For about two years I have been including imprecatory prayers in our church services and Bible studies at Holy Grounds Coffee House. Imprecatory prayers are Old Testament prayers for the defeat and destruction of the enemies of God and his people. A New Testament variation on these prayers is to ask God to save the people but destroy the institutions. Our prayers, part of our seven year campaign to re-Christianize the City of Springfield, have included an appeal to God to destroy the works of Satan in this city. We have specifically included the strip clubs in these prayers.
Yesterday the three story Scores strip club on Worthington Street was completely obliterated in a gas explosion, right down to the ground. See http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/11/24/springfield-explosion-injures-least-levels-strip-club/SX7MmBHvdfePUBkpyCgG6L/story.html
I believe this was the hand of God at work in answer to our prayers. We are giving Him all the glory and praise for this occurrence, since it is only by His power that any of our prayers can have any effect. We also thank God that no one was seriously injured in this blast, though it was enormous.
I am sending this email to ask you to join me in the following prayer for the further cleansing of Springfield.
Father in Heaven, in the name of Jesus we beseech you to claim our city for your own, to be Lord of Springfield in the hearts and minds of its people, and to establish goodness and morality among us. We pray that you would motivate every local believer to awaken to their duty to live and preach the Gospel of Christ in both word and action, in meekness and humility. We pray that you would bring every community leader, at every level in government, business, media and education, under grateful submission to your will and values. We pray that your presence would shine in this city so profoundly that it would illuminate the entire region. Finally Lord, we pray that you would destroy the works of Satan in this city and ask you demolish them in such a way that it is clearly by your hand alone and not the works of men, saving the people but destroying the institutions that have set themselves against your truth. We pray this with full awareness that we ourselves are just sinners saved by grace, asking you to cleanse us from sin as well, and to increase our faith that you are still the God of miracles. In Jesus name. Amen.
I urge you to add this or something similar to your daily prayers, and to forward this to your Christian friends.
In Him,
Pastor Scott Lively
