AN AMAZING STORY
One of the greatest revivals in modern history occurred in the Hebrides Islands of Scotland in 1949. It started with two elderly sisters, Peggy Smith, 84, who was blind and Christine, 82, crippled with arthritis. They began crying out for God to visit the Hebrides. And visit, He did. Through the preaching of Duncan Campbell, thousands of people came to Christ. Among those converted was the sisters' fifteen-year-old nephew Donald. The young man's prayers and words were so mighty, that Campbell invited Don to travel with him. His nickname became “Praying Donald.” Everywhere he spoke, God touched people powerfully.
But there's more to the story. Prior to the revival, his cousin, Mary Anne Smith MacLeod immigrated to America. Her two aunts, Peggy and Christine, who had launched the revival, sent Don's Bible to her, which became one of her most cherished possessions. Eventually, Mary Anne married a man named Fred, and had four children: Mary Anne, Fred, Elizabeth and Donald. She named Donald for her cousin who had so impacted her life by his faith.
Mary Ann's fourth child, Donald Trump, now serves as the forty-fifth President of the United States. The Bible his mother treasured so dearly, sits in the Oval Office of the White House. This all began because Donald Trump's two aunts, Peggy and Christine, prayed that God would move powerfully in their village, launching one of the greatest revivals of modern times, thus creating a chain of events culminating in the Oval Office.
Regardless of how you feel about President Trump, this is his spiritual legacy which he honors by keeping this Bible with him. More importantly, it shows how much God wants to work through any of us, even two elderly handicapped sisters.
This Thursday, May 7 is the National Day of Prayer. It certainly ranks as one of the most important days of prayer in our nation's history. Clearly, America faces numerous challenges. The government can't fix our country, the economy can't, neither can the military. But Almighty God can. That's why the most powerful thing any human can do is pray. Isn't it time we stop complaining about what's wrong with our nation, and fall on our knees, like Peggy and Christine? God wants to change America more than we do. Maybe he wants to start with you.
Principle: The most powerful thing any human can do is pray.
Promise: Almighty God can fix the problems in our nation.
Ponder:
For whom or what is God leading me to pray?
How can I join with millions of others across our land to pray for our country?
Prayer: Almighty God, we lift America up to you. Would you visit our nation in a supernatural way just as you have done in the past? Transform our country into your image.
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study II Chronicles 7:11-15.
Perceptions: Record any ideas God puts on your heart from today’s devotional through art, poetry, a memory, etc.