TBN's 'A Prayer for the Nation' a Call to Unite Our Nation in a Time of Uncertainty

With the presidential election just weeks away, voters are being asked to select a candidate who will assertively tackle key cultural and world issues affecting America. While many of these issues are quite divisive and could chart the course of the nation for generations to come, the Church must boldly represent faith and freedom in this pivotal election year.

Rather than speculate on what may or may not happen in the coming days in regard to selecting a candidate to lead our nation, people of faith must be willing to pray fervently for solutions that represent ideals as set forth in the Bible.

Veteran journalist Erick Stakelbeck believes in the power of prayer and thinks it will cultivate unity amid electoral uncertainty. It is in this spirit of hope that Stakelbeck will host a critical conversation about faith in politics on TBN’s special, A Prayer for the Nation. Airing on October 25th at 8pm ET, the program will also feature noted theologians and cultural commentators Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Star Parker, Rev. Johnnie Moore, and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

The special broadcast is a call to unite in prayer for our nation’s future and emphasizes the importance of the Church standing strong in faith during this period of cultural volatility.

I recently sat down with Stakelbeck to discuss why prayer can bridge the political divides we are currently experiencing, how people of faith can lead the nation toward restoration and healing, and why he sees this election as a watershed moment in American history.

To date, you have hosted many fascinating specials on such topics as the Great Reset, Artificial Intelligence, and even Hanukkah. Why jump into these roiling political waters for this one?

I think these are issues that are really the pulse of the nation. What are Americans interested in right now? What do people care about? What is affecting people? We've done specials on the rise of artificial intelligence. We've done special on the rise of China, the rise of Christian persecution, the coming Great Reset, which is basically a push for one world government. These are issues, number one, that maybe a lot of people aren't talking about. And number two, these are issues that profoundly affect every American. Our new special is called A Prayer For the Nation. It couldn't be more timely in that regard. We have an election, in case you haven't heard, coming up in November, which is absolutely the most consequential election in our lifetime. No doubt, it's do or die for America. And the second part to that, is a prayer for the nation. I believe it's a situation where it is a revival or bust for America. I believe prayer works, and I know that 40 million Christians didn't vote in the last election. Some 15 million aren't even registered to vote. Considering the stakes this time around. I think it's time for a call to prayer and an awakening in the Church. It’s an acknowledgement by the Church that these are monumental times and a strategically crucial time for our nation.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here. This special program is titled simply, A Prayer for the Nation. How can prayer bridge the political divides that we are seeing and experiencing?

I think number one, praying for your nation is a good thing. Lord, protect our nation and guide our nation. Have mercy on our nation. I think that would be my main prayer right now. The Bible's very clear: to whom much is given, much is required. We can certainly pray for unity. The Bible also says how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity. But for that to happen, there's got to be revival. And I think the main prayer, this is something I've been praying every day, is for a revival in this land. And that's not only for people who don't know the Lord, for people who aren't believers, but for people maybe on the left or the right who have very extreme anti-Biblical positions. I would absolutely love for the spirit of God to be poured out on them.

And for Generation Z in particular. The young people who've just had such a horrible time, especially since COVID. They've gotten such false messaging on TikTok and elsewhere, but we need a revival within the Church. If this is going to start in the Church, and look, if we are called to be salt and light to the world, including the unbelieving world, then the Church needs revival. I think a big part of the reason why we are where we are, in such a mess as a nation right now, is because the Church has not stepped up and assumed that position as a royal priesthood, as being more than conquerors through Christ Jesus, of leading the way by being a beacon for light in the darkest. Much of the Church, certainly not all, but much of the Church has drifted far too much into worldly thinking and behavior, and wanting to be liked in the world and not standing apart from the world. When we stand apart from the world, as the people set apart and the world sees we're different, they see we're genuine. They want that, they want a part of that. They say, ‘What's different about these people?’ I don't think the Church has fulfilled that role, frankly, in the past few decades. So praying for all the above, but first and foremost, pray for revival, starting in the Church, actually a reinvigorated church, and then spreading through the four corners of not only this nation, but the world.

