Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Evangelist Anne Graham Lotz knows a thing or two about hanging on to Jesus in tough times. In the last five years, she has lost her husband, Daniel Lotz, her father, the Rev. Billy Graham, and faced her own battle with breast cancer.
Through it all, she says she has learned to lean on the Lord for every need and she says connecting with the Holy Spirit is key for getting through any storm.
“We are going through a worldwide, life-altering, game-changing event and I believe it is time to look up. it is time to get right with God,” Graham Lotz said.
Graham Lotz considers the COVID-19 pandemic a very dark cloud but shares that in the middle of the storm there is always a silver lining.
“I’m reminded of those fierce storms now because the threatening black cloud of the coronavirus has enveloped our nation. Its powerful impact is ricocheting from “peak to peak”– place to place–from our families to our homes, to our schools, to our businesses, to our sports, to our economy, to our churches, to our healthcare facilities…to our entire way of life, she wrote on her blog, Latest with Anne. “It seems to be obliterating our view of freedom…of peace…of happiness. The swiftness of this storm’s advance is stunning and almost breath-taking (pun intended).”
“I think the silver lining is when you are a child of God, God is with you,” she told 700 Club host, Terry Meeuwsen. “The Bible says He will never leave, never forsake me. I have faced death in the last four years…but I’ve never lost my peace and never lost joy. And one reason is because of the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit.”
Graham says consistency is the key. She is challenging believers to take time every day to read the Bible and to spend time in prayer.
“You will have peace in your heart, whatever comes,” she said. “Your faith is going to be stronger, your relationship with the Lord will be closer and I think that’s the silver lining,” she said. “This could be a moment that God would awaken the Church and brings us to that point of revival.”
Grahams adds that this pandemic also provides an opportunity to share the Gospel with those who are afraid and lonely.
“God has put us in their lives to, for this moment, to help draw them closer to the Lord,” she said.
FOR CBN NEWS CONTINUING COVERAGE ON COVID-19, CLICK HERE.
Did you know?
God is everywhere—even in the news. That’s why we view every news story through the lens of faith. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1.Support CBN News
The unmistakable sound of the shofar could be heard coming from the wall surrounding Jerusalem, echoing across the sun-scorched valley. The blowing of the trumpet heralded great public distress and was used to summon the people. It was the first century B.C., and a severe drought was threatening the very existence of the city. So the city elders called for the people to gather outside the city walls. Then they sent for Honi.
Honi was an old man who, after this day, became known as the Circle-Drawer. Because when he was summoned, the elders asked him, "Pray that rain may fall." Honi prayed, but nothing happened. So he drew a circle around himself in the dust of the ground, and prayed again, "O Lord of the world, Your children have turned their faces to me ... I swear by Your great name that I will not stir from here until You have pity on Your children." The rain began to fall, one large drop at a time. But Honi protested, "Not for such rain have I prayed, but for rain that will fill the cisterns, pits and caverns."
In answer to his prayer, the heavens opened and the waters descended in a violent gully-washer that threatened to flood the city. So once again, Honi pleaded, "Not for such rain have I prayed, but for rain of goodwill, blessing and graciousness." It is said, and recorded by the Jewish historian, Josephus, that in response to Honi's third prayer, a long, soaking rain began to fall that ended the three-year drought. Honi had prevailed in prayer. (Editor's Note: This story, taken from the writings of Jewish historian Josephus, was excerpted from Anne Graham Lotz's book, The Daniel Prayer).
As we look ahead into 2019, draw a circle around your city, your state, your nation ... and pray! Then keep praying until we prevail in prayer and God answers. Please. Draw your own circle. Then pray for everything that's inside of it.
"Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful ... Who knows? He might turn aside and relent, and He might leave behind a blessing" (Joel 2:13b-14a).
We Bow Before You
O God of creation. We bow before You, acknowledging Your greatness and Your glory. No one compares to You. No one is Your equal. We look at Your creation and marvel at the infinite power and wisdom that are Yours. Nothing is beyond Your reach. "You bring out all the starry host one by one, and call them each by name. Because of Your great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing ... You pitch a tent for the sun ... It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat ... Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there (see Isa. 40:25-26, Ps. 19:4, 6; 139:7-8). There is nowhere in all the universe where You are not. Surely Your arm "... is not too short that it cannot save, nor [Your] ear too dull that it cannot hear" (Isa. 59:1b).
I acknowledge You as ___________________.
