Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The Only Hope

Over the past few weeks I have experienced a wide range of emotions. Panic, fear, worry, anger, sadness, concern. As I look at America, part of me wonders how everything has happened. I've read Facebook posts, blogs, news reports, and I have kept largely silent except when asked about my thoughts. What I am about to share is something I have been thinking for a few weeks. I know I am not the first to say this, but in the past few weeks I have not seen anyone else say it, and this morning I felt God leading me to speak up.

America is messed up. This world is messed up. Sin is everywhere. Terror seeks to rule the day. People respond by attacking the other side via social media. What does this accomplish? What does this do rather than point a judgmental finger or spread panic? What if the people of God decided to do something? I'm not talking about taking a stand by posting your political stance of Facebook, or throwing the Bible in the face of people who don't believe it. I'm talking about taking the only action that can make an impact.

In 2 Chronicles 7, the Temple has been completed and has been dedicated to God. The glory of God has filled the building and He says these words to Solomon, "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and 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, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually." (2 Chronicles 7.13-16)

God has promised to hear the prayers of His people when they humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways. When the people of God will come before Him in surrender, crying out to Him, seeking His will, rejecting evil, God will hear their prayer. He will forgive sin and heal the land. He says that He will be attentive to the prayer offered in the Temple.

The New Testament says, "And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2.4-5, 9-12)

To the people of God, the time has come to pray.

We must begin by repenting of sin. We have been silent, we have been hostile. We have ignored our own sin but brutally assaulted the sins of others. This is not Christlike, and we are all guilty. We must repent, and turn from our wickedness.

We must seek God. We have done things our way, focused on our lives and comforts, and ignored the commands of God. We have compromised and grown stagnantly complacent. This is not the way servants act. We must humble ourselves before God and seek His face.

In all honesty, what is a Facebook post going to do? They only hope for the Church, America, and the World, is God. They only way anything is going to change is if the people of God repent of their sins, turn from wickedness, and seek His face. Are we willing to humble ourselves and do that?

It is easier to complain and attack the other side, but all that does it build walls and fail to show the love of Christ. It is not easy to do 2 Chronicles 7 because it involves humbling ourselves and honestly looking at our own lives. But that is the only course of action that is going to bring about any change.

So let us humble ourselves and prayer. Let us turn from our wicked ways and seek the face of God. We are a royal priesthood, let us live like it.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you