many are bewildered, all are insituations of potential danger. How oftenthey are guarding with their own lives,those who are maligning them in their owncountry.6. Those at the grass-roots levels whoare wrestling with problems of pollution,drugs and liquor, the squandering of ourresources, the "New Morality," racialinjustices, grinding poverty, and "theinhumanity of man to man."7. Pray that our nation will turn fromits rampant Sabbath desecration; and willcome to regard the keeping of the Lord'sDay as a high privilege and a sacred duty.8. Pray that our Nation, in its nationallife, will come to recognize the limitationsof its wisdom and power; will "seek theLord while He may be found"; and willsoon come to recognize the authority andlaw of Jesus Christ, the Ruler andGovernor of Nations, in the Constitutionby which we are governed.9. Pray that God will, in grace and inmercy, send a mighty revival of religion toour land and to our people: one in whichmultitudes who know not the Lord, wallturn to Him; and one in which those whoalready profess to be His followers, willfollow Him more closely.UNITED PRAYER CONFERENCEPRAYER TOPICMay 9-16,1971GOD AND FAMILIES:WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP?Michelle MaineScripture: Psalm 128, Eph. 3:15According to Genesis, God said, "It isnot good that man should be alone." SoGod gave Adam a wife in marriage, andcommanded them to be fruitful, tomultiply and to replenish the earth. Thusthe first family on earth was established byGod. In order that children might grow uplearning to be God's servants. Goddelegated certain authority to parentswhom children are bound to obey.The humanists complain that this is theage of deterioration — of decay. They say."Respect for authority has disappeared. Allof our old mores and norms have beendisregarded and are now despised by ouryoung people." They say that the familystructureis crumbling all around them, andyet they fail to see any possible relationshipwhatsoever between the results obtained intheir family and their own lost condition.But for us whom Christ has redeemed, thetruth of God is so very self-evident. Or is it?Christian families have their share ofproblems. In fact Christian families areoften in worse shape than their humanisticcounterparts. However, our earthly familyis not the only family of which we are amember. Thank God for that. Parents andtheir children live under the promises anddemands of God's covenant. It is in Godthat families in truth exist. (Eph. 3:15) Infact, that is what our relationship is to God.We who love and obey Him are allmembers of his family, and in God's familythere is no room for the 'generation gap.'Unlike the authoritarian father whosechildren obey out of fear and secret hatred,or the permissive father who buys hischildren off with material possessions andexperiences, over and above all this is God,our heavenly Father, who loves us butexpects us to commit ourselves to Him,totally.If we are children of Christ,it should beas obvious to others as if we literally hadHis seal on our foreheads: our lives shouldbe that different from what we see aroundus. Just so, our relationship to Christwhether good or bad, will evidence itself inour own family relationship. In otherwords, there is a positive correlationbetween our relation to Christ and therelation to our own family. If the first bondis strong the latter will be strong also. Wemust first be one with Christ before ourfamily resembles the family of Psalm 128.Some questions to think about: How wallrebellion against God evidence itself in afamily? Have you ever shared with yourchildren how you became a Christian?How do parents disobey by becomingeither authoritarian or permissive? Or dothey?Prayer requests:Parents — prav that God would teach youhow to use the authority He has given you;pray that God would show you how Heexpects you to discipline your children;pray for your children individually.Young people — pray that God wouldreally show yon how to take on theresponsibility He has planned for you; praythat God would make you faithful inobedience; pray for each of your parentsand grandparents.MARCH 17, 1971 13