Thank you for agreeing with us in
prayer for the release of the purpose of God for our state and the
fulfillment of her role with yours in the national destiny that has
been entrusted to us together. May our nation fulfill her call
...
Redemptive Gift and Call
"Alabama" comes from the Native Choctaw tongue meaning "thicket
clearer" - one who clears a path, prepares a way, or clears a field. In
scripture, the concept of “clearing a path” or “preparing the way” is associated
with a prophetic gift or mantle. In addition, the concept of “clearing a field”
is associated with “preparation” for planting or building. Whether the flash
point to birth a number of movements with national consequence, or first to
stand with Israel multiple times, the perceived rights and moral issues
that fuel this call bring tremendous possibility when in right-relation to
God.
~ Please continue to agree in prayer that
Alabama would perceive truly, and see as the LORD sees (that she would
"judge righteous judgment"), for her
greatest stumbling blocks have been when blinded by her own
strength or in standing rightly but perceiving wrongly (as in zeal for
state's rights but blinded to the injustice of slave's rights). Also please
agree for the full maturing of this call, and the needful relationship it has to
that of others for the greatest national impact.
The Cry for Justice - Alabama and the
Nation!
To judge in scripture is more than to condemn the
guilty - it is also to "defend" the right/cause of the
innocent. There is a fierce passion in Alabama to judge/defend one's
right/cause. The state motto, "We Dare Defend Our Rights"
reflects this as does history (the flashpoint in Alabama in relation to the
civil war, later civil rights, and more recently with Judge
Moore were all issues related to real or perceived
"rights").
~ Please continue to agree in
prayer that Alabama will judge righteous judgment and not according to
appearance, that she will execute justice toward the stranger, widow, and orphan
in pleading their cause. Also may she take up the right and cause of the
Native American, the African American, the wavering Courts of our nation,
and the unborn who cannot speak for themselves. Please agree that we
will also take responsibility for where we have erred, that we
may see healing and even restitution come.
Judicial Flashpoint - The Right to Acknowledge
God
Judge Moore provided the flashpoint that finally brought
national awareness to the judicial crisis and our nation's courts. His case
was not about the Ten Commandments, but whether the state
has the right to acknowledge God publicly. All three branches of
federal government acknowledge God, all fifty of our state constitutions
acknowledge God, the U.S. Declaration of Independence acknowledges God, yet
in Moore's case the federal court ruled that states do
not have such a right, continuing the bias of recent years as the
courts have repeatedly overstepped their jurisdiction regarding rights
and freedoms to express faith (which the Constitution protects)
- and is very different from "Congress" legislating
faith (which the Constitution guards against). History bears strong witness
to this - the founders of our nation were not double-minded.
~ Please agree in prayer that
Alabama will be faithful to fulfill her role in this and not stop short of
the promise. Please especially pray for Judge Moore and the Foundation for Moral Law as the next steps
are being taken that could potentially have sweeping national
consequence. With the judicial path now
being exhausted, corrective action to the Justice system is required
to address the jurisdiction that continues to be abused (note: the
acknowledgement of God includes everything from prayer or bibles or the ten
commandments in schools, at football games, etc., to the pledge of allegiance,
to displays of faith in public places, etc.). Please pray for grace and favor to
stand ... as an Elijah on Mt. Carmel - confronting our wavering
nation with the challenge we have avoided ... as a
Moses on Mt. Horeb - as a mediator of the Law from
God and not man.
Following the forced removal of Judge Moore
from office for standing in regard to these things, two specific
passages of scripture continued to come in a strong way when
seeking direction for how to pray:
1.) Dan 3:12-26 - As in the days of Daniel, the
Hebrews were commanded to submit to the King's/Government's decree to deny
their God or be cast into the fire, they chose not to bow (willing to suffer
whatever consequence), they were cast into the fire (but God was found to
be with them), and AFTERWARD there came a
change in the King's word and the law of the land
...
The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004 -
Laying the Axe to the Root
Constitutional Amendments ought not be required whenever the
courts overstep their bounds. The balance of power in our government gives
Congress the right to define/adjust/address any abuse or
jurisdiction regarding the courts. For this reason,
The Constitution Restoration
Act -
national legislation that has been inspired by
Judge Moore, and introduced to Congress by U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt
R-AL (H.R.3799), and U.S. Senator Richard Shelby R-AL (S.2082, S.2323) - is of
critical and national importance.
