Welcome to 40 days of fasting... DAY 3

For those of you that haven't heard yet, we are on a 40 day fast praying for the nation and praying specifically for California (www.thecall.com/facedown40). Not just for the marriage amendment (Prop 8) but for revival to break out in our state through a unified Body of Christ that is committed to prayer and fasting, exalting God through worship. Making His name great in the earth while repenting for our personal and corporate sin. Now is the time. We, the Church (big C) must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting. I'm not talking about an unspecific sort of prayer that asks God to bless America while we pursue gain and vanity and pass unrighteous laws in our land, ignoring the bloodshed of abortion, and the widespread acceptance of humanism. I'm talking about specifically humbling ourselves before God and confessing our sins as a nation. In Daniel 9, we have recorded the cry of a man's heart to God for himself, his family, and his country. This prayer/declaration needs be translated into our hearts in this hour. Daniels cry is our cry, "God we turn our hearts back to you, weeping and mourning (Joel 2) with the promise that you will return and restore our land."

"Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly."

"O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name."
Daniel 9:3-19

Take it, print it, post it, re-write it, get a commentary on it, study it, but most importantly..PRAY IT. This prayer got an angelic response (vs 20-27) and when we echo these words we can expect to receive the same response. God loves the humble heart that comes to Him with expectation that He will respond. No more half-hearted, boring prayers; do you not see the desperation of the hour you live in? Are you confused looking at the papers, watching the news, seeing hundreds of "For Sale" signs going up in your neighborhood? We need God and we need Him now. Let us return to the Lord. It is not possible to read this prayer and see the resemblance to our society today, but the remedy is still the same..prayer and fasting. You can deny it, run away from it, hate it, fight against it, talk bad about those who do it, but you will land in this reality regardless; God delights in our weakness.

It is time to pray for America, for your family, your city, your region. Will you join us? By grace you can get back the days you have missed, it is time. If you have started with us and have already cheated on your fast, hear the voice of the Lord speaking over you affirmation and encouragement, get back up and keep running. Sept 24th through Nov 2. Then on Nov 2 we will be in the prayer house for 24 hours a day through Nov 4th for the elections, in an Esther Fast, crying out for God to shake the Kings of the earth boldly declaring, "If I die, I die." I would rather die pursuing Christ with everything I am then live in a boring existence committed to a religion rather then the living God.

See you in the Prayer House.

Jake Hamilton
Lead Catalyst, Refuge House of Prayer