JEFFERSON CITY — Mark Snowden, the new evangelism/discipleship strategist for the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC), sees the Oct. 7 “Day of Prayer and Humiliation Before the Lord” as a great entry point for his prayer and spiritual awakening emphasis.
“What better way to experience God at work than to pray on October 7 for our next president and others being elected?” Snowden said. “Followers of Jesus are the most powerful force on the planet, but only if they pray. Can you imagine what would happen if every Missouri Baptist church would drop their heads and kneel before Almighty God? And may what begins as a spark on October 7 continue to burn brightly throughout the next presidential term.”
Totalitarianism flourishes when Christians are AWOL.
“A dictator was once credited for saying, ‘What luck for rulers that men do not think,’” Snowden said. “When we do not pray about the election, we forfeit more than the right to vote. That would be like saying, ‘What a break for ungodly leaders that men do not pray.’
“We may not live under a dictator, but in our democracy praying men who can act on God’s leading in their lives wield the full power of the kingdom of God. Joining that cause on October 7 opens our hearts to God’s leadership. Jesus said, ‘When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come’ (John 16:13). Praying opens our hearts to hear His truth. Will God’s man be elected or will someone else become our leader because men did not pray?”
Snowden then outlined his own personal prayer on the matter.
“I pray that Missouri Baptists will kneel before God, ask Him for forgiveness, pour out their heart to Him, and listen to His voice,” he said. “Only then will Christian citizens be in alignment with Him. And only then will God be free to work through voters as well as our nation’s leaders to make laws and enforce them so that they bring glory to His name. October 7 is an opportunity to seek God’s face, wisdom, and will for our next Missouri and national leaders.”