This legislation
would clarify the jurisdiction of the courts regarding the acknowledgement of
God, address rulings based on international law, and detail impeachment of
judges who abuse their authority. Because
of the wide range of issues the acknowledgment of God includes, this has
the potential to be some of the most significant legislation in several
decades. This legislation would finally lay the axe to the root, and could
have far more sweeping national consequence than had the memorial been allowed
to remain in Montgomery ...
Fervent Prayer:
~ Please agree in prayer for
many more co-sponsors to rise up for this legislation, and for supernatural
favor in the Senate judiciary committee. Please pray, as a church and
nation, we will not miss this moment - with such incredible opportunity
to address the root of this national crisis. Please pray for
a spirit of wisdom and revelation concerning these issues, for there is much
deception and misunderstanding concerning "separation of church and state" -
which this legislation confronts head-on. Please pray that, as the
church, we will no longer remain silent, but answer the call to be a voice of
conscience to this nation regarding all issues of justice.
It is fitting Alabama through
Judge Moore provided the necessary spark to ignite this
flame, and become a catalyst in this national issue which is
rooted in rights, but she alone cannot carry this to
completion. History testifies, and wisdom gives witness, that she without
others will not see the sweeping national impact that must come.
Decisive Action:
~ Please agree in prayer for
understanding and that this legislation would not be perceived as a Judge
Moore or Alabama issue, but a national issue - and that we would
stand together. Also, please agree in prayer that it will not be
perceived as a Republican, Democratic, or partisan issue, but a
"justice" issue pertaining to "freedom and rights." Where judicial issues
have divided our leaders in the past, please pray for breakthrough
and joining together, that for the sake of "righteousness and
justice" the parties would join in support, and for the sake of our nation
there might be a strong testimony after the example of our founding fathers.
Also, please agree in prayer that we will all respond with decisive
action!
a.) Please inform others of this significant legislation and
call them to fervent prayer and decisive
action.
b.) Please take personal responsibility to
contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives and
request they take a stand to defend these liberties and
co-sponsor this bill (and support it
when reaching the floor).
Postal mail is very slow in D.C.
I recommend email, fax, or phone (or all three). Please, do not
underestimate the significance of this - whatever the political persuasion
of your representatives.
You may find your specific representatives web page and
contact information here:
Personal Note - As it would have been sin for
the church to remain silent in the days of Civil Rights, so it would be sin
for us to sit silently by when rights are stripped for our
government/state to acknowledge God publicly. It is bigger than whether
a monument is seen or not publicly. Consider, for example, when
the president stands before the Native American nations and acknowledges the
atrocities that have occurred on behalf of our nation, it is needful that he
also have the right to acknowledge our sin before God (publicly) and deal with
it according to the scripture (and not just issue a nice national apology,
castrated of any reference to God or the offense to heaven as well as
fellow man).
2.) Jn 12:24 - As the seed fell into the ground
and "died" (was buried, seeming to perish, and come to an end), yet this
was needful that it might multiply and bear much fruit ...
On the very day of
Judge Moore's removal, Lou
Engle and The Call were in Alabama on the
Trail
of Prayers in a journey of repentance and intercession relating to justice
and our nation. That very night we had focused prayer for Judge Moore with the
verdict announced, and we specifically prayed according to Jn 12:24. As we
distributed this direction across the state, we were later contacted by
Tom Parker, Judge Moore's spokesman and legal advisor, who
shared he awoke that morning with this scripture on his heart, wrote it down
and put it in his pocket the day of the verdict, and following the verdict
gave it to Judge Moore. That very evening he and some others had the
opportunity to pray this over Moore in a nearby home (the
same
evening we were praying the
same passage elsewhere in the
state).
The Seed Multiplies - Tom Parker just
ran for the
Alabama Supreme Court and was just
elected to the bench (sitting now on the Court from which
Moore was removed). Tom has been instrumental in
Pro-Life, Pro-Family, and Home School legislation among other
things, was deeply involved in the Judicial issues raised by Judge Moore,
and has a passionate heart for God. It is also worth noting when we joined
together in prayer with other states across the nation - each state
with others at the steps of their capitals the Sunday before the election
(with the witness and gift of the
Key
of David ) - that Tom stood and prayed (on behalf of governmental and
judicial leadership) on the steps of the capital in Montgomery.
