Fifty Days of Prayer for the National Election 2012 – Day 31

Day 31 October 18th
Focus: Immigration
 Democrat Party Platform
Immigration overhaul would include bringing “undocumented immigrants out of the shadows,” requiring illegal immigrants “to get right with the law, learn English and pay taxes” to get on a path toward citizenship. It also calls for a visa system that meets the country’s “economic needs, keeps families together and enforces the law.”
Republican Party Platform
“We oppose any form of amnesty for those who, by intentionally violating the law, disadvantage those who have obeyed it.” Demands that the Justice Department halt lawsuits against Arizona, Alabama and other states that have enacted tough measures against illegal immigrants. Says federal funding should be denied to universities that provide in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants. Advocates making English the official national language.
“I have made the earth, the men, and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I give it to whomever it seems right and suitable to Me.” Jer. 27: 5
“But God made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.” Jer. 10: 12
Almighty God, Ruler of all Nations,
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to You, LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before You. (Ps. 22: 27) We will be still, and know that You are God; You will be exalted among the nations, You will be exalted in the earth. (Ps. 46: 10) You will be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. (Ps. 57: 5, 11) May Your ways be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. (Ps. 67: 2) Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are Your inheritance.” (Ps. 82: 8) The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere Your glory. (Ps. 102: 15) Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let Your glory be over all the earth. (Ps. 108: 5) Praise be to Your glorious Name forever; may the whole earth be filled with Your glory. Amen and Amen. (Ps. 72: 19)
How foolish is man to think he has the power to establish boundaries and rule the nations. You, LORD, are high above all the peoples. (Psalm 99: 2) It is for Your purposes that You have divided the world into nations and have established boundaries. We count on Your knowledge of each nation and all who live within them and Your redemptive purpose for each nation. We ask You to forgive the sins of the nations because You have given Christ as a ransom for all men. (1 Tim. 2: 6) You count as worthy the blood of Your Son, Who died for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2: 2)
In obedience to Your command, we pray first for all those in authority over the nations of the world. We ask You to establish righteous government and leadership within each nation, because You connect good government with the salvation of men. You promise that those nations which have righteous leaders will be granted lives that are quiet and undisturbed and inwardly peaceable, lives reflecting all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way. You wish all men to be saved and increasingly to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the divine Truth. For there is only one God, and only one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all people, a fact that was attested to at the right and proper time. (1 Tim. 2: 1-6) We do not know the nations of the world as You know them. You rule by Your might forever, Your eyes observe and keep watch over the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves. (Ps. 66: 7) At the End of the Age, there will be in heaven a great multitude that no one can count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the Throne and in front of the Lamb. They will be wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. And they will cry out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Rev. 7: 9)
We pray for the migrants and refugees, the undocumented aliens residing in our country. You, Jesus, crossed every border between Divinity and humanity to make Your home with us. Even Moses said, “I have been an alien in a strange land.” (Exo. 18: 3) This nation was a nation built and populated by immigrants. We now need Your help in forming policies that allow us to continue to be a welcoming beacon for the people of the world while, at the same time, providing protection for our citizens. You have blessed our land richly so that we might be a witness and blessing to the whole earth. Help us to be good stewards of this calling. Help us to see that You are not only sending us to ends of the earth to carry the Good News of salvation, but You are sending the people from the ends of the earth to our doorstep. May we rightly use this opportunity to introduce the nations to Jesus and spread worship of the Most High God.
Jesus, you were born in flight and Your family fled to Egypt as refugees soon after. We pray for all those who are forced to flee from their homes and homelands due to war, violence, oppression, hunger, or economic desperation. Help us, many of whom are ourselves immigrants to this land, to see and serve you in the twelve million undocumented immigrants in our country, and to work for a humane and just immigration policy. Grant us vision to see Your purposes for those seeking new opportunity and freedom, for those displaced by war or seeking asylum.
We pray for our legislators, that as they tackle the problem of illegal immigration, they will…
· make family a priority in immigration law
· address the 12 million undocumented immigrants living in our nation with a godly approach that leads to lawful permanent residence and eventual citizenship
· allow for an earned legalization
· protect worker’s rights and good-faith employers
· respond to the economic, political and social root causes of migration
· respect the dignity of the poor, disenfranchised, and downcast
· keep America safe with a sensible enforcement strategy
· target genuine threats including violent individuals, unscrupulous employers, traffickers and drug smugglers, sex traffickers and those who might exploit the immigration system in order to do our country harm.
May our values reflect Your values, O LORD, as we debate and legislate and enforce laws regarding this critical issue. Amen.
“Real happiness… depends on the love of God, a good conscience, and the exact and faithful discharge of the duties we owe to God and man.” (Charles Carroll, one of Maryland’s leading patriots and only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence)
 We, the people of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty, in order to secure the advantages of a state government, do ordain and establish this constitution. (Preamble to the Constitution of New Mexico)