ALABAMA
State Prayer Focus
| Admitted: | Tuesday, December 14, 1819 |
| Capital: | Montgomery |
| Population: | 4,464,356 (2001) |
| Nickname: | Heart of Dixie |
| State Bird: | Yellowhammer |
| State Flower: | Camellia |
| State Tree: | Longleaf Pine |
| Official Website: | http://www.alabama.gov |
| State Archives: | http://www.archives.state.al.us/aaa.html |
| State Info: | http://www.50states.com/alabama.htm |
ALABAMA – 22nd State Admitted to the Union, December 14th, 1819
Thank you for agreeing with us in prayer for the release of the purpose of God for our state and the fulfillment of her role with yours in the national destiny that has been entrusted to us together. May our nation fulfill her call …
Redemptive Gift and Call
“Alabama” comes from the Native Choctaw tongue meaning “thicket clearer” – one who clears a path, prepares a way, or clears a field. In scripture, the concept of “clearing a path” or “preparing the way” is associated with a prophetic gift or mantle. In addition, the concept of “clearing a field” is associated with “preparation” for planting or building. Whether the flash point to birth a number of movements with national consequence, or first to stand with Israel multiple times, the perceived rights and moral issues that fuel this call bring tremendous possibility when in right-relation to God.
~ Please continue to agree in prayer that Alabama would perceive truly, and see as the LORD sees (that she would “judge righteous judgment”), for her greatest stumbling blocks have been when blinded by her own strength or in standing rightly but perceiving wrongly (as in zeal for state’s rights but blinded to the injustice of slave’s rights). Also please agree for the full maturing of this call, and the needful relationship it has to that of others for the greatest national impact.
The Cry for Justice – Alabama and the Nation!
To judge in scripture is more than to condemn the guilty – it is also to “defend” the right/cause of the innocent. There is a fierce passion in Alabama to judge/defend one’s right/cause. The state motto, “We Dare Defend Our Rights” reflects this as does history (the flashpoint in Alabama in relation to the civil war, later civil rights, and more recently with Judge Moore were all issues related to real or perceived “rights”).
~ Please continue to agree in prayer that Alabama will judge righteous judgment and not according to appearance, that she will execute justice toward the stranger, widow, and orphan in pleading their cause. Also may she take up the right and cause of the Native American, the African American, the wavering Courts of our nation, and the unborn who cannot speak for themselves. Please agree that we will also take responsibility for where we have erred, that we may see healing and even restitution come.
Judicial Flashpoint – The Right to Acknowledge God
Judge Moore provided the flashpoint that finally brought national awareness to the judicial crisis and our nation’s courts. His case was not about the Ten Commandments, but whether the state has the right to acknowledge God publicly. All three branches of federal government acknowledge God, all fifty of our state constitutions acknowledge God, the U.S. Declaration of Independence acknowledges God, yet in Moore’s case the federal court ruled that states do not have such a right, continuing the bias of recent years as the courts have repeatedly overstepped their jurisdiction regarding rights and freedoms to express faith (which the Constitution protects) – and is very different from “Congress” legislating faith (which the Constitution guards against). History bears strong witness to this – the founders of our nation were not double-minded.
~ Please agree in prayer that Alabama will be faithful to fulfill her role in this and not stop short of the promise. Please especially pray for Judge Moore and the Foundation for Moral Law as the next steps are being taken that could potentially have sweeping national consequence. With the judicial path now being exhausted, corrective action to the Justice system is required to address the jurisdiction that continues to be abused (note: the acknowledgement of God includes everything from prayer or bibles or the ten commandments in schools, at football games, etc., to the pledge of allegiance, to displays of faith in public places, etc.). Please pray for grace and favor to stand … as an Elijah on Mt. Carmel – confronting our wavering nation with the challenge we have avoided … as a Moses on Mt. Horeb – as a mediator of the Law from God and not man.
