Key Faith Initiative: Christians Pray for Our Country for 52 Tuesdays Ahead of Election

The 2020 presidential election is less than a year away at this point — hard to believe.

And with that time frame in mind, the American Pastors Network (APN) has embarked on an inspirational prayer initiative, “52 Tuesdays,” a yearlong prayer program on behalf of the country that calls on Christians “to pray for America as never before.”

Sam Rohrer, the president of APN — a Pennsylvania-based network of biblical and faith-based pastors and church liaisons — said that after launching “52 Tuesdays” on the “Stand in the Gap Today” radio program on November 12, listener feedback was very positive.

“This is a crucial season for prayer in America,” Rohrer said in comments shared with LifeZette on Monday morning. “And prayer does not only have to be driven by pastors in the church, although pastoral leadership is of utmost importance. Prayer can and should also be driven by our national leaders.”

“Prayer should also be initiated by citizens and moms and dads in the home,” he said.

Christians have been heavily involved in nearly every election in this country’s history, Rohrer pointed out, whether in fundraising, mobilization, recruiting candidates or education efforts.

“Many of those who are driving the evangelical involvement in our nation’s most significant elections and those who are out plying the boat are doing nothing different than what has been done for the past generation, which really hasn’t led to any real change in the American election process nor certainly the culture within our nation,” Rohrer noted.

“So what has to be different for 2020?”

Rohrer noted that in terms of the “the historic 2016 election,” the outcome was “not human-driven.”

“No one can take credit for the window that God provided in our most recent history,” he said.

Related: ‘We’ve Got to Return to Biblical Foundations in Our Country,’ Says Sam Rohrer

“Elections are a time, forced by the calendar, to call on Christians to check their hearts to ensure they are grounded in God rather than in a man or woman who seeks to run the country,” he added.

“America will never be great again until we return to a time when we acknowledge in our minds and hearts that the God of the Bible is great.”

Rohrer reported that one radio listener from Madison, Wisconsin, said she was encouraged and challenged by the “52 Tuesdays” prayer initiative when she heard it last week.

“I said ‘amen’ during that program more than I probably have any program, and that may be due to the growing desperation that many of us feel as we see what is going on around us,” this listener said.

“I pray for President [Donald] Trump regularly … but I continue to recognize what the true need is, and this is what your [program] hit right on the head. I have been attempting to confront my own life and to challenge my six children, as well as appeal to my husband, who has been responding. I am burdened to share with whomever the Lord brings me to, especially with other women, regarding getting our lives right before God,” she also said.

“Thank you for this program and this particular message. This is the bottom line. This is what has to be there underneath whatever else we are engaged in with in our friends, family, co-workers, church and culture.”

For its “52 Tuesdays” initiative, the American Pastors Network says it is calling on pastors across the nation to encourage — every single week — their congregations to pray with “who, what, when, where, why and how” in mind, as each American carefully considers the nation, its leaders, and the meaning and gravity of praying for America.

Rohrer said this special year of prayer will focus on the biblical basics of prayer, such as why we pray, what prayer is, and what we are called to pray for as citizens.

These basics are explored on the “Stand in the Gap Today” radio program — and Tuesdays are dedicated topics for prayer, including prayer for the president, for the nation and for repentance, the group reports.

To kick off “52 Tuesdays” on November 12, Rohrer and co-hosts Gary Dull and Dave Kistler welcomed best-selling author and Christian publisher Stephen E. Strang to the “Stand in the Gap Today” program.

Strang is author of the forthcoming book, “God, Trump, and the 2020 Election: Why He Must Win and What’s at Stake for Christians if He Loses.”

On forthcoming Tuesdays, regular fourth segments of the one-hour daily program will be dedicated to these prayer discussions, and guests on the show will be part of the prayers as well, the organization shared with LifeZette. Additionally, “Stand in the Gap Today” co-hosts will be inviting listeners to pray with them.

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