In
the very place, marked by a bronze star, where Jefferson Davis was inaugurated
as the President of the Confederate State of America - dividing a nation - we
had opportunity to stand in agreement with the states of our union
in national agreement, and with governmental/judicial and church
representation in agreement.
~ Please agree in prayer for
Tom and Dottie Parker as they step into this new area responsibility, that
they might fully understand their calling as it relates to justice, and their
role in the state and nation. Please pray for wisdom and
guidance in judgment, and for revelation and discernment in
these matters of justice which our nation has stumbled over through
the last generation. Please pray that the "seed" would
continue to multiply - in representation in government, in
revelation and understanding of the truth and "real" issues (as they are
so often confused), and in much fruit that would bring glory
to God.
~ Please agree in prayer
that the LORD would be with Tom (and with the courts of Alabama, and with the
state of Alabama as it relates to these matters of justice) as he was with
Aaron the Priest, who bore the breastplate of justice over
his heart, and was the mouth/spokesman for Moses (the mediator of the
Law). Please agree in prayer for healthy relationships to be
established in the court (with judges and staffs). (Note ALL of the
Alabama Supreme Court agreed with Judge Moore and the right of the state
to acknowledge God, but wrestled with whether he should still bow to the
federal court order). Please also pray that any wounds that linger
within the court would be healed, and for a unified court willing to stand
together with a strong voice to our state and
nation.
National Resolution of Apology - Alabama
Hesitation?
Another area where there is a growing cry for healing and
justice is in relation to the Native American issues that have not yet been
addressed. Many of you are aware of the
National
Resolution of Apology to the Native Americans that was introduced
to Congress on the
National
Day of Prayer 2004. It is very significant (both with man and God) that this
is an apology and acknowledgement of wrong - it is a step of repentance - which
is far more than acknowledgement of what tragic things occurred but stopping
short of taking responsibility (what governmental leaders generally have done in
relation to this in the past at both state and federal levels).
There have been some comments from Washington
implying there may have been some private hesitation concerning this
resolution with Senate leadership from Alabama
(along with the thought this hesitation may be due to a questioning of what
this might lead to in Alabama in regard to past African-American issues). If
this is the case, it is very good that governmental leaders are wrestling with
such things. Let the cost be counted, but then may we be willing to do
whatever it takes to take the next steps toward healing.
~ Please agree in
prayer for there to be a true "counting of the cost" by Alabama and all
legislative leaders (though "restitution" is not the intent of this
resolution). Please pray for a true understanding (for both church
and nation) that corporate wrongs cannot go unaddressed without
consequence, that time does NOT heal wounds (unless they are cleansed and bound,
or they will fester and the latter end be even worse), and that we as
a state (or nation) are not excused for what error has occurred merely
because it was by the hand of our fathers rather than our own. Please pray we
will have the wisdom of David who - even being righteous - discovered the
national consequence of past iniquity, and saw healing come to a nation when
addressed (2 Sam 21).
~ Please agree in
prayer for Alabama, that we begin to perceive these things -
especially with such injustice that has occurred in our past. Please
pray that from the shame and reproach of the past, that the LORD would raise up
a voice for true justice, and even grant the necessary "key" to fulfill her
part in opening the gates of Justice in the South, and so bless the nation.
Please agree with us in prayer that as these things are addressed, Alabama
might receive "beauty for ashes" and the "garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness" (Isa 61)
Decisive Action: There is a great need for more
co-sponsors for this historical resolution of apology, especially in the
House.
a.) Please take personal responsibility to
contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives and
request they take a stand and co-sponsor this
national resolution (and support it when reaching the
floor).
Again, postal mail is very
slow in D.C., and so I recommend email, fax, or phone (or all three).
As stated above, you may
find your specific representatives web page and contact information
here:
Presently, in the Senate
it is on the legislative calendar, and in the House is referred to the
Committee on Resources.
Justice and the Unborn - Healing the Past, Shaping the
Future
When seeking God concerning pursuit of deliverance from the
national scourge of abortion, and our despising of life and the unborn, the
LORD directed Lou Engle and The Call to first revisit the highways of pain in
Alabama and the South where such
injustice and atrocity have occurred - particularly the
African-American civil rights journey, and the Native American Trail of
Tears.
