“We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.” - Daniel 9:5-6
In 1918, Irving Berlin wrote the patriotic song, “God Bless America.” If you're like me, I've often used the title of that song in prayer to request God's favor on our nation. In recent years, I've changed my request from “God bless America,” to “God have mercy on America.”
Daniel faced a similar situation. When he reflected on the spiritual condition of his people, he sought God's mercy and forgiveness. They had sinned greatly against God and failed miserably to keep His commandments.
Like it or not, the United States of America is no better. Our nation still seeks to kill unborn children. America has condoned and celebrated homosexuality. Transgender living is considered normal, acceptable behavior. Fornication is very common, in fact, more common than marriage.
It is easy to point the finger of blame at Hollywood or Washington. The fact is that the moral decay of our country has come even though thousands of churches meet weekly. With so many churches open in America, you'd think that Christians would greatly impact this culture with the truth. Instead, the culture has impacted the church. Churches are embracing the very sins that are destroying the moral fabric of our country. In the name of “love,” many denominations are compromising, yielding to political correctness by embracing the very sins that God condemns in his Word.
Rather than praying for God to bless America, we should be begging Him to have mercy on America. Like Daniel, we need to confess the sins of our country. Yet we also need to admit that these things have happened under our watch. The American Church remained silent as the forces of darkness made great advances.
So how should we pray? First of all, we need to confess our own guilt. We have been silent while wicked people have led a revolt against God, His Word and His people. We need to ask God to forgive us of our apathy and coldness. We should pray for God to wake up the Church, revive His people and raise up prayer warriors everywhere.
When Daniel made confession for his people, he used the word, “we,” in his confession. He admitted that he had been part of the problem. Today, our prayers should be similar to Daniel's. We have failed the Lord. We have been silent for too long. Our silence has given the devil a foothold that he has not relinquished.
Christians need to get back in church. If you think it is hard going to church now, what are you going to do when that freedom is taken away? If it seems difficult to boldly share the Gospel publicly, how are you going to be a witness for Jesus when persecution intensifies? Let's get busy for God and share the Gospel publicly. We may be the last generation of Americans that have the freedom to do so.
The Bible says that judgment must begin at the house of God. There is so much false doctrine being preached these days. Too many members are playing church. While most are concerned about the size of their church, we need to be more concerned about the purity of our church. A church is only as clean and pure as its members. Pray for God to purify your life, your marriage, your home and your church. Repent of all forms of ungodliness. Remove all sinful influences from your life. Come clean with the Lord and stay clean by His Word.
Secondly, we need to pray for unbelievers. Pray that God will soften their hearts. Ask for a mighty spiritual awakening to take place in America. Ask God to give you boldness to share the Gospel wherever you go. Time is running out. Judgment lies ahead. Many are unprepared to meet God. The harvest is ending and many are unsaved. Pray for more harvest workers --- and be one yourself.
Finally, we need to pray for our government. Yes, everything seems to be a mess in Washington. With another election coming up, so much is on the line. Let's pray for the election. Go to the voting booth and vote according to Biblical convictions. Pray for our leaders. The Bible commands us to do so. Pray for our national leaders, state leaders and local leaders.
Our nation is in a mess. It is easy for us to blame others, but the blame begins with us. We need to get serious about our faith. Come to the throne and beg for God to do a mighty work in our land, beginning with the Church.
Daniel prayed for his people. He prayed that God would have mercy on them.
We should do the same today.
No comments:
Post a Comment