Convention of States has had a hard year in 2018. For the first time since the movement started, we have not seen any states pass our resolution in a calendar year—at least so far. Right now we are targeting Michigan with our prayers, but before that it was North Carolina, and before that Iowa and Mississippi.
Any believer—or movement—that invests serious energy, time, and passion into prayer has to wrestle to find the right perspective when the results don't look the way they hope. While we should always pray with as much expectation and optimism as God gives us grace for, we can’t ignore the question: what if the vote fails in Michigan, and even the next few states beyond that?
Does that mean our prayers were all a waste of time?
I do believe that God responds to specific requests for specific needs, and so we can expect that prayer for Michigan will have an impact on Michigan. But I also think it’s important to keep in mind the larger purposes of prayer.
- Prayer demonstrates faith in God. The Apostle Peter tells us that our faith is of greater value to God than gold. In fact, without faith it is impossible to please God at all. One of God’s favorites, Job, wrestled with him extensively without seeing immediate answers.
- Effective prayer requires perseverance. Jesus made it very clear that we are expected to pray and not give up. Why? Because, as Peter also tells us, perseverance is a part of godly character.
- True prayer aligns us with God’s purposes. Jesus laid out the greatest prayer we can pray: “Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s will may look quite different from ours, but isn’t his what we really want?
God is looking for those whose hearts are fully committed to him. Through persevering prayer we can position Convention of States as a movement that invites his divine presence and favor.