Lou Engle was in Alabama again the last week of
December 2004, and stated he believed breakthrough in Alabama
regarding justice, is a key to breakthrough for the nation. He then repeated his
conviction that Alabama's redemptive gift is in
relation to "justice" and reminded us of the dream he had:
"In my dream I was digging in the earth for treasure,
for wells of national revival, and hit something that hindered all
progress. Upon looking closer, I discovered it was bones ... bones of
injustice ... and then I saw something written ... upon the bones
was inscribed, ALABAMA".
~ Please agree with us in
prayer that Alabama will not hide or bury her past, but face
it and be willing to do what is necessary to see true healing and
restoration come, both for our state and for the nation. Please pray that it
would please the LORD to raise up a voice and
"exceeding great army" from these bones as in the days of
Ezekiel. For though they had chosen "death rather than life" (Jer 8:1-4)
- as Alabama in her past, and our nation with Roe v. Wade - yet
with God there was hope for these bones that breath and life and hope and
purpose might still be restored (Ezek 37).
This meeting with leaders in Alabama was to share of the
opening of the
Justice
House of Prayer in D.C. and the
Silent
Seige that
TheCauseUSA
has been in the middle of. He shared that in this cry for justice they had
received some dreams they were praying over regarding a
Birmingham Youth
Movement relating to justice and the unborn. He had been stirred in
realizing that breakthrough came in the
Civil Rights Movement
in
Birmingham when
young people also
began to take up the cause (young people even began filling jails). When
the youth went to battle in Birmingham it turned the tide. Breakthrough
came when the generations united.
~ Please agree in
prayer for wisdom and discernment concerning these dreams, and particularly
whether the LORD is desiring a flash point outside of D.C. in relation to
these things (justice and the unborn) and if Birmingham - and
more specifically the young people in Birmingham - may have a
unique role. Please pray for the a uniting of the generations as in the days of
Joshua, for the divine purpose that the place of promise might be entered
into together. Please pray that grace would be given to overcome evil with good,
pride with humility, rage with meekness, death with life - and for a
uniting of boldness and humility.
There seems to be a significant relationship between
Alabama and what is emerging in D.C. in
relation to this stand for the UNBORN, likely because of
the strong ties relating to justice. There are
now some possibilities being considered in relation to the Justice House of
Prayer and an associated journey in Alabama - in particular, possibly
targeting Selma, Montgomery, and
Birmingham (whether by march, prayer, etc) in relation to
justice in our nation and the unborn.
~ Please agree in
prayer for clear direction concerning the possibilities being considered,
for the witness of the Spirit concerning whether this initiative is to
occur, and if so when, and where (possible anniversaries of march dates in
consideration). Please pray for discernment for leadership involved in these
decisions with so much at stake in this opportune time. Please pray
especially for understanding whether the dreams that have come
regarding Alabama are direction to obey,
or a word/message/principle to be understood (i.e.
whether Alabama's past in the dream is a message to be understood, or a
prophetic mandate that must be walked out).
Levi and the Priestly Role
In seeking direction in how to pray for the state of
Alabama, passages regarding Levi continue to
come. Levi shared in the shame of unjust cruelty and shedding of innocent
blood in Genesis (Gen 50:5-7), and yet from such barren ground the LORD
raised up a holy priesthood. For "executing justice" (Ps 106:30),
the covenant of priesthood was committed to Levi/Phinehas, a covenant of
LIFE and PEACE (Num 25:12-13, Mal 2:4-5).
~ Please agree in prayer that
as a state we might understand how to fulfill the Levitical and priestly role of
truly "executing justice" on behalf of another, the ministry of
reconciliation/peace and of atonement/life through the appropriating of the
Lamb's blood at the altar. Please pray for the intimacy with God and fellow man
that the name Levi (lit. "joined") speaks of and was
intended to know - true covenant and
brotherhood, joined in union with God and one
another. Please pray for intimacy in worship to be known and skill as the
Levites and singers who David set by course to prophesy on
instruments. As Integrity Music - born from the desire to bring
others into God's presence in worship - sprang out of Mobile, AL (Selah!),
please pray this fulfillment of what God had intended would continue to
multiply, and that empty religious forms would give way to life-giving
streams.
