In the days leading up to the election many of you met with your churches to pray for our country. Many of you were praying very specifically about the outcome of the election. For some of you this may have been the first time in four years that you prayed for our country.

Remember 9-11? For months afterwards we gathered in churches and town squares, in parks and community centers and prayed for our country.

I am glad that we meet together to pray at election time and at times of national tragedy. I am glad that we look to God for help. But sometimes I am afraid for us as a people. Do we really just want to keep God around like a magic lamp? You know, “The (insert something scary here) are coming! Pull out the lanterns! We need to rub in another miracle in order to avert this national tragedy!”?

If we seriously think that it is sufficient for us to pray and do our duty just on Election Day then we must change our thinking. Every day of our lives must be spent in such a way so as to prepare a way for God to bless us, our children, and our country.

We need to pray continually for our country. We need to pray like Daniel did in chapter nine. We need to pray like Nehemiah did in chapter one. We must allow God to be God. We must seek Him, not only for help in times of great scariness, but also to learn His righteousness at all times.

If we as a country only keep God around for emergencies, what if He decides not to keep our country around any more?