Daphne was standing in the hall of the local courthouse holding her Bible. She was wearing her Pray for the Courts badge when a man came up. “Are you here to pray that God will rain down fire from heaven and burn this place to the ground?”
She replied, “Not at all. This is the best system on the planet. It may be flawed, and whenever human beings are involved, it will be flawed. May I explain to you why we pray?”
“Go ahead,” he nodded.
She said, “Our judges, attorneys, judicial staff, mediators, case workers, bailiffs, security officers, even the maintenance crews–are steeped in every kind of brokenness daily. They are surrounded by evil, wickedness, lies, broken people, broken contracts, broken hearts, broken friendships and broken relationships. They wonder about it. They lose sleep over it. It inhabits their thoughts day and night. This is where all these workers live every day.
“We can criticize them for becoming a little jaded. But perhaps they could use prayer for protection from the evil they’re surrounded by and have to investigate and outline in their arguments.
“Even the court reporters sitting in courtrooms, must listen to everything said. They have to go back over what they type and edit it. If it’s something like sexual abuse or child abuse and they have to go back and correct it and re-read it, imagine the impact. Court reporters need prayer to record and process in a healthy way, what they are being exposed to daily.
“Shame on us for calling them to do that job, and never providing prayer support while they are surrounded with the evil we don’t want to deal with. We need to pray for the jurors and bailiffs. We need to pray blessings over them, that they have everything they need to accomplish their job: good, supportive friendships within their departments, integrity, release from the things that some use to help them deal with the ugliness–such as alcohol, sleeplessness, drugs or an affair.
“They need to know someone is coming into their courtroom and not looking to criticize them. They need to know that someone is coming to pray God’s favor over them, so they are fully equipped to do their job with excellence, integrity, with physical health, spiritual health and emotional health.”
His response, “Thank you. I’m glad you’re here.”
- I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1-2
- For more information: http://prayforthecourts.com/ourstory/
- Check out their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PrayForTheCourts/?fref=ts
- SONG: THE WELL OF DESPAIR – Lyrics by Liana Wendy Hawarth; music by Kathleen
[This life is temporary. This life is short. When this life is over, our bodies will die and become empty shells, but our souls will continue to live forever. Where will the “real you” live? Will you live for all eternity separated from God? Or will you spend eternity in the presence of God in heaven? Learn more so you can make your most important decision: http://www.godlife.com/gospel/ and http://www.godlife.com/en/about-christianity
[To leave a comment or prayer request, simply click on the TITLE of this post and scroll to the bottom.]
Dearest Kathleen,
Thank you so much for the time and effort you poured out in the telling of this story. What a beautiful job you’ve done! I agree with Mel’s comment. I have resisted the term ‘Prayer Warrior’ as our courthouse is already a battlefield in many respects; both ‘sides’ armored up, fitted for war. So, we pray for GOD’s will, His favor, His justice, His mercy to be poured out on all who battle there. (for it is GOD alone who can bring both justice and mercy) And we pray that all would SEE Him, see His Glory, see His favor and praise Him.
“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”” Revelation 5:13
May it be so, LORD. May it be so! Amen
May GOD bless you Kathleen, for your faithfulness and love extended to Him and to His Kingdom.
Thank you for your encouragement. May God bless you, your ministry and countless others through your prayers.
I love the way Daphne expounded on the importance of and need for prayer. Whether a person is a Christian or not, it would be hard to not see how important prayer is when put in such practical terms. The things of God are not only spiritual but also practical–everybody needs prayer.
Thank you, Frank. Yes, I too appreciated Daphne’s thorough explanation for the importance of prayer in our courts.