It’s becoming more and more obvious that our nation desperately needs prayer. As the Chairperson for the National Day of Prayer Task Force, it was my privilege to record a video inviting people all over the nation to gather together on May 4th to intercede for America. You can view the video that was taped in my office by clicking here.
Throughout history, God has honored the prevailing prayers of His people. One example comes from the first century BC when 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. A severe drought was threatening the very existence of Jerusalem. And so the city elders had called for the people to gather outside the city walls. Then they sent for Honi, an old man known for his devout faith.
After he was summoned, the elders instructed Honi, “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.”
At the request of Katie Couric, Yahoo! Global News Anchor, I watched the Presidential Inauguration at a local television recording station, so that I would be available immediately following for an interview with her. But instead of going on immediately, I sat in a chair in front of the television camera for close to two hours waiting to go on. When I did, Katie was friendly and generous as she gave me a fifteen minute segment. Click here to watch.
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.1
During the Convergence Prophecy Conference in San Diego, January 28th, I was honored to be included on a Q & A panel at Maranatha Calvary Chapel. The pastor and my dear friend, Ray Bentley, facilitated the lively discussion that concluded with all of us agreeing the signs are converging dramatically, indicating the return of Jesus is very near. (left to right: Ray Bentley, me, Tom Doyle, Robert Mawire, Bill Koenig)
The story of Honi has made me wonder…how many answers to prayer have I missed because I didn’t push through until I prevailed in prayer? I’m almost afraid to reflect too deeply. But I don’t want to make the same mistake when it comes to interceding for America. I believe this is a time for God’s people to pray. And if ever there was a time to keep praying until we prevail in prayer, it’s now. The national chaos and confusion, anger and accusations, discord and division, fear and frustration, wounds and worry seem to be increasing rather than diminishing following the Presidential Inauguration. Could it be the turmoil and unrest are evidence of a national spiritual drought? Has God indeed backed away, withholding His blessing from America in response to our official and legal demand that He get out of our institutions, government, schools, marketplace, organizations, and businesses? If that is so, then the solution is not political or financial or educational or denominational or organizational. The solution is prayer. Not mechanical prayer. Not lofty, pious prayer. Not shallow or superficial prayer. Not just any prayer, but heartfelt, soul-searching, humble and repentant prayer that is rooted in God’s Word so that Heaven is moved and our nation is changed.
The video taping of The Daniel Prayer Bible Study Curriculum was an intense marathon. Instead of being stressful, the excellent professional team that recorded it turned the entire experience into a rich blessing. (left to right: TJ Rathbun, Mark Weising, Michael Seaton, Jon Cairns)
God has promised in His Word, When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain (no blessing), or command locusts to devour the land (environmental disasters) or send a plague among my people (lack of personal, political, relational, social, racial, or financial good health), if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14. Clearly, the key to healing our nation is directly related to you and me, as God’s people, prayerfully, humbly, forsaking our sin as we seek God’s face…His blessing on America.
Would you join me in driving the stake of your faith down deep into God’s Word? Make sure you meet the conditions attached to the promises; then let’s pray together, and keep on praying, until we prevail in prayer.
For His glory,
1 Adapted from The Daniel Prayer, Anne Graham Lotz, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 2016, p.170
In this six-session video Bible study, Anne looks at the life of Daniel and unpacks the prayer he prayed in Daniel 9. Unlike the everyday now-I-lay-me-down-to-sleep kind of prayer, this is a prayer birthed under pressure. A prayer that changes hearts and nations—even in our world today. A prayer that works. Learn how to pray as Daniel did.
The greatest gift you can give a child is to introduce him or her to Jesus. Join Anne and her daughter, Rachel-Ruth Wright, Bible teacher and mother of three, as you learn how to be intentional about passing the baton of truth to the next generation. This seminar presents Biblical teaching that challenges parents and grandparents alike.
newsletter.If you would like to receive AnGeL Ministries’ full newsletter by email or postal delivery, click here to sign up for our free resources!
A couple of years ago, I shared with you an excerpt from the manuscript of my new book, The Daniel Prayer. The excerpt described the function of lighthouses which serves as an effective illustration of the dangerous, destructive condition of spiritual darkness, and the necessity of a guiding Light if we are to make it triumphantly Home.
