Doug Stringer

The Power of Lifting Up the Word…
A Nation Gathered, The Word Declared.

Doug Stringer

In a time marked by noise, division, and uncertainty, something profoundly simple—and deeply powerful—is taking place in our nation’s capital.

As part of America Reads the Bible (April 18-25), nearly 500 voices have gathered in Washington, D.C., with a singular purpose: to read the Word of God aloud, from Genesis to Revelation, over our nation - daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m..

No sermons.
No speeches.
No personal commentary.

Just the Word.

This sacred act echoes a powerful moment in Scripture. In Nehemiah chapter 8, Ezra stood before the people, opened the Book of the Law, and read it aloud. As the Word was lifted up, the people rose to their feet in reverence. They responded with uplifted hands, cries of “Amen, Amen,” bowed heads, and worship. The Scripture tells us they wept as they heard the Word.

We are witnessing something similar today. When the Word of God is lifted up, it carries its own authority, its own power, and its own ability to transform hearts.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

The Word is not merely written—it is living. It is Christ Himself, the Living Word. And when we lift up the Word, we are lifting up Jesus.

Jesus said, “If I am lifted up… I will draw all people to Myself” (John 12:32).

As His Word is declared across our nation, we believe He is drawing hearts back to Himself, calling prodigals home, restoring hope, and awakening faith.

Scripture reminds us, “For the Word of God is living and powerful… and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Word reaches beyond surface understanding. It penetrates the soul.

It convicts, heals, and restores.

This is why the reading of Scripture matters.

“The seed is the Word of God” (Luke 8:11). As the Word is read aloud, seeds are being sown—into hearts, into homes, into the very spiritual fabric of our nation. Some will take root immediately. Others may grow over time. But the promise remains:

“So shall My Word be… it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please” (Isaiah 55:11).

The Word works.

In a culture searching for answers, peace, and identity, the Word of God remains our unchanging foundation.

“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him” (Proverbs 30:5).

But this moment is more than a public reading, it is a call.

A call to return.
A call to humility.
A call to repentance and hope.

Just as in Nehemiah’s day, when the Word was lifted and the people responded, we believe God is stirring a corporate awakening. Many who have drifted—who have become untethered—are being drawn back into relationship with Him.

We cannot truly know God’s heart apart from His Word. And we cannot effectively carry His message if we are not rooted in it ourselves.

The early believers were described as uneducated and untrained, yet they transformed the world. Why? Because “they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). They had encountered the Living Word.

Today, the same invitation stands before us.

To return to the Word.
To be renewed in our minds.
To be transformed in our hearts.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Psalm 32:8).

In uncertain times, we must come back to what is certain. The same Word that spoke creation into existence is still speaking today.

“By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made” (Psalm 33:6).

SCRIPTURE LIGHTS A FIRE -

As the Word is lifted across our nation, we believe it is igniting something once again:

A fire of truth.

A fire of conviction.

A fire of awakening.

We are not gathered around personalities or platforms, but we are gathered around the Word.

And the Word is enough.

May we see the fruit of this moment in the days ahead—hearts softened, lives restored, and a nation turning back to God.

THE WORD WORKS! It does not return void. It is the Word of Life.

Let us lift it up—and trust God to do what only He can do.

Doug Stringer

The Power of Desperate Prayer…Praying Effectively Through Difficult Times - Doug Stringer

Originally I wrote and published this as part of a national special edition for the Washington Times at the end of 2015, but realize that today in 2026 that call is even more urgent. Our world has only grown more unstable, our institutions more fragile, and our need for divine intervention more evident.

In the 1990’s I wrote about the urgent need for desperate prayer in times of national crisis. Since then, the turbulence in our world has only intensified. Nations are increasingly unstable. Cultural divisions are deeper. Institutions once trusted have faltered. Many people today feel overwhelmed, anxious, and uncertain about the future.

Yet the timeless truth remains: in moments of great shaking, the greatest need is not merely political, economic, or social reform, it is spiritual awakening.

The Sense of Crisis Has Only Deepened-

Today we see:
• Increasing global instability and wars
• Cultural fragmentation and polarization
• Economic uncertainty and institutional distrust
• Mental health crises and widespread despair
• A growing sense that traditional systems are failing

In December 2002, Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM, while addressing students at the Harvard Business School, stated:

“Transformation of an enterprise begins with a sense of crisis or urgency. No institution will go through fundamental change unless it believes it is in deep trouble and needs to do something different to survive.”

That observation applies not only to corporations, but also to nations and even to the Church.

Today we are living in challenging, volatile times. Every day the headlines report new conflicts, disasters, and human tragedies. Many feel as though the world is accelerating toward greater instability. In such times, we cannot afford to put our heads in the sand and pretend everything is fine. Nor can we allow ourselves to sink into despair or passively hope circumstances will improve on their own.

We simply cannot keep hitting the snooze button while alarms are sounding around us. We must respond.