Following the forced removal of Judge Moore from office for standing in regard to these things, two specific passages of scripture continued to come in a strong way when seeking direction for how to pray:
1.) Dan 3:12-26 – As in the days of Daniel, the Hebrews were commanded to submit to the King’s/Government’s decree to deny their God or be cast into the fire, they chose not to bow (willing to suffer whatever consequence), they were cast into the fire (but God was found to be with them), and AFTERWARD there came a change in the King’s word and the law of the land …
The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004 – Laying the Axe to the Root
Constitutional Amendments ought not be required whenever the courts overstep their bounds. The balance of power in our government gives Congress the right to define/adjust/address any abuse or jurisdiction regarding the courts. For this reason, The Constitution Restoration Act – national legislation that has been inspired by Judge Moore, and introduced to Congress by U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt R-AL (H.R.3799), and U.S. Senator Richard Shelby R-AL (S.2082, S.2323) – is of critical and national importance. This legislation would clarify the jurisdiction of the courts regarding the acknowledgement of God, address rulings based on international law, and detail impeachment of judges who abuse their authority. Because of the wide range of issues the acknowledgment of God includes, this has the potential to be some of the most significant legislation in several decades. This legislation would finally lay the axe to the root, and could have far more sweeping national consequence than had the memorial been allowed to remain in Montgomery …
CRA 2004 Link – www.AL-USSPN.org/CRA2004.htm
Fervent Prayer:
~ Please agree in prayer for many more co-sponsors to rise up for this legislation, and for supernatural favor in the Senate judiciary committee. Please pray, as a church and nation, we will not miss this moment – with such incredible opportunity to address the root of this national crisis. Please pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation concerning these issues, for there is much deception and misunderstanding concerning “separation of church and state” – which this legislation confronts head-on. Please pray that, as the church, we will no longer remain silent, but answer the call to be a voice of conscience to this nation regarding all issues of justice.
It is fitting Alabama through Judge Moore provided the necessary spark to ignite this flame, and become a catalyst in this national issue which is rooted in rights, but she alone cannot carry this to completion. History testifies, and wisdom gives witness, that she without others will not see the sweeping national impact that must come.
Decisive Action:
~ Please agree in prayer for understanding and that this legislation would not be perceived as a Judge Moore or Alabama issue, but a national issue – and that we would stand together. Also, please agree in prayer that it will not be perceived as a Republican, Democratic, or partisan issue, but a “justice” issue pertaining to “freedom and rights.” Where judicial issues have divided our leaders in the past, please pray for breakthrough and joining together, that for the sake of “righteousness and justice” the parties would join in support, and for the sake of our nation there might be a strong testimony after the example of our founding fathers. Also, please agree in prayer that we will all respond with decisive action!
a.) Please inform others of this significant legislation and call them to fervent prayer and decisive action.
b.) Please take personal responsibility to contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives and request they take a stand to defend these liberties and co-sponsor this bill (and support it when reaching the floor).
Postal mail is very slow in D.C. I recommend email, fax, or phone (or all three). Please, do not underestimate the significance of this – whatever the political persuasion of your representatives.
You may find your specific representatives web page and contact information here:
U.S. Senate – http://www.senate.gov , U.S. House – http://www.house.gov
Presently, this is before the Senate Judiciary Committee. You may contact any of those members here:
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee – https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/
You may track this legislation through the Library of Congress – http://www.AL-USSPN.org/CRA2004.htm
Personal Note – As it would have been sin for the church to remain silent in the days of Civil Rights, so it would be sin for us to sit silently by when rights are stripped for our government/state to acknowledge God publicly. It is bigger than whether a monument is seen or not publicly. Consider, for example, when the president stands before the Native American nations and acknowledges the atrocities that have occurred on behalf of our nation, it is needful that he also have the right to acknowledge our sin before God (publicly) and deal with it according to the scripture (and not just issue a nice national apology, castrated of any reference to God or the offense to heaven as well as fellow man).
2.) Jn 12:24 – As the seed fell into the ground and “died” (was buried, seeming to perish, and come to an end), yet this was needful that it might multiply and bear much fruit …
On the very day of Judge Moore’s removal, Lou Engle and The Call were in Alabama on the Trail of Prayers in a journey of repentance and intercession relating to justice and our nation. That very night we had focused prayer for Judge Moore with the verdict announced, and we specifically prayed according to Jn 12:24. As we distributed this direction across the state, we were later contacted by Tom Parker, Judge Moore’s spokesman and legal advisor, who shared he awoke that morning with this scripture on his heart, wrote it down and put it in his pocket the day of the verdict, and following the verdict gave it to Judge Moore. That very evening he and some others had the opportunity to pray this over Moore in a nearby home (the same evening we were praying the same passage elsewhere in the state).