I am a lifelong North Carolinian. While I don’t know as much as I should about this beautiful state, I do know that our coast is very rugged. It has been nicknamed the Graveyard of the Atlantic because so many ships have come to ruin on its Outer Banks. So the shoreline is dotted with lighthouses. The purpose of each one is to reveal to the passing ships where they are. Lighthouses help ships find their way safely in the dark. Without them, ships have to guess their way through very dangerous waters and currents. Many ships, although navigating to the best of their ability without the light, have run aground on the submerged rocks and been broken up by the pounding waves.
One can imagine what would happen if there was no guiding or warning light coming from the shore, either because it was dim or had gone out. Ships would flounder in the hostile, changing sea. Some vessels might make it through to safety, but others would wind up wrecked on the shoreline. I used this example to underscore the imperative of letting our Light shine in this dark, dangerous world so that by our words and actions, we point people to the safety that is found in a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
As I reflect on this example now, there is another critical message that has come to mind, and it’s this: I can’t imagine a ship passing through the dangerous currents and sandbars without straining to see the beacon of light streaming from the lighthouse. What ship would disregard the critical information of where it is, or ignore the light that warns of danger? What ship would not desperately want what the light offers which is safe passage through the misty foam and fog, the wind and the waves?
Our world today is like the waters of North Carolina’s Outer Banks: treacherous…undulating…confusing…stormy…dangerous.
While some Christians seem to dim the Light because of their timidity, fear of what others think, or a desire to be politically correct, others are simply ignoring the Light. They seem to be guessing their way through the darkness. They seem to have no idea they have entered into very treacherous waters with no guided path to safety. They don’t make time to read their Bibles, or if they do, they don’t seem to connect the dots between what the Bible says and what is happening in our world today. They’re not looking for the Light!
Which are you? Are you letting your Light so shine before others that they can see where they are, and where they need to be in their faith? And while you are helping others find their way, do you continue to stay focused on the Light yourself? Don’t get distracted! Don’t be diverted! Don’t get off course, even a little. Keep watching—read your Bible daily, stay informed of current events–so that you know where you are and can navigate a safe course through the dangerous days in which we live. Jesus is coming! Keep watching!
For the glory of His Name…
Join Anne, with special guests Bill Koenig (White House Correspondent and international journalist) and Rabbi Jonathan Cahn (author of The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah), in a thrilling, provocative, and very timely challenge to Keep Watching the signs of the times that point to a climactic end to human history as we know it.
Although the world may look like it is falling apart, the Bible tells us that it is really just falling into place — right at the feet of Jesus. Immerse yourself in the book of Joel and expand your understanding of the urgency of biblical prophecy for today. And just as God has a plan and purpose for the human race, He also has a plan and purpose for your life. So…wake up! Don’t miss out on what He has for you! Keep watching!
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Five days before The Daniel Prayer was released, it was announced that I would take Shirley Dobson’s place as the Chair of The National Day of Prayer Task Force. While this had not been pre-planned by any human agent, it underscored that God is the Master of Perfect Timing! And it was drastic confirmation that He is indeed calling me, and His people, to pray with a fresh intensity during these tumultuous days of national storms.
Storms are rocking our world! Environmental storms that include earthquakes, floods, and forest fires; political storms such as Brexit or our own national, state and local elections; racial storms that boil over onto city streets and destroy peace; financial storms bringing despair with 94 million people out of work in America; medical storms as millions of people are enslaved by prescription drugs and heroin; international storms as Europe is invaded by refugees, conflict continues to rage in the Middle East, China builds up its military presence in the China Sea, and North Korea successfully launches long-range missiles. Each and every storm is not only life-threatening, but historically and potentially redefining a new normal. The storms are stunning in their number, in their scope, and in their powerful intensity!
What a privilege it was in July to call the 1300 people who gathered for the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines to pray as Daniel prayed. And it was a personal blessing to reconnect with four ordinary women whom God used in an extraordinary way to “just give Iowa Jesus” – filling the Wells Fargo Arena for our revival in 2008. (left to right: Lou Gray, Linda Osterhout, Judy Lauterbach and Sherry Griggs)
It’s time for you and me to take a deep breath, quiet our hearts, look up, and listen to what God has to say! Job reminds us that God speaks through storms!
Job was an Old Testament man who experienced devastating storms in his own life that included the total loss of his property, family, health, and reputation. The storms threatened to unravel his faith and his relationship with God. And then God spoke to Job out of the storm. Through His Word, He revealed Himself to Job. He reminded Job of His power. Of His sovereignty. Of His absolute authority over everything and everyone. Job’s response was to bow in worship as he accepted the storms God had allowed in his life… because of who God is.
