It's Been a Tough Week

I'm not going to lie, it's been a tough week. Here in the U.S. we've been put through a wringer politically, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. That wringer has lasted for almost 2 years and the drama that played out for all the world to see has been difficult. Now we seem bent on destroying one another and our nation. My concern now is that we believe we are past the worst and can relax a minute. And perhaps that is true - with the exception of one category. We cannot become complacent in the area of our prayers for this nation. In fact I believe we need to redouble those prayers, for we stand at a crossroads. Rest assured, I would be having these thoughts no matter which candidate won the presidency. The presidency is not the problem here - we are. We stand in peril for we have forgotten the Lord and He has gone to a mighty effort to regain our attention.

Two weeks ago, I found myself on my knees with the words of Daniel's prayer spoken at the end of the Babylonian captivity ringing through my brain. His heart wrenching prayer seems to fit what we need at this hour. So, I post this passage yet again and if you have a will to do so, join me in praying this prayer for the whole nation. If you are reading this post from another country, I am certain that your nation could use this prayer as well. All of us are placed by God in the countries we find ourselves and all of us are responsible for lifting our nations before the Lord.
Daniel 9:4–19
4O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments,
5we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from Your commandments and rules.
6We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the inhabitants of this land, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which You have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against You.
8To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against You.
9To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him
10and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.
11All of us have transgressed Your law and turned aside, refusing to obey Your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against Him.
12He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against the Lord.
13As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.
14Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that He has done, and we have not obeyed His voice.
15And now, O Lord our God, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16O Lord, according to all Your righteous acts, let Your anger and Your wrath turn away, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Your people have become a byword among all who are around us.
17Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of Your servants and to their pleas for mercy, and for Your own sake, O Lord, make Your face to shine upon Your people, who are desolate.
18O my God, incline Your ear and hear. Open Your eyes and see our desolations. For we do not present our pleas before You because of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercy.
19O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for Your own sake, O my God, because Your people are called by Your name.

Please don't read through this only once. Read it and own it as a prayer. Stop at the verses that grab your attention and meditate on the power of Almighty God. Confess for your nation where confession is needed and give glory and thanksgiving where praises are due to our God. If we are all intentional about lifting up fervent prayer for the nation, perhaps God will have mercy on us and bring us back to Himself. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The...
Read more

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv...
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl...
Read more