With that said, how can people of faith lead America toward healing and restoration?

I think it’s all about just living out our faith genuinely. When Bible believing Christians, followers of Jesus, live out their faith genuinely, and they set themselves apart from the world, a world that's fallen, confused, angry, desperate, and lonely, when they walk that walk of faith, and try as best as they can to live blamelessly before the Lord, people see that, and they're attracted to that. And they say, ‘What is different about you?’ But when we talk about the Church leading America back, that involves the Church doing it in love. When it comes to rock solid Biblical truth, being uncompromising in that regard, it means standing firm in your conviction. When this happens, I think people will respect you more, even if they disagree with you. You can’t be half in and half out. It's not halfway, wishy-washy, and trying to please everyone. You can't be all things to all people. If we stand true to our convictions and we're uncompromising, that very act of being firm and standing true to our convictions is an act of leadership and boldness as well. There's a way you do it when you have the Holy Spirit. You can do it with confidence, you can do it firmly, boldly, and with conviction. But you can still manage to do it in love and with respect. I think the movement of Christians like that, who are fed up with where our country's going, they can do that firmly and uncompromisingly with solid, Biblical truth.  You can do this in a kind of a winsome way. Ronald Reagan did it with a smile. Many times that kind of spirit can go a long way towards healing the nation.

Joining you as panelists on this program are Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, Star Parker, Johnnie Moore, and Dr. Robert Jeffress. Why these folks? What makes them the right combination for this program?

All of them have shown boldness, first of all. Secondly, they're just leading voices that have spoken into all these issues over the years. They've worked with presidential administrations, so they know not only how the Church world works, but they know how things are done in Washington, DC, and how legislation is advanced. It's going to take all of these spheres, culture, government, the Church, education, all of it combined to turn America around. All four of the panelists have a foot in all of those different experiences. You can't turn around the culture, but the political system is rotting, the education system is rotting, our security is rotting, and our border is wide open.

This has to be comprehensive and what we really need. I prayed for a few things, kind of a Hezekiah anointing on America. King Hezekiah was one of the good kings. He cried out to God. He was a dying man. God granted him 15 more years as a nation, for all the good he could do in that timeframe. I've also prayed for a Josiah moment where we need someone to come along and just tear down the high places I mentioned in education, culture, government, the high places, and all these very important spheres of influence. There needs to be a massive turnaround. And again, a Josiah-like movement, just tearing down the modern day high places. All of our panelists, Sammy Rodriguez, Robert Jeffress, Star Parker, and Johnnie Moore have talked about that. They see the creeping persecution here in America towards the Church as well. So, you can't ask for a better group of panelists.

After people have had a chance to watch A Prayer for the Nation on TBN, what would you like to see audiences take away from that experience? What is your greatest hope for the program?

I think a few things. Number one, in terms of prayer, we will have a lot of prayer warriors and intercessors watching. Perhaps they could be a little more focused and pinpointed in their prayers, because our panelists throughout the show will be laying out specific prayer points that we can pray for as a nation. This will help our viewers to have more focused prayer. First, how to pray for the nation. Number two, I think it will help our voters to interact, whether it's their friends, families, coworkers, or neighbors, but share with them and be a little more bold about their faith and about the way they see the world. Again, this should be done in love and with respect. It should not be in your face, and not beating someone over the head with the Bible, nothing like that. But maybe there'll be a bit more confidence in saying, you know what? We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. We are a royal priesthood. We are called to be salt and light. And if we don't do it now, if not us, who? And we need to do this right now when our country hangs in the balance. I want people to understand the stakes of the fight we're in right now. And that brings me to a third point. Vote. Forty million Christians did not vote in the last election cycle. Fifteen million are not even registered. Those are the kind of numbers that sway an election. Bible believing Christians could very well decide this election. They could be the difference between faith, family, freedom and secularism, socialism and separation. They need to understand the stakes.

TBN's A Prayer for the Nation is set to air Friday, October 25th, at 8pm ET.