In April I spoke to those gathered during a rain and snow storm on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, calling them to repent of their sin. Was God using the wretched weather to test the seriousness of our humility, prayer, and repentance as we sought His face on behalf of our nation? While I don’t know the answer to that question, I do know God spoke in that storm.
Ezekiel was another Old Testament man who had been taken captive in Judah, then transported 800 miles east to Babylon. While Daniel and others in his group were taken into the king’s palace where they were put into service, Ezekiel was discarded. He wound up in a refugee camp, sitting on a garbage dump beside a dirty irrigation canal. As he gazed into the distance, he saw “a windstorm coming out of the north…an immense cloud with flashing lightning….”1 Spread out above the storm was a crystal platform, and on the platform was a throne of sapphire, and on the throne was the figure of the Son of Man. Then the Man spoke to Ezekiel from the storm, and Ezekiel listened. He found a new sense of purpose as his life was redirected into giving God’s Word to God’s people.
Rich Bott became a dear friend when I joined the National Religious Broadcasters delegation to Israel in 2014. What a thrilling surprise and absolute blessing to learn that Living in the Light now airs every Saturday morning on the Bott Radio Network that includes 95 stations.
The disciples of Jesus also found themselves in a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus saw them struggling and so He came to them in the storm. But they were terrified! So He spoke to them from the storm, Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid. His Word and His presence then brought peace.
Storms are an ideal time to listen to the Word of God. Because it’s through God’s Word that we refocus on who God is, finding comfort, peace, wisdom, security, purpose, strength, and hope.
As storms break out in our world…as storms break out in your world…double down on your commitment to read your Bible. Every day. Because God speaks out of the storms. Don’t miss what He has to say by getting caught up in the whirlwind of fear, panic, frustration, or anger. Instead. Center down. Listen…with your eyes on the pages of your Bible.
For His glory,
1 Ezekiel 1:4
“Awesome 8 days. GOD is speaking in every area of my life. If your goal was a revival, as far as I’m concerned you succeeded in a great big beautiful way!” – T
“What a life changing time these precious 8 days have been. It was as if I was personally walking through the Bible – there at every scene. Reading and listening was amazing. As a Christian of 27 years it feels as if I have started my walk afresh. If that isn’t enough I then opened my book ‘The Daniel Prayer’ and it was at page 131 that I started! SO, I wrote down my sins, added, subtracted three times and then prayed as instructed and today I feel completely different – a sense of peace I have missed for a long time.” – N
“Thank you so much for your tireless efforts to make God Speaking such a huge success! Stories from the Old Testament and the words of Christ in the New Testament have been absolutely riveting!” – L
“I am from Malaysia and I must thank you for God Speaking. I am still listening to the broadcast and was so inspired (Praise our Great God) that I started a weekly reading of Genesis with my aging mother (94) who reads from her Chinese Bible!! The Lord has kept His Promise to me to bless me when I devote my time to listening. When I heard that you are convinced our Lord Jesus Christ will return in your lifetime, I was very pumped to the point of being rapture ready daily. As a result, I always take the chance to share the Gospel in my community. Psalm 121″ – A
“I can’t begin to thank you enough for inviting me and so many others to receive the special eight-day gift of God Speaking. I knew it would be good but it was so powerful as His Word took hold of my heart in every verse.” – H
Now Available: Audio Book on CD or MP3-CD
Listen as Anne reads her newest book, which is based on Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9. It will help you pray effectively for your nation, for your family, and for yourself.
Changed my life! Practicing the principles daily right now and have given each Board Member of a ministry a copy! — R.
Thank you, Mrs. Lotz, for your testimony of personal struggle with prayer, (that speaks to) those of us who also struggle. — M.
I’ve read your book The Daniel Prayer and reading it again. Very powerful and in-depth teachings on prayer…the best book by far, that I’ve ever read on prayer! Savoring every word! — R.
One of the ladies at a retirement center shared that she’d read an excerpt from Anne’s book, The Daniel Prayer, and wept. She said she felt God telling her to start a prayer group at the retirement center. She is 90 years old! — E.