The Seed Multiplies – Tom Parker just ran for the Alabama Supreme Court and was just electedto the bench (sitting now on the Court from which Moore was removed). Tom has been instrumental in Pro-Life, Pro-Family, and Home School legislation among other things, was deeply involved in the Judicial issues raised by Judge Moore, and has a passionate heart for God. It is also worth noting when we joined together in prayer with other states across the nation – each state with others at the steps of their capitals the Sunday before the election (with the witness and gift of the Key of David ) – that Tom stood and prayed (on behalf of governmental and judicial leadership) on the steps of the capital in Montgomery. In the very place, marked by a bronze star, where Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as the President of the Confederate State of America – dividing a nation – we had opportunity to stand in agreement with the states of our union in national agreement, and with governmental/judicial and church representation in agreement.
~ Please agree in prayer for Tom and Dottie Parker as they step into this new area responsibility, that they might fully understand their calling as it relates to justice, and their role in the state and nation. Please pray for wisdom and guidance in judgment, and for revelation and discernment in these matters of justice which our nation has stumbled over through the last generation. Please pray that the “seed” would continue to multiply – in representation in government, in revelation and understanding of the truth and “real” issues (as they are so often confused), and in much fruit that would bring glory to God.
~ Please agree in prayer that the LORD would be with Tom (and with the courts of Alabama, and with the state of Alabama as it relates to these matters of justice) as he was with Aaron the Priest, who bore the breastplate of justice over his heart, and was the mouth/spokesman for Moses (the mediator of the Law). Please agree in prayer for healthy relationships to be established in the court (with judges and staffs). (Note ALL of the Alabama Supreme Court agreed with Judge Moore and the right of the state to acknowledge God, but wrestled with whether he should still bow to the federal court order). Please also pray that any wounds that linger within the court would be healed, and for a unified court willing to stand together with a strong voice to our state and nation.
National Resolution of Apology – Alabama Hesitation?
Another area where there is a growing cry for healing and justice is in relation to the Native American issues that have not yet been addressed. Many of you are aware of the National Resolution of Apology to the Native Americans that was introduced to Congress on the National Day of Prayer 2004. It is very significant (both with man and God) that this is an apology and acknowledgement of wrong – it is a step of repentance – which is far more than acknowledgement of what tragic things occurred but stopping short of taking responsibility (what governmental leaders generally have done in relation to this in the past at both state and federal levels).
There have been some comments from Washington implying there may have been some private hesitation concerning this resolution with Senate leadership from Alabama (along with the thought this hesitation may be due to a questioning of what this might lead to in Alabama in regard to past African-American issues). If this is the case, it is very good that governmental leaders are wrestling with such things. Let the cost be counted, but then may we be willing to do whatever it takes to take the next steps toward healing.
~ Please agree in prayer for there to be a true “counting of the cost” by Alabama and all legislative leaders (though “restitution” is not the intent of this resolution). Please pray for a true understanding (for both church and nation) that corporate wrongs cannot go unaddressed without consequence, that time does NOT heal wounds (unless they are cleansed and bound, or they will fester and the latter end be even worse), and that we as a state (or nation) are not excused for what error has occurred merely because it was by the hand of our fathers rather than our own. Please pray we will have the wisdom of David who – even being righteous – discovered the national consequence of past iniquity, and saw healing come to a nation when addressed (2 Sam 21).
~ Please agree in prayer for Alabama, that we begin to perceive these things – especially with such injustice that has occurred in our past. Please pray that from the shame and reproach of the past, that the LORD would raise up a voice for true justice, and even grant the necessary “key” to fulfill her part in opening the gates of Justice in the South, and so bless the nation. Please agree with us in prayer that as these things are addressed, Alabama might receive “beauty for ashes” and the “garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isa 61)
Decisive Action: There is a great need for more co-sponsors for this historical resolution of apology, especially in the House.
a.) Please take personal responsibility to contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives andrequest they take a stand and co-sponsor this national resolution (and support it when reaching the floor).
Again, postal mail is very slow in D.C., and so I recommend email, fax, or phone (or all three).
>As stated above, you may find your specific representatives web page and contact information here:
U.S. Senate – http://www.senate.gov , U.S. House – http://www.house.gov
If helpful, sample correspondence may be seen here: http://www.AL-USSPN.org/updates/20041007s.htm
Information to track this resolution (S.J.Res.37, H.J.Res.98) is here – http://www.AL-USSPN.org/NativeResolution.htm
Presently, in the Senate it is on the legislative calendar, and in the House is referred to the Committee on Resources.
