Yesterday was one of the darker days in U.S. history, no matter what your take on it or your political persuasion. And what happens from here is equally disrupting.

It was unsettling to see as revered an icon and symbol of liberty as the Capital building overrun by a mob bent on destruction and the interference of the business at hand. Terrified legislators were faced with their sacred halls under siege and their own lives in danger. It was definitely a tense and unnerving afternoon.

Last night was also our weekly International Bible study, and my wife suggested that instead of study, we should air our thoughts and feelings about what we had been watching, and spend some considerable time praying for the country. It turned out to be the right choice. Sharing our concerns and fears was comforting, but the prayer time was what stood out to me. In light of events that seem far beyond our control, it is hugely empowering to know we can together appeal to the One who is in control, and know that He hears us and will respond to our prayers.

After asserting that Nancy Pelosi was not Satan (one of the signs outside the Capital building alleged that she was!) I acknowledged in my prayer that Satan was nonetheless present at yesterday’s disruption, and knowing that he is the author of lies and is bent on destruction and the taking of lives, we need to all be in prayer because we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and rulers of darkness in heavenly places. Yes, you and I can pray against the powers of darkness on a grand scale and know that our prayers are indeed making a difference. God has enlisted us in His army and our primary weapon is prayer.

So by the end of an extended prayer time, I must say, I felt lifted up, energized, comforted, and sure that our prayers had made a difference, not only in our lives, but in the world at large. Jesus has enlisted us to pray that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. And that’s no small thing. I highly recommend it.