~ Please agree in prayer that
where Alabama has stumbled as Levi in treating
holy things common, or profaning the Name of the LORD through mere religious
observance, or in alienating through pride, or in idolatry - whether a calf or
Nehushtan (2 Ki 18:4), that we might return to God in humility. Oh that we
might clearly discern the enemy's fowl attempt to exchange "religion"
for true relationship! Please also pray that Alabama would arise with a
voice as a true messenger of the LORD of Hosts
and messenger of covenant (Mal 2:7), and that Alabama might
know the LORD's presence as refiner's fire that she may offer unto the LORD
an offering in righteousness (Mal 3:1-3) Please agree that
where Alabama has profaned the Name of the LORD, that now He would sanctify
His great Name in her that the unbelieving might know He alone is the LORD (Ezek
36:23).
"One Thing"
One Thing (
http://www.onethingglobal.com) is a
gathering springing out of IHOP - KC that this year will also occur in 7
states, and Alabama is one of those. For some time I have suspected there is a
relationship between the growing
Tent/Tabernacle of David
expression of Worship and Intercession (as at IHOP and elsewhere) and the
establishing of
Righteousness and Justice because Isaiah
prophesied when the LORD sat in His throne in that tabernacle,
these
are what He would seek after.
"And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon
it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and
seeking justice, and hasting righteousness."
(Isa 16:5)
~ Please agree in prayer that the LORD
might ignite something through the One Thing gathering in
Alabama, that as a state we would begin discern how to minister unto the
LORD in the fullness of the expression of the Tabernacle of David, for it is a
key for harvest (Amos 9:12), and for justice (Isa 16:5). Please pray
for leadership as they seek to understand the strategic location for this
unique gathering, and for Mike Bickle and Lou Engle as the LORD continues to
join them in an extraordinary way in this call to mobilize intimacy and
activism.
Brief History of ALABAMA
The earliest inhabitants of Alabama were Native Americans with the first
journey inland by Europeans being Spanish explorers in the 16th century under
Hernando De Soto. By the 18th century few of the peoples De Soto met were still
organized under the same names, with most Native peoples now members of four
major Native American Nations (the Cherokee, the Chickasaw, the Choctaw, and the
Creek Confederacy). The French colonized Alabama in 1682 as part of Louisiana,
but the French Indian War in 1763 gave the British ownership and all of Alabama
north of Florida became Reservation Lands for the Indians. White settlement in
this reservation without permission of the Native Americans was forbidden by
king’s order. After the Revolutionary War in 1783 Alabama was given to the
United States, who formed the Mississippi Territory including present day
Alabama and Mississippi.
In the early 1800s the Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812, and Creek War all
had a profound impact on Alabama which became a separate Territory, and then on
December 14, 1819, the 22nd state of the Union. The state capital moved from
Huntsville, to Cahaba, to Tuscaloosa, and finally to Montgomery. With an influx
of settlers the population more than doubled, and pressure intensified with
Native Americans. Under President Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) these Indian
nations were forced to give up their lands and move west of the Mississippi.
Cotton became the cash crop of Alabama and the plantation system, organized
around slave labor, adopted from Virginia. Southern states were convinced
slavery was essential for agriculture and the North just trying to dominate the
economy, so the platform of Southern Rights led Alabama to finally secede from
the Union following Lincoln’s election in 1860. Alabama called the other states
to Montgomery in 1861 to form a Southern nation, the Confederate States of
America, with Montgomery the first capital of the Confederacy. In the
reconstruction following the Civil War, Alabama refused to ratify the 14th
Amendment extending rights to blacks, and was put under military rule until
finally readmitted to the union in 1868. Railroads were built and industry began
to emerge afterward, though a system of sharecropping continued and segregation
of public facilities was the standard at the end of the century.
Industrial and economic growth in the early 1900s was halted by the
Depression, and Alabama’s delegation in Congress provided leadership in the
recovery with the New Deal and TVA. In the 1950s Civil Rights efforts began to
focus on integration and with the flashpoint of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery
Bus Boycott, Dr. Martin Luther King led both the state and nation toward radical
reform. Resistance to the Supreme Court ruling on segregation required President
Kennedy to enforce it with the National Guard, but it still wasn’t until 1970
that most blacks attended integrated schools. Aggressive pursuit of industry
continued in the late 20th century with the manufacturing and service industries
providing the greatest contribution to the economy.
John Buhler
Alabama State Coordinator
U.S. Strategic Prayer Network