Justice and the Unborn – Healing the Past, Shaping the Future
When seeking God concerning pursuit of deliverance from the national scourge of abortion, and our despising of life and the unborn, the LORD directed Lou Engle and The Call to first revisit the highways of pain in Alabama and the South where such injustice and atrocity have occurred – particularly the African-American civil rights journey, and the Native American Trail of Tears.
Lou Engle was in Alabama again the last week of December 2004, and stated he believed breakthrough in Alabama regarding justice, is a key to breakthrough for the nation. He then repeated his conviction that Alabama’s redemptive gift is in relation to “justice” and reminded us of the dream he had:
“In my dream I was digging in the earth for treasure, for wells of national revival, and hit something that hindered all progress. Upon looking closer, I discovered it was bones … bones of injustice … and then I saw something written … upon the bones was inscribed, ALABAMA”.
~ Please agree with us in prayer that Alabama will not hide or bury her past, but face it and be willing to do what is necessary to see true healing and restoration come, both for our state and for the nation. Please pray that it would please the LORD to raise up a voice and “exceeding great army” from these bones as in the days of Ezekiel. For though they had chosen “death rather than life” (Jer 8:1-4) – as Alabama in her past, and our nation with Roe v. Wade – yet with God there was hope for these bones that breath and life and hope and purpose might still be restored (Ezek 37).
This meeting with leaders in Alabama was to share of the opening of the Justice House of Prayer in D.C. and the Silent Seige that TheCauseUSA has been in the middle of. He shared that in this cry for justice they had received some dreams they were praying over regarding a Birmingham Youth Movementrelating to justice and the unborn. He had been stirred in realizing that breakthrough came in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham when young people also began to take up the cause (young people even began filling jails). When the youth went to battle in Birmingham it turned the tide. Breakthrough came when the generations united.
~ Please agree in prayer for wisdom and discernment concerning these dreams, and particularly whether the LORD is desiring a flash point outside of D.C. in relation to these things (justice and the unborn) and if Birmingham – and more specifically the young people in Birmingham – may have a unique role. Please pray for the a uniting of the generations as in the days of Joshua, for the divine purpose that the place of promise might be entered into together. Please pray that grace would be given to overcome evil with good, pride with humility, rage with meekness, death with life – and for a uniting of boldness and humility.
There seems to be a significant relationship between Alabama and what is emerging in D.C. in relation to this stand for the UNBORN, likely because of the strong ties relating to justice. There are now some possibilities being considered in relation to the Justice House of Prayer and an associated journey in Alabama – in particular, possibly targeting Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham (whether by march, prayer, etc) in relation to justice in our nation and the unborn.
~ Please agree in prayer for clear direction concerning the possibilities being considered, for the witness of the Spirit concerning whether this initiative is to occur, and if so when, and where (possible anniversaries of march dates in consideration). Please pray for discernment for leadership involved in these decisions with so much at stake in this opportune time. Please pray especially for understanding whether the dreams that have come regarding Alabama are direction to obey, or a word/message/principle to be understood (i.e. whether Alabama’s past in the dream is a message to be understood, or a prophetic mandate that must be walked out).
Levi and the Priestly Role
In seeking direction in how to pray for the state of Alabama, passages regarding Levi continue to come. Levi shared in the shame of unjust cruelty and shedding of innocent blood in Genesis (Gen 50:5-7), and yet from such barren ground the LORD raised up a holy priesthood. For “executing justice” (Ps 106:30), the covenant of priesthood was committed to Levi/Phinehas, a covenant of LIFE and PEACE (Num 25:12-13, Mal 2:4-5).
~ Please agree in prayer that as a state we might understand how to fulfill the Levitical and priestly role of truly “executing justice” on behalf of another, the ministry of reconciliation/peace and of atonement/life through the appropriating of the Lamb’s blood at the altar. Please pray for the intimacy with God and fellow man that the name Levi (lit. “joined”) speaks of and was intended to know – true covenant andbrotherhood, joined in union with God and one another. Please pray for intimacy in worship to be known and skill as the Levites and singers who David set by course to prophesy on instruments. AsIntegrity Music – born from the desire to bring others into God’s presence in worship – sprang out of Mobile, AL (Selah!), please pray this fulfillment of what God had intended would continue to multiply, and that empty religious forms would give way to life-giving streams.