The Daniel Prayer Audio Book on CD
The Daniel Prayer Hardback Book
Special Discounted Price – Your Choice for $20 Each
Get into His Word using one of Anne’s class Bible Studies. Each study has a DVD and Leader Guide. Participant guides may be purchased separately. We are offering each study at a discounted price of $20 until January 31, 2017. Click here for more details.
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God has called me to give out His message. The name for this ministry has been a play on my initials, AGL, because in Scripture angels are God’s messengers.
For the past several years, God has burdened my heart with His message to call His people to repentance, revival, and a recommitment to serious prayer. Many of you have joined with me in one or more of our five online prayer initiatives: 777: An Urgent Call to Prayer; 911: An Urgent Call to Pray for Jerusalem; Mayday! Mayday! A Distress Call for Prayer; 911: A Recall to Pray for Jerusalem; and 111: Preprayer for the New Year.
It’s interesting to note that at the beginning of all things, in Genesis 1, God used prayer—the preparation of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters of a formless, empty planet, and the proclamation of His Word—and God said—to transform our world physically.1
At the center of all things, after the Cross, the resurrection, and the ascension of Jesus, His disciples prayed for 10 days. Then, on the day of Pentecost, Peter proclaimed God’s Word. Not only were 3,000 people saved on that one day, but the Church was born.2 Once again our world was transformed, this time spiritually.
At the end of all things—which is where I believe we are today—the apostle Paul charges us to preach the Word.3 The apostle Peter exhorts us, when the end of all things is near, to be self-controlled so that you can pray.4
I have accepted Paul’s charge. I will continue to proclaim God’s messages from His Word, undergirded by AnGeL Ministries. But in addition, Peter’s exhortation has reverberated in my heart. While I have never considered myself a “prayer warrior,” and have even struggled with prayer in many ways, I have felt very compelled to pray, and to rally God’s people to pray also.
In retrospect, I can see that all of this was God’s preparation for me to be the new Chairperson of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. To confirm that this position was from God, like Daniel, I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting…5 God answered my prayer with a clear affirmation that this was His will. With joy, and some trepidation, I accepted this position.
Now I’m on tiptoe in my spirit, filled with expectancy to see what God will do. In a unique way, I will do my best to combine prayer and the proclamation of God’s Word in what I pray will be a powerful and effective movement of God’s Spirit. Who knows? Perhaps, by God’s grace and mercy, once again we will see worldwide transformation. Maybe…just maybe…God will use us to help prepare the hearts of His people for the return of the King.6
Please. Stand with me…on your knees. Pray for me as I give leadership to these two organizations. Pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
For the glory of His Name…
1 Genesis 1:1-31
2 Acts 1:12-14; 2:1, 14-47
3 2 Timothy 4:1-2
4 1 Peter 4:7
5 Daniel 9:3
6 Revelation 5:6-8
God is Speaking…Will You listen?
…Blessed are those you hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. — Revelation 1:3
Join together August 1-8, 2016 as we listen to God’s Word being read.
In the 8th month — August
For the first 8 days
For 8 hours — one hour per day
In these days of chaos and confusion, hopelessness and helplessness, what would happen if everyone hit life’s pause button and made time to listen to what God has to say? Let’s find out.
Catch the vision. Let’s ignite revival.
Partner with Anne Graham Lotz and Faith Comes by Hearing to saturate our nation and the world with God’s Word. Available in over 900 languages – online and on radio.
Click here to listen to Anne share about God Speaking.
Every day since she was a young girl, Anne Graham Lotz has been reading Daily Light, the life-changing devotional of Scripture compilations given to her by her mother, Ruth Bell Graham. Published originally in 1794 by Samuel Bagster, this is a revised leather-bound edition of the morning readings from the classic Daily Light. It includes Anne’s summary of that day’s Scripture, along with her thought-provoking questions and space for journaling.
Anne’s new book, based on Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9, will help you pray effectively for your nation, for your family, and for yourself. Anne answers questions such as:
Walk with Anne and find out just how far your prayers can take you.
If you would like to receive AnGeL Ministries’ full newsletter by email or postal delivery, click here to sign up for our free resources!
One of the blessings of participating in the National Religious Broadcasters Convention was the joy of reconnecting with old friends. Keith and Kristyn Getty sang before and after I spoke, leading all of us into the presence of God through their very worshipful music.
