“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” — 2 Chronicles 7:14
Sometimes we make lousy choices that lead to bad consequences and attribute the consequences of our actions (or inaction) to something God has sent upon us and willed for us rather than accepting responsibility for our own decisions and behaviors, repenting, and seeking grace to change our ways. And not just the “weak,” either; we can fancy ourselves “strong” and fall into this. I know I have, especially on the inaction side, and the Lord gently corrected me and graciously gave me the strength to act by faith on his promises and make changes I never could’ve made stick on my own.
Lately, on a certain social media website, I’m seeing signs of this attitude spreading in the Church regarding politics. To address this from strictly the spiritual side, the Lord is still on his throne, and working all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (i.e. Christians). A most comforting thought when too many in the electorate are being sucked in by a prideful, self-exalting fascist that God is bound to eventually lose patience with and cast down. As true as all this is, it is also true, as a nation, we need to humbly acknowledge our responsibility for our own wicked ways in prayer, turn from them, and seek God’s face before God will heal our land.
Let’s start by checking our egos, checking our pride, including our theological pride. We live in a democratic republic, not a monarchy or a theocracy; God didn’t handpick our candidates.If anything, we’ve let the media do that, and they’re not following God. The Lord has in his sovereignty allowed this, and God may well be turning us over to the gods America has cheated on King Jesus with. However, at the same time, we are reaping what we have sown, so let’s humble ourselves and examine ourselves honestly and prayerfully, seek God’s face, and turn from the wicked ways the Lord convicts us of. Let’s humbly intercede before the Lord and plead for forgiveness and mercy, that God might hear from Heaven and heal our land.
Lord, forgive our pride, forgive our laziness. We confess we have not always acted on your promises by faith. Help us to take responsibility for own choices, convict us of any wicked way you find in us, and strengthen us by your grace to turn from it and seek your face. We are nothing without you, going nowhere fast without you. Hear our cry. Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy, on us. Heal our homes, heal our work, heal our land. We put our trust and our hope in you. We lift our hearts to you. Lead us and may we be truly open to be led by you and changed by your grace. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
[tweetthis remove_twitter_handles=”true” remove_hidden_urls=”true”]Wanted: Humility (as we pray, seek God’s face, turn from sin, & ask God to heal our land.) 2Chron7:14[/tweetthis]