Pulling Down Strongholds: North West Region - Multnomah County

Latourelle Falls

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:6

Many prayers have gone up for Multnomah County and the City of Portland. We wrote about an early minister, Archie Word of the Montavilla Christian Church established in about 1915, and his impact on the community. You can read more about Archie Word and his church here.

Read more about the area here, and here. 

We have been thinking about the power of prayer, specifically the Prayer of Agreement, and aligning with those pioneers who prayed over the region before us. It has been challenging to locate recorded prayers over Oregon, but they do exist. We will keep searching. In the meantime, one type of prayer that is recorded is those said by legislative chaplains during the opening ceremonies for the legislature. On the federal level, the chaplains’ prayers are archived and easily found online. State accounts are more difficult, but one that was not only recorded but made news across the country nearly 30 years ago, was a prayer by Pastor Joe Wright, opening the Kansas State Legislature. This is his prayer. It is borrowed from Kansas, but I believe it applies to Oregon:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says: ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it moral pluralism.

We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.

We have abused power and called it political savvy.

We have coveted our neighbors’ possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our fore-fathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh GOD, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Amen!”

Multnomah County

Multnomah County is home to the largest city in the state, Portland, also the county seat. The county is the smallest by area, 474 square miles, with the largest population, 815,428. It is situated just west of Hood River County, and north of Clackamas County with its northern border the Columbia River.

The county was formed in 1854 out of parts of Washington and Clackamas Counties.

The county has a five-person Board of Commissioners. Jessica Vega Pederson is the Chair. The others are Sharon Meieran, Jesse Beason, Julia Brim-Edwards, and Lori Stegmann.

The Multnomah County Sheriff is Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell. With much of the county situated along the Columbia River, an important officer of the Sheriff’s office is the River Patrol. Keep these officers in prayer, including a recently retired Sergeant, Steve Dangler, who leaves a lasting legacy and was awarded this year’s Oregon State Marine Board Officer of the Year.