Liberty County churches, leaders recognize National Day of Prayer

Liberty County residents came together to pray for the nation on Thursday, May 2, as part of National Day of Prayer events taking place all across the country. Two gatherings were planned for Liberty County – one on the steps of the Liberty County Courthouse and one at the Cleveland Civic Center.

The services were an opportunity for people of all denominations to unite and humble themselves in prayer.

Rev. Kent Brown, pastor of Covenant House Family Worship Center in Liberty, was invited to deliver a short message to the 50 or so residents gathered at the courthouse. Brown cited the Bible verse of II Chronicles 7:14, which promises that God will heal the land if people humble themselves before God, pray and turn from their wicked ways.

“I’m seeing a healing of the land. I believe it’s due to the prayers of individuals like yourself being willing to forego your political preferences, all of us have them, and being willing to say, ‘God, I am laying down my thought process and willing for yours to take up,'” Brown said.

According to Brown, God can help the United States once again be the influential and productive nation it was in the past.

“I want to see our nation be able to influence the rest of the world. I know that we are the leading nation in the world but there have been many, many times over the last 30 years that we’ve had a bad influence. What’s happening now is God is choosing righteous men. What you are doing is choosing righteous men and women to take place in office,” he continued. “Frankly, when I am voting for someone, I don’t worry so much about them being a Christian as I do about them being righteous. A righteous man is someone who simply chooses to do what’s right in any given situation.”

Brown said the United States has seen presidents who were good and some who were “despicable human beings.”

“I’ve watched our nation begin to climb out of the hole. The America we know is rising out of the ashes that would have been her funeral pyre. God has done something because you and I have been praying,” he said.

The National Day of Prayer service in Liberty was led by Hardin First Baptist Church Pastor Tony Hines, who introduced other local ministers as they offered prayer for federal, state and local leaders, police officers, firefighters and other first responders, communities and churches. They also led prayers for a revival of Christianity in the U.S.

Hardin Mayor Stephanie Blume led the crowd in “The Star Spangled Banner,” District Clerk Delia Sellers led the pledges to the United States and Texas flags, and Karla Burris sang “God Bless America” while her daughter, Bethany, performed the song in sign language.