~ Please agree in prayer that where Alabama has stumbled as Levi in treating holy things common, or profaning the Name of the LORD through mere religious observance, or in alienating through pride, or in idolatry – whether a calf or Nehushtan (2 Ki 18:4), that we might return to God in humility. Oh that we might clearly discern the enemy’s fowl attempt to exchange “religion” for true relationship! Please also pray that Alabama would arise with a voice as a true messenger of the LORD of Hosts and messenger of covenant (Mal 2:7), and that Alabama might know the LORD’s presence as refiner’s fire that she may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness (Mal 3:1-3) Please agree that where Alabama has profaned the Name of the LORD, that now He would sanctify His great Name in her that the unbelieving might know He alone is the LORD (Ezek 36:23).
“One Thing”
One Thing (https://www.ihopkc.org) is a gathering springing out of IHOP – KC that this year will also occur in 7 states, and Alabama is one of those. For some time I have suspected there is a relationship between the growing Tent/Tabernacle of David expression of Worship and Intercession (as at IHOP and elsewhere) and the establishing of Righteousness and Justice because Isaiah prophesied when the LORD sat in His throne in that tabernacle, these are what He would seek after.
“And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking justice, and hasting righteousness.” (Isa 16:5)
~ Please agree in prayer that the LORD might ignite something through the One Thing gathering in Alabama, that as a state we would begin discern how to minister unto the LORD in the fullness of the expression of the Tabernacle of David, for it is a key for harvest (Amos 9:12), and for justice (Isa 16:5). Please pray for leadership as they seek to understand the strategic location for this unique gathering, and for Mike Bickle and Lou Engle as the LORD continues to join them in an extraordinary way in this call to mobilize intimacy and activism.
Brief History of ALABAMA
The earliest inhabitants of Alabama were Native Americans with the first journey inland by Europeans being Spanish explorers in the 16th century under Hernando De Soto. By the 18th century few of the peoples De Soto met were still organized under the same names, with most Native peoples now members of four major Native American Nations (the Cherokee, the Chickasaw, the Choctaw, and the Creek Confederacy). The French colonized Alabama in 1682 as part of Louisiana, but the French Indian War in 1763 gave the British ownership and all of Alabama north of Florida became Reservation Lands for the Indians. White settlement in this reservation without permission of the Native Americans was forbidden by king’s order. After the Revolutionary War in 1783 Alabama was given to the United States, who formed the Mississippi Territory including present day Alabama and Mississippi.
In the early 1800s the Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812, and Creek War all had a profound impact on Alabama which became a separate Territory, and then on December 14, 1819, the 22nd state of the Union. The state capital moved from Huntsville, to Cahaba, to Tuscaloosa, and finally to Montgomery. With an influx of settlers the population more than doubled, and pressure intensified with Native Americans. Under President Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) these Indian nations were forced to give up their lands and move west of the Mississippi. Cotton became the cash crop of Alabama and the plantation system, organized around slave labor, adopted from Virginia. Southern states were convinced slavery was essential for agriculture and the North just trying to dominate the economy, so the platform of Southern Rights led Alabama to finally secede from the Union following Lincoln’s election in 1860. Alabama called the other states to Montgomery in 1861 to form a Southern nation, the Confederate States of America, with Montgomery the first capital of the Confederacy. In the reconstruction following the Civil War, Alabama refused to ratify the 14th Amendment extending rights to blacks, and was put under military rule until finally readmitted to the union in 1868. Railroads were built and industry began to emerge afterward, though a system of sharecropping continued and segregation of public facilities was the standard at the end of the century.
Industrial and economic growth in the early 1900s was halted by the Depression, and Alabama’s delegation in Congress provided leadership in the recovery with the New Deal and TVA. In the 1950s Civil Rights efforts began to focus on integration and with the flashpoint of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. Martin Luther King led both the state and nation toward radical reform. Resistance to the Supreme Court ruling on segregation required President Kennedy to enforce it with the National Guard, but it still wasn’t until 1970 that most blacks attended integrated schools. Aggressive pursuit of industry continued in the late 20th century with the manufacturing and service industries providing the greatest contribution to the economy.
Brief History Link – www.AL-USSPN.org/BriefHistory.htm
Written by John Buhler – Alabama State Coordinator (2003 – 2007) – Alabama Strategic Prayer Network (AL-USSPN)