From time to time a friend will ask, “Anne, how can I pray for you?” My answer is often: “Please pray for wisdom. Discernment. I have so many decisions to make I need God’s clear direction.” If a prayer request could be worn out from repetition, then my prayer for wisdom is tattered and shredded. Besides my constant prayer, “Help!” the request for wisdom is the one I repeat most often. I need discernment regarding people. Insight into the Scriptures. Understanding of issues and situations. The mind of Christ. God’s wisdom to even know how to pray. Apparently, Daniel did, too.
One of the striking aspects of the Daniel prayer is that it was answered while he was praying. It seems illustrated by an experience I had in childhood…
It was a high privilege to give the closing message at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. I challenged those gathered to use their influence to get God’s people to pray like Daniel did—by their own example.
The first pair of binoculars I ever used belonged to my Daddy. They were very large, very heavy, and very black. He kept them in a big brown leather case, and I had to handle them carefully so as not to drop or damage them. I remember looking through them in order to be the first to spot the Indigo Bunting, a small bird that returned to our house every year. His appearance signaled the beginning of summer, and so it was much anticipated.
3 John 4 says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Unless it’s also to see my children imparting that truth to others. What an unspeakable blessing to share the platform with my daughter, Rachel-Ruth Wright, at the Calvary Chapel Women’s Leadership Conference in California. Her message based on Joshua 23 challenged those present to choose to be women of godly influence. Her life is a demonstration of her message.
He would make his presence known by the unique tune he sang while perched precariously on the very top of the maple tree below the rail fence in our front yard. He was so small that to my naked eye he looked like a black speck. When I first spotted him in the early summer, I would run get Daddy’s binoculars to verify the Indigo Bunting had returned.
However, when I first looked through the binoculars in his direction, everything would be blurred and out of focus: trees, leaves, mountains, sky, clouds all seemed to run together like a disoriented kaleidoscope. So holding the heavy binoculars as still as I could while adjusting the ring between the two eye-pieces, I would see him gradually come into sharp focus—a small, bright blue bird with black wings, swaying in the breeze on the top of the tree, heralding summer with his lilting tune.
Following the devotional I shared with the international staff of Trans World Radio, I was given the privilege of speaking to the “world” by way of their radio broadcast. How I praise God for their commitment to take the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the globe.
Sometimes my prayers remind me of those binoculars. Occasionally when I’ve begun to pray, my vision seems blurred. Fuzzy. As though my prayer is out of focus because I don’t know exactly what to pray for or how to pray. But like adjusting the focus on the binoculars while I looked through them, I’ve found that as I pray, my thoughts become clearer, my focus sharper, and my requests more specific.
Daniel seems to have experienced this while praying because he states that God gave him insight and understanding, “While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people…while I was still in prayer…” (Dan. 9:20-22). It’s encouraging to me to know I don’t have to know specifically how or what to pray in order to submit to my Father’s guiding whisper. Sometimes I’m intimidated to pray beyond the limits of what I can imagine or understand. But as I am praying, God can bring to my mind the thoughts and ideas that have eluded my own understanding.
What fun it is to attend a University of North Carolina Lady Tarheels basketball game. On this occasion I stood on the court along with the former NC governor, Beverly Purdue, and the University Chancellor, Carol Folt, as the Hall of Fame Coach, and beloved friend, Sylvia Hatchell, presented a large donation to the cancer fund named in honor of her former arch rival, NC State’s Coach Kay Yow.
Why is it that I think after I pray it’s my responsibility to do all I can to bring about the answer? Why do I take the battle into my own hands? Like a drowning person who tries to “help” the rescuer, I wonder how many times I have actually hindered God’s answer to my prayers. I find it encouraging to be reassured that I don’t have to know everything, understand everything, analyze everything before I pray for something.
This is true for all of us. We don’t have to have a clear comprehension of what the need is or what the solution should be. We don’t have to tell God how to “fix” things or even suggest what His course of action might be. We don’t have to solve the problem for Him. What a relief it is to know all we have to do is to get down on our knees and state the problem. The burden to resolve the situation is His, not yours and mine.
So…when I need insight and understanding, I get down on my knees.
For His glory,
1Adapted from Chapter One, The Daniel Prayer, Anne Graham Lotz, Zondervan Publishing, May 2016.
Release Date – May 10, 2016
Anne’s new book, based on Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9, will help you pray effectively for your nation, for your family, and for yourself. Anne answers questions such as:
Walk with Anne and find out just how far your prayers can take you.
Pre-order your copy today through any online retailer and receive exclusive bonus gifts from Anne.
Please click here to learn more.
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