Today’s BLOG post is long, the longest post I’ve made to date. Still, I hope you will take the time to read through to the end, prayerfully consider the implications in your own life, and share with others. Thank you so much for reading and may God richly bless each and every one of you.
The other day I posted a strongly worded political statement regarding the direction the United States of America is headed in. I believed then, and I believe now that the words were fairly measured and appropriate given words that were used by the President of the United States on the same day. But I don’t want to just leave the thought at mere finger pointing. The President says there are citizens in the country who are “semi-fascist” (his words, not mine) and then people turn around and point out that he is the one dividing America (Laura Ingraham for example). We end up with a little back and forth here. But where is the solution in all of that? How do we get beyond the mudslinging and on a course to making things better?
Well, I believe there is a solution available for Christians. And I believe it is a solution available to any people group, any nation, anywhere in the world. And it is probably a solution most Christians have heard about at some point, and many have even tried. And yet, despite everything we do, we still end up back at the same point of name calling with those we disagree with.
So, what is this solution and what goes wrong with it such that we don’t seem to make much progress? Well before we get to the solution, can we even determine if our Country needs to be saved? A lot of people seek solutions for where there are no problems. So, before we run off and do that, let’s determine if we have a problem that requires saving from.
And this applies to any Nation anywhere in the world, and to any calamity you may be experiencing. Are you a Ukrainian citizen ravaged by the horrors of war? Victims of an unjust invasion of your sovereign land? Are you a citizen of Haiti, Cuba, North Korea, or Venezuela living in poverty under a heavy-handed regime? Are you a citizen of a European country, or Canada, or the United States and it just seems like the justice system no longer works, crime is rampant, inflation is on the rise, and debates have devolved into shouting matches? Are you a citizen of the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Israel … any country, anywhere on earth that is disheartened by moral decline, abortions on demand, indoctrination of school children, LBGTQIA+ ideals being forced on all as “rights”? Well then, I’d say you are in luck, because I’m pretty sure these are all conditions that have become so horrific around the world that we all need saving from them. So, what solution can we employ to save our Countries from these problems?
The solution is found in 2 Chronicles 7:13-15. A good many of you are thinking to yourselves right now “I knew he was going to say that.” or “Yep. Already doing that.” or even “I’ve been waiting for so long for an answer that I’ve forgotten how many days/weeks/months/years it’s been.” And for those who are wondering what the rest of us are talking about (and who haven’t clicked on the Scripture reference link yet), we’re talking about prayer. Earnestly seeking the face of God and asking for His intervention.
And this is the point in the debate where about two-thirds of everyone reading this post begins to think to yourselves “Wait-a-minute, you are telling me that a lot of you are already doing this? Are already engaged in the solution?” And I’d have to say “Yes”. I have no doubt whatsoever that there are many, many people that are sincerely engaged in prayer for their country on a regular basis. And about two-thirds of you just thought “Well it isn’t working so why should I join in?” And I know that many of you who claim this Scripture on a regular basis believe that we just need to wait upon the Lord, and He will answer in His time.
But let’s be honest here, our Country is in peril today. Our Country needs to be saved right now. Here in the United States of America we have National leaders that literally mock the Christian Faith and spit in the face of God. Nancy Pelosi does everything in her power to protect, defend, and propagate infanticide and abortion without regard for human life or respect for God, and she grieves the heart of God while doing it. And then she has the audacity to claim to be a member of the Church and has a desire to partake in Holy Communion (to identify with Christ). And when her own Priest denies her, she shames the church, travels to Rome, and takes Holy Communion from the hands of the Pope himself. The Church of Jesus Christ is being mocked, trampled on, and shamed by the highest offices within our land and we do nothing. Sure seems like our Country needs to be saved to me. And pretty quickly at that. And I, for one, don’t think we should just sit back and believe we are doing everything we need to do and now we are just waiting on the Lord. I believe we should be asking the question, what are we doing wrong that is keeping God from healing our land?
Here is the passage:
13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
2 Chronicles 7:13-15 King James Version
Here we find God talking to His people. And he is telling us if He has shut up heaven and caused no rain. If He has sent locusts to devour the land. If He has sent a pestilence amongst the people. The Lord keeps saying over and over again, “I” have done this. So, let me ask a question here, how many of us in our prayers keep asking God to stop Satan from ravaging our country? Do we pray for God to stop Satan from overrunning our land? And God is sitting on His throne saying, “I have done this.” I AM the one who has allowed this to happen to your country. And why would God do such a thing? I believe He allows such things in order to perfect His great plan. And to show us that He is in total and complete control at all times. And He also allows these calamities in order to draw us near to Him.
Step I: Recognize that it is God who is in control. Don’t approach God complaining about Satan being out of control. rather understand that God has only allowed Satan to go so far.
And next God tells us that if we do indeed recognize that it is He who is in control, and understands we find ourselves in the midst of all of these calamities, that there are some things we need to do.
Step II: His people. Are we God’s people? Time for a reality check of our own here. God is clearly telling us He wