Prayer for Cabinet appointments

Last night, new Prime Minister Theresa May made six senior appointments, covering the three great offices of state (Chancellor, Home Office, Foreign Office), and created two new post-Brexit positions.  Continue to pray for her appointments today.

BORIS JOHNSON

The most astonishing appointment last night was that of Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary.  Mr Johnson is said to have had wide experience dealing with foreign governments promoting the capital city as Mayor of London.  He is much better disposed to Russia than his predecessor and apparently speaks five languages fluently, including German and Russian.

The latter will be especially useful as he pursues what we pray will be a more positive engagement with Russia than that taken by his predecessor.  (Although never under-estimate the power of the PUS – see the picture.  Sir Simon Fraser, Mr McDonald’s predecessor, has already said “highly professional people” will surround Mr Johnson as he takes on the role.  Sir Humphrey?

Mr Johnson, like Theresa May, is pro-Israel.  The BBC reports: ‘In 2015, Mr Johnson had to cancel planned public events in the West Bank because of security fears after he criticised backers of a boycott on Israeli goods, and he has previously described Hilary Clinton – US presidential hopeful – as having “a steely blue stare, like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital.”‘

British sanctions against trade with Russia must be ended and Russian efforts to bring stability to Syria supported.  We can pray that Boris, with a great-grand-father from Moscow, will have nothing to do with the posturing of the world elite which needs to see Russia as the big enemy and President Vladimir Putin as an aggressor and a threat.

A more positive engagement will help as Mr Johnson tries, as we hope he will, to find the reasons behind Russia’s new anti-evangelism law and argue against it from an informed and friendly position.

Write to your MP.  Ask him/her to congratulate the new Foreign Secretary on your behalf and to ask him to pursue a positive engagement with Russia, lift sanctions and let you know what discussions he has with Russian officials about Russia’s new anti-evangelism law, which, of course, concerns you.

PHILIP HAMMOND

I prayed yesterday and I am still praying that Philip Hammond would leave the government completely, because of his stance on Syria and Russia (see below).  Mr Johnson taking his place at the Foreign Office was a spectacular and unexpected part-answer to that prayer.

Mr Hammond, with his ‘Assad must go’ rhetoric, showed himself both ignorant of reality in Syria, and in thrall to the US-driven elites of this world. I made a video on this topic last October with an emphasis on Syrian Christians: Syria – Sense and Compassion.  Do take a look – it’s less than 4 minutes.

Mr Hammond was also part of ‘Project Fear’ with his view that it would take longer than World War II to leave the European Union.

In the event, he has been made Chancellor of the Exchequer, which is a promotion.  Pray for him to have the great wisdom and vision that job needs at any time, but especially at this time.  I still pray that the Lord will intervene and that he will not be there long.

MICHAEL FALLON

Mr Fallon retains the post of Secretary of State for Defence.  He was part of the ‘Assad must go’ triumverate (with Mr Cameron and Mr Hammond) and the same arguments apply to him as apply to Mr Hammond.  It was a spectacularly ignorant and stupid line originated by William, Lord, Hague, totally driven by the desire of the US to destablise that country for financial and strategic reasons – Russia has bases in Syria.

It has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and drove the migration disaster of last summer, in which thousands of Islamic State activists were able to infiltrate European Union nations.

The United Kingdom needs a Defence Secretary able to stand up to the US in NATO and end the current policy of military build-ups and sabre-rattling at the Russian border.  Make no mistake, such things are planned by the elite for their benefit, not ours.  A top insider, Craig Breedlove, former head of NATO, was at the Bilderberg meeting in Dresden last month.  And a series of leaked emails published in RT show how keen he has been to push the Obama administration into agitating in Ukraine and aggression against Russia.

I am praying that Mr Fallon has a change of heart and becomes a man of peace, whose strength is in the Lord.  His voting record is good on the issues that matter.  He voted against ‘gay marriage’ and against doctor-assisted dying, for instance.  But he voted for military intervention against President Assad’s forces in Syria.  if the Lord will not change his heart, will the Lord replace Mr Fallon as well.

Write to your MP (a separate letter with a different date will be best) and ask him/her to ask the Secretary of State for Defence to pull British forces out of NATO’s aggressive current confrontation with Russia.

AMBER RUDD

The new Home Secretary was, like Mr Hammond and Mr Fallon, a ‘Remainer’ who voted against having a referendum at all.  She also voted for ‘gay marriage’ and, like Mr Fallon, for military action in Syria.  That vote, mercifully, was lost.  She abstained on doctor-assisted dying.  Her voting record goes back no further than 2010, because that was when she first became MP for Hastings and Rye.

Amber Rudd stands in need of our prayer as she takes charge of this vital office of state.  We should especially pray against the introduction of intrusive surveillance measures and the use of real or imagined threats to curtail civil liberties.

DAVID DAVIS

Thank the Lord that the veteran parliamentarian has become the new Secretary of State for Brexit, or whatever it will be called.  This is an inspired appointment, as apart from a lapse when he voted for Masstrict, Mr Davis has been constantly opposed to the EU, as he has to measures like ‘gay marriage’.

The ‘kings of the earth’ are even now working out ways to prevent Brexit.  Both US Secretary of State John Kerry and Tony Blair have said it could be ‘reversed’ or walked back’.

So Mr Davis will need much prayer as he negotiates the UK’s exit with the European Unions’s Commission and/or Council of Ministers (they are currently fighting a turf war over which will handle the talks).  He will need to invoke Article 50 quickly and be unafraid to pull out of the Single Market completely if that requires accepting freedom of movement.

Freedom of movement was perhaps the biggest factor persuading people to leave the EU, because of the problems it brings.  It is not a matter of hospitality, it is a matter of social cohesion and security, as I showed in this video.

Mr Davis should remember the four reasons why the Germans will back down: Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagon and BMW.  Other countries trade with the EU without being in the Single Market, the USA and India, to name just two.

Write to your MP (separate letter!) and ask him/her to congratulate the Secretary of State for Brexit on his appointment and wish him well.  Ask your MP to ask him to invoke Article 50 immediately and to be ready to leave the Single Market completely if freedom of movement is demanded as a condition of remaining in it.

LIAM FOX

Liam Fox has been appointed Secretary of State for International Trade, a new and significant office in Theresa May’s new Cabinet.

Dr Fox will be responding to nations across the world who are now queuing up to do trade deals with the UK.  He reputedly knows the United States very well, but Commonwealth countries are obvious new trading partners.  It was encouraging to see Ghana preparing a trade delegation.  The European Union has caused much hardship across Africa and developing countries in other parts of the world by dumping food aid, knowingly depressing prices and impoverishing local farmers.

There is an opportunity here for us to do more for fair trade than just buying tea and coffee.  We should also pray that overseas aid becomes much smarter.  I’m anxious to be in touch with those who know best how fair trade principles could form the bedrock of Dr Fox’s approach, and let us pray that he will have great success.  Let us pray that Brexit re-establishes Britain as a newly-free, global, outward-looking trading nation, one built this time on fairness and justice, not on deception and exploitation.

Write to your MP (yet another separate letter!) and ask him/her to congratulate the Secretary of State for International Trade on his appointment and wish him well in it.  Ask your MP to ask the Secretary of State how fair trade principles will inform his dealings with developing nations.

LASTLY

Lastly, look out for chattering classes and the Twitter-sphere expressing ‘alarm’ and ‘concern’ over the elevation of Boris, David Davis and Dr Fox.  Such will mean they are good appointments!  We should never put our trust in princes, but Theresa May (be sure to put an ‘h’ in her name) has shown she was true when she said ‘Brexit means Brexit’.  Those of our readers who supported Remain should also be praying the Lord uses the Brexit vote and this new administration for his glory and to advance his Kingdom on earth.

Mrs May will be familiar with these two prayers from the Anglican Morning Prayer service in the Book of Common Prayer.  They can apply to an individual or a nation and they spoke to me vividly this morning:

A Collect for Peace.
O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom; Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Collect for Grace.
O Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day; Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings, being ordered by thy governance, may be righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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