We See the Trouble Before Us
Yet we honestly confess: when terrorists randomly kill; when women and children detonate themselves as suicide bombers, when innocent people are grabbed from behind and stabbed in the back; when floods, fires, tornadoes and storms ravage our land; when our national leaders don't lead; when our business leaders lie; when our political leaders put their own interests before the people's; when our spiritual leaders contradict Your Word; when our social leaders divide; when our allies become our enemies and our enemies become our allies ... what's going on? Where are You?
We are tempted to think You are distracted, disengaged, disinterested. Inattentive, inactive, impotent. Outmaneuvered, outmoded, outclassed. Unable, unaffected and even unaware ... of our fear, our helplessness, our confusion, our outrage. Why do You seem so small while our problems, disasters and enemies seem so large?
Why ___________________?
We Shout Your Name
Help us to regain our focus.
God of our fathers. Lord of the nations. You are the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. No one can understand Your ways. But we turn to You. We return to You. Now. "Are You not God in the heavens? And do You not rule over allthe kingdoms of the nations? In Your hand are strength and might, and there is no one who can oppose You" (2 Chron. 20:6).
Did we not establish our nation as one under God? Have we not pledged, "In God We Trust"? But now, we find ourselves constantly bombarded with the shrill voices of those who demand we distance ourselves from You; that You are just one of many gods, if You are a god at all; that we cannot risk offending each other by calling on Your name. We hear the enemy insinuating that You are "not fixing this" because You can't fix this. Our faith is being assaulted.
And so our spirits rise up within us and throw off the smothering cloak of spiritualoppression and political correctness. We shout Your name. You are Yahweh. Jehovah—the personal God. The great I Am—the eternal God. The All-mighty—the powerful God. You are Jesus. Savior. Immanuel. God with us, never to leave or forsake us. Your power has not been diluted or depleted over the ages. You are just as powerful, just as much in authority as You were in creation, in the deliverance of Your people from Egypt and in the parting of the Red Sea. You are the one who sends down the fire (2 Chron. 7:1), who fells the giants (1 Sam. 17), who makes wars to cease (Ps. 46:9), who raises the dead! (2 Kings 4:1-37).
I shout Your name: ___________________
We Place Our Trust in You
As we look ahead into the new year, we choose to place our trust in You. If "...the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord" (Ps. 2:2a), we trust in You. If " ... the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains shake with its swelling" (Ps. 46:2b-3), we trust in You.
Though "the nations [roar] the kingdoms ... [move]" (Ps. 46:6a), we trust in You. When "The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay those on the upright path" (Ps. 37:14), we trust in You. We trust You. We trust You!
I trust You when___________________.
I trust You for ___________________.
We Invite You
We are told that we can worship You in our own churches, but we cannot bring You into the marketplace or the workplace, into the State House or the schoolhouse, onto the battlefield or the football field, into the courtroom or the back room or the bedroom. As though the God of gods can be contained, boxed in, restricted, bound, hidden. We laugh at such foolishness and exalt You as the Most High God who strides the winds of the earth. The clouds are the dust of Your feet (Nah. 1:3). The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You (2 Chron. 6:18), how much less any local church building? We invite You to have Your way in our lives. In our state. In our nation. Within our circle.
I invite You into my ___________________.
We Cry Out to You
Now arise, O Lord God. Look on us, Your people who are called by Your name. Listen to us, as we cry out to You on behalf of our nation. Do not reject us. Have pity on us.
We feel the encroaching evil. Darkness and gloom are descending. Those who hate us are infiltrating us. Those who are dedicated to destroying us are all around us. Are You at the head of this army? Is this the beginning of the Day of the Lord? Have we tried Your patience and crossed the line into Your judgment? Are You holding us accountable for our sin and rebellion and defiance, for our profanity and blasphemy and idolatry? "You, even You, are to be feared; and who may stand in Your sight from the moment of Your anger?" (Ps. 76:6). Are You angry?
We Confess Our Sin to You
Most Holy God. As we draw a circle around ourselves, we want to make everything right with You within that circle. So we confess our sin. You are righteous. We are not. You always do the right thing. We have done wrong. We are covered with shame because we know better. We have had generations of blessing and prosperity, yet we have refused to thank You, and instead give ourselves credit for what has come from Your hand. We have agreed with those who contradict Your Word. We have turned away from Your truth, and believed lies. We have treated life casually. We have destroyed our environment selfishly. We have passed by the needy uncaringly. We have demanded entitlements defiantly. We have not listened to those who have warned us of the consequences of drifting from You.