The ancient prophet Joel once issued a wake-up call to a nation in crisis. He pleaded for the people to gather before God in a sacred assembly. Their moment of national distress demanded a corporate response in prayer, repentance, and renewed consecration before the Lord.

They recognized that they could not save themselves. They needed divine intervention.

America, and much of the world, now faces similar challenges. The magnitude of the crises confronting our nation demands an equally significant response.

In ancient Israel, when the commander of the Assyrian army threatened the nation with annihilation, King Hezekiah understood that no human strategy could ultimately save them. Desperate and overwhelmed, he turned to the Lord in passionate prayer.

Scripture tells us that Hezekiah took the threatening letters and laid them before the Lord. He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and prayed. First he acknowledged the nation’s helplessness:

“This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.”

Then Hezekiah declared the greatness of God. He proclaimed that the Lord alone is God, Creator of heaven and earth. He pleaded for God to open His eyes to see and His ears to hear the threats against the nation—and to intervene.

In authentic humility, Hezekiah prayed, and God intervened.

Today the nations are again raging and the earth seems to groan under the weight of conflict and uncertainty. Human wisdom alone cannot save us. Political ideologies cannot heal the human heart. Even our strongest institutions have proven insufficient to address the deeper spiritual crisis we face.

The Bible reminds us that “hope deferred makes the heart sick,” yet also that “a merry heart does good like medicine.” Many today are weary and discouraged. Hearts are heavy with anxiety and despair. People are searching for hope and strength to move forward.

That hope is found in God.

Throughout history, humble leaders have called upon the Lord in times of great crisis, asking Him to hear from heaven and heal their land. Even during the American Revolutionary War, George Washington commissioned a flag bearing the words “An Appeal to Heaven,” a phrase drawn from the writings of John Locke in Two Treatises of Government. It acknowledged that when human efforts fall short, our ultimate hope must be in God.

In this generation, we need that same appeal to heaven once again.

It begins with each of us.

Moses prayed, “Show me Your ways.” The prophet Jeremiah reminded the people in a time of national difficulty that if they would call upon God, He would show them “great and mighty things they did not know.” God desired to renew His covenant with His people and restore their nation - if they would acknowledge Him as Lord.

In the New Testament, James wrote that “the effective and fervent prayer of the righteous avails much.” Today more than ever, we must become people who pray with sincerity, humility, and persistence.

The Call to Desperate Prayer Is Counter-Cultural:

The late revivalist Leonard Ravenhill often said:

“God doesn’t answer prayer. He answers desperate prayer.”

Leonard Ravenhill’s statement is particularly relevant today:

In a time when much of modern Christianity can drift toward:

• comfort
• platform culture
• religious routine

We as believers must get back to authentic humility and dependence on God.

Our private posture before God ultimately shapes our public influence. When we humble ourselves before Him, our hearts are aligned with His purposes.

Like in the days of Hezekiah, we are living in overwhelming times. As I have traveled across the globe, I have met believers from countries such as Iran, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, Uganda, Nigeria, India, and many others who are praying fervently for America. They understand something many of us forget: if the heart of a nation—its spiritual life—is awakened, the soul of that nation can be healed.

And when America experiences spiritual renewal, the impact extends far beyond our borders.

The question remains for us today: Will we come before God with authentic humility, repentance, and consecration? Will we move beyond routine religious expressions and cry out to Him with genuine desperation?

If we do, God can hear from heaven and intervene.

Our greatest hope is still an appeal to heaven, coming before the living God with humility and sincerity, asking Him to turn what seems impossible into a testimony of His mercy and grace.

Only He can truly heal the soul of a nation. Only He can restore what has been broken and renew the foundations upon which we stand.

And He still responds to desperate prayer.

Doug Stringer

HOLY WEEK: THE JOURNEY OF REDEMPTION

Part 2 of Three-Part Series

PART TWO: GOOD FRIDAY

The Cross — The High Cost of Love:

The cheers of Palm Sunday give way to the silence of Good Friday.

Betrayal replaced celebration.

Darkness replaced expectation.

The King stood before a Cross.

Good Friday confronts us with the seriousness of redemption. Jesus was not a victim of circumstance; He was the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan.

During Passover, lambs were sacrificed remembering Israel’s deliverance. At that very time, Jesus — the perfect Passover Lamb, gave His life for the world.

“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” — 1 Corinthians 5:7

At Calvary, justice and mercy met.

Jesus bore humanity’s sin, shame, and separation so reconciliation could be restored. The Cross revealed both the depth of human brokenness and the greater depth of divine love.

When Jesus declared, “It is finished,” He announced that the debt of sin had been fully paid. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

The veil of the temple tore from top to bottom — not humanity reaching God, but God opening the way to humanity.

Good Friday reminds us:

• Forgiveness is costly.
• Grace is not cheap.
• Love sacrifices.

The Cross calls us not merely to admiration but transformation.
We do not simply remember the Cross; we carry it, dying to self so Christ may live through us.

Yet the story pauses here.

Hope seems buried. Heaven appears silent. But God is still working.

Doug Stringer