Friday, June 8. Day 13 of 67 Days of Prayer

Today we are praying for the following districts:

• Tennessee State House District 37- Currently represented by Dawn White
• Tennessee State House District 38 – Currently represented by Kelly Keisling
• Tennessee State House District 39 – Currently represented by David Alexander
• Tennessee State Senate District  13 – Currently represented by Bill Ketron

Our call to Prayer

¹⁸ And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:

¹⁹ And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

²⁰ That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
Deuteronomy 17.18-20 KJV

There is a major problem in Tennessee. Other states have this problem, too. This problem also infects the Federal government. Some people call it “judicial activism” while others call it “results oriented adjudication.” In a nutshell, this problem occurs when judges make decisions that don’t follow the letter of the law.

We see this often in cases where judges create new precedent in spite of precedent from prior rulings. You’ll also see it in cases where the law is clear, there aren’t any good related rulings, so a judge decides what they want to happen, and then they work backwards.

Our judicial system is so far from the letter of the law in Tennessee that we have something called “Memorandum Opinions.” Excuse my contempt for this, but this ridiculous concept allows men in black robes to make ridiculous rulings , not publish the ruling, and, since they know it is ridiculous, not be cited by other cases (because these Memorandum Opinions are normally so absurd that they would be ripped to shreds if they were referenced in other cases).  In 2006, the Tennessee Legislature considered doing something right and declaring Memorandum Opinions illegal, but at a joint session between senior legislative leaders and the state Supreme Court, backed out because the Tennessee Supreme Court told them they didn’t really used memorandum opinions that often.

Another example of blatant disregard for the law by our government happened today. A prosecutor in Nashville (Mr. Funk) violated his oath of office as well as Genesis 9.6 and isn’t seeking capital punishment for the Antioch Church Shooter. State law requires this man receive capital punishment. More importantly, God’s law requires it.

Verse 20 of the text we use today to guide our prayer explains exactly why we are to rule our nation by law and not by the whims of men: when you rule by the whim of man, you “turn aside from the commandment.” In other words, you don’t follow the law! All you have to do is look at ridiculous precedents in the last 50 years, laid on top of solid precedent preceding it, and most importantly upon the law.

We need to pray that the Lord will raise up righteous leaders in the legislature, who will not only pass Biblical laws which will benefit our state, but who will reign in our out of control judiciary. We further need to pray that the Lord will raise up voters who will vote every activist judge out of office whenever such elections occur.

May God save us from Judges who make up law.

A Prayer for Day 13 of 67 Days of Prayer

Lord, Your name is known in Rutherford, Macon, Clay, Pickett, Scott, Fentress, Moore, Franklin, and Marion Counties . Thank You for the strong Christian heritage You have given to Your people in these areas.

Lord, we have many wicked judges in our state. We ask that you would turn the hearts of our judges to you, and that you would turn their hearts to true justice. We ask you to protect your people and this state from judicial activists, from judges who “”turn from the commandment” and whose hearts are lifted above their brethren. 

May Tennessee be a land of fair judgment, clear law, and Biblical justice.

Once more we ask: Father, would You cause a spirit of prayer to well up within the citizenry of Tennessee? Would You cause our state to once more seek Your face? Would you cause us to seek Your will as we vote – but not just in voting Lord, but in our daily lives? Would You move on our hearts and make our homes places of spiritual accountability?

Amen.

Please click here to download a printable guide of when to pray for each district. Please feel free to email this to other praying Christians, to insert this in your church bulletin, or to post it on your church bulletin board. Make sure you put a copy on your refrigerator or in another prominent place in your home. This guide may be freely reproduced as long as it is not modified.