I confess my sin of ___________________.
I will stop ___________________.
I will turn away from___________________.
Thank You for forgiving and cleansing me of ___________________.
We Turn to You
And now, as we look into 2019, we come face to face with a mess. What can be done to save us from ourselves? Even as the question reverberates in our minds, the answer is given: the solution to our spiritual and moral meltdown—to the restoration of the crumbling foundation of our nation—is not politics, nor the economy, nor health care, nor welfare or immigration reforms, nor free higher education, nor the court system, nor corporate or Wall Street regulation. You are the answer. You are the solution. Yet instead of turning to You, we seem to be turning farther and farther away from You. But not now. Now we turn back. We turn around. We re-turn to You. We run to You. We cling to You. We plead with You.
We Ask for Your Blessing
Turn to us! Draw near to us! (James 4:8). If You do not help us, we will be defenseless. If You do not protect us, we will be exposed to danger. If You do not deliver us from evil, we will be overcome by it. If You do not have plans to give us hope and a future, we will slide into the past tense as a nation (Jer. 29:11-13). Into oblivion.
Father of all mercies. You have said that our land is a land that You, the Lord our God, care for; that Your eyes are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end (Deut. 11:11). As You look on our nation from this day forward, to Dec. 31, 2019, we ask for what we know we don't deserve. We ask for Your blessing. Please...
Bless our national and local leaders. Raise up men and women who will lead us back to You. Raise up another Asa, who was fully committed to the Lord all his life (2 Chron. 15:1-17). Raise up another Jehoshaphat who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (2 Chron. 19:4-20:32). Raise up another Josiah who renewed the covenant of his people with You—"to follow the Lord and keep His commands" (2 Chron. 34). Raise up leaders of moral and spiritual integrity who have a strong faith and a healthy reverence for You and therefore the wisdom to make right decisions.
Bless our homeland security teams. Give them eyes to see the bad guys, ears to hear the evil chatter, minds to understand the tweets and codes, and the will to act before the enemy does. Protect us from evil.
Bless our policemen and firemen, our armed forces and border patrol—all those who risk their lives to keep us safe. Restore to them the respect they deserve. Protect their lives and their families. Bring to the light of justice any corruption and abuse, so that we can trust those in uniform. Guard those who guard us.
Bless our judges and prosecutors. Cause them to serve faithfully and wholeheartedly, remembering that they are accountable to You (2 Chron. 19:8-11). Punish those who do wrong. Encourage those who do right.
Bless my___________________
You are the fountainhead from whom all blessings flow. The list of our needs and our requests is endless. Please. Bless our doctors. Our lawyers. Our bankers. Our teachers. Our commissioners. Our farmers.
Bless our preachers, Bible teachers and seminary professors. Like Ezra of old, stir their hearts to be devoted to You first, then to the study and the preaching of Your Word (Ezra 7:10). When they preach or teach, compel them to preach the Word, not books about the Word. Motivate them with holy fear of standing before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the way they have impacted others by their words and by their deeds. Remove those whose lives are out of sync with their lips. Raise up a generation of spiritual leaders that You approve of as workmen who do not need to be ashamed because they correctly handle the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15; 4:1-2). Fill them to overflowing with Your Spirit.
Bless our families. The unloving spirits of infidelity, dishonesty, treachery, hypocrisy, immorality, pornography and adultery are sweeping through our homes. The enemy seems to be attacking us on every level, on every front. A vast army of evil seems to have been unleashed against the home, especially the homes and families of Christ-followers. "We have not strength enough to stand before this great army that is coming against us. And we do not know what we should do, but our eyes are on You" (2 Chron. 20:12). We plead for Your divine protection. We plead for Your divine wisdom to counter the attacks, so that our families are strengthened in their relationship with You. Be the center of our homes.
Lord of love, we pray for You to bless our enemies. Yes, we do. Open their ears to the Truth. Open their minds to understand the gospel. Open their hearts to long for Your love. Draw them to Yourself as moths are drawn to a flame. Your light is stronger than their darkness. Bring them into the light. Save them for all eternity. But if they reject You, we ask that You turn them on each other. Distract them. Destroy them. Prevent them from continuing to attack and persecute the righteous.
Lastly, O God our Father, bless us. Bless me. Make me into a vessel of honor, an instrument "sanctified, fit for the Master's use, and prepared for every good work" (2 Tim. 2:21b). I know the night is coming when work for You will cease.(John 9:4). Help me to redeem the time. Use me now for Your kingdom and Your glory. Open my lips to boldly and fearlessly make known the gospel (Eph. 6:19). the Good News of redemption for the past, hope for the future, joy for the present regardless of circumstances, love that is unconditional, boundless and eternal (Eph. 3:14-19) found at the cross. Open my lips to just give Jesus to a world that is increasingly desperate. Use me as an ambassador of peace on earth by first leading people into a right relationship with You, then with each other. When the world around me unravels, help me to stand strong on my faith in You. And when people see me standing strong, help them to see You.
Bless me.
Make me into ___________________.
Help me to ___________________.
Use me for ___________________.
And now, God of grace, as we pray for the new year, we ask bottom-line that You fill our circles with Your glory. Send down Your Holy Spirit in fullness. Ignite the fire of revival in our own hearts. Protect us. Defend us. Comfort us. Empower us. Equip us as we put on the full armor of God so we can stand against the devil's schemes, so that when the day of evil comes, we may be able to stand our ground, taking up the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and pray. With this in mind, we remain self-controlled and alert while we keep on praying until we prevail in prayer (Eph. 3:14-19). And we keep on watching expectantly. Is 2019 the year of Your return? We hope so! Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20).
For the glory of Your great name,
Amen
Anne Graham Lotz,second child of Billy and Ruth Graham, is the founder of AnGeL Ministries and former chairman for the National Day of Prayer Task Force. She has authored 15 books, including her latest, The Daniel Prayer.
*This prayer was originally a call for prayer on Jan. 1, 2016, and appeared at annegrahamlotz.org.
Great Resources to help you excel in 2019! #1 John Eckhardt's "Prayers That..." 6-Book Bundle. Prayer helps you overcome anything life throws at you. Get a FREE Bonus with this bundle. #2 Learn to walk in the fullness of your purpose and destiny by living each day with Holy Spirit. Buy a set of Life in the Spirit, get a second set FREE.
"The word of the Lord came to me again: 'What do you see?'" (Jer. 1:13).
I'm sitting here in a snowstorm two weeks before Christmas, in between back-to-back chemo treatments, wondering ... what do I "see"?
At 70 years of age, why did I come down with cancer? My cancer is potentially fatal. It struck swiftly and unexpectedly. It required immediate, prompt, drastic surgery and follow-up treatments that include chemotherapy and radiation. Through our prayers and God's answers, I believe I will be victorious over it. But the word of the Lord has come to me, "Anne, what do you see?"
As I have contemplated the answer in light of my present circumstances, I have wondered ... Could it be there is more to my cancer at the age of 70 than just a random coincidence?
In the Bible, God often had His spokespersons live out the message He gave them ... before they delivered the message to the people. For example:
—Hosea was instructed to marry a woman who then became unfaithful to him as he lived out in a very personal way the broken heart of God over unfaithful Israel (Hos. 1:11-14).
—Jeremiah was told to purchase a linen belt, wear it, bury it, then dig it up when it was ruined and useless to live out a demonstration that God had bound Jerusalem to Himself, but she would not listen to Him, so He would ruin her and render her useless (Jer. 13:1-11).
—Isaiah lived out his own vision of the Lord, high and seated on the throne (Isa. 6:1) before he revealed that God's people would also see the Lord. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them the light has shined" (Isa. 9:2). "For unto us a child is born ... And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6).
For years, I have believed that my life was entwined with the nation of Israel. I was born one week to the day after her rebirth. We are both 70 years old. Could it be that God has given me a message for her that I am living out in my own experience? This is what I seem to see.
In Israel's 70th year:
—Just as my cancer is a potentially fatal disease, is Israel also in danger of being attacked in a potentially fatal way?
—Just as my cancer struck suddenly and unexpectedly through no fault of my own, will Israel also be struck by her enemies suddenly and unexpectedly through no fault of her own?
—Just as I have not been immediately and quickly delivered from cancer, will Israel also not be quickly delivered from her enemies as she was in the 1967 war?
—Just as I am having to fight the cancer with chemotherapy cell by cell, will Israel also have to fight her enemies region by region, village by village, street by street, house by house?
—Just as I have had to turn to God to be my defender, refuge and strength throughout this cancer journey, is it time also for Israel to turn to the God of her fathers, to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? The God of Moses and Joshua and David? Now, before it's too late.
The warning I feel deep within is that Israel is in danger of a surprise attack in this, her 70th year. This is the message God has placed on my heart for her:
Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to Me with all your heart,
and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning. Rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents from punishing. Who knows? He might turn aside and relent, and He might leave behind a blessing (Joel 2:12-14a).
And this is the message God has placed on my heart for you and me, for God's people. It's time, once again, to: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May they prosper who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!" (Ps. 122:6-7).
It's time to pray for Jerusalem and for the whole house of Israel. If you agree, please join me in prayer:
Our Father in heaven. God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are the eternal I AM. The one who is age to age the same. There is no shadow of turning with You. You are fully present in every generation—past, present and future. You are the Almighty. Your power has not been deleted or depleted over the millennia of human history.
We know that You so loved the world that You gave us heaven's treasure when You sent Your only Son to die, so that anyone and everyone who places their faith in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Yet we also know that Your great heart of love still longs to pour out Your blessing on the city and the people that You have uniquely chosen as Your own: Jerusalem. The house of Israel. The Jews.
Your people and the city that bears Your name are surrounded by a vast multitude of hostile, evil men seeking to kill and destroy. Men who behead those who refuse to embrace their evil dogma, who bury alive those who refuse to submit to their will, who crucify those who are identified with Your Son. And now these demonic forces are on the verge of being equipped with nuclear weapons and with WMDs. They are tunneling under Israel's borders, funneling in their weapons and terrorists, ready to rise up and slaughter the innocent. Your people are subjected to the continuing barrage of enemy missiles and fiery parachutes that destroy farms and families, communities and children, while shattering peace and serenity.
One ceasefire after another promises peace, but when Israel's land is divided and surrendered for peace, when people cry out for peace, peace–there is no peace. Are You not the God who rules over all the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You. You are the defender of the weak. You are our refuge and strength. An ever-present help in times of trouble (Ps. 46:1).
Hear us, great Jehovah God. We are compelled to pray for Your people because they are facing their enemies without the strength, wisdom, peace, comfort, security and hope that You reserve for those who are indwelt by Your Spirit through faith in Your Son, Jesus. They have no deep, blessed assurance that their sins are forgiven, that eternal life is theirs and that a heavenly home is waiting to welcome them.We are compelled to pray because:
—You have promised that You will give Your people a new heart and put a new spirit within them; that You will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh (Ezek. 11:19).
—You have promised that in the very last days, You will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication (Zech. 12:10-12).
—You have promised that You will open the eyes of the spiritually blind, and they would look on You, the One they have pierced (Acts 26:18, Zech. 12:10).
—You have promised that all of Israel, tribe by tribe, clan by clan, family by family, will mourn for their sin of rebellion and rejection of their Messiah (Zech. 12:11-14).
—You have promised that on that day of national mourning and repentance, all of Israel will be saved. That the deliverer will come from Zion; that You will turn godlessness away from Jacob (Rom. 11:26-27).
—You have promised that You will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and You will cleanse them (Hos. 14:4).
—You have promised that they will be Your people, and You will be their God (Ezek. 37:23).
—You have promised that You will make an everlasting covenant of peace with them (Ezek. 37:26).
—You have promised that one day, and we believe soon, You will set aside 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel who have been redeemed and on whose foreheads You write Your name, to be proclaimers of the gospel to the whole world (Rev. 7:1-4, 14:1-5).
—You have promised that You will go out and fight against the nations that come against Your people, that You will set Your feet on the Mount of Olives once again, that You will be King over the whole earth (Zech. 14:3-4, 9).
O Abba Father! We do not ask for what we want or what we hope. We are asking You to do what You have said! You are a great covenant-keeping God. You do not mock Your children. You keep Your word. So, be a wall of fire around Jerusalem. Cause Your power and glory in her midst to return her to You with all her heart. For the glory of Your great name, the Prince of Peace, Yeshua the Messiah, Amen.
Anne Graham Lotz, second child of Billy and Ruth Graham, is the founder of AnGeL Ministries and former chairman for the National Day of Prayer Task Force. She has authored 15 books, including her latest, The Daniel Prayer.
Help Charisma stay strong for years to come as we report on life in the Spirit. Become an integral part of Charisma’s work by joining Charisma Media Partners. Click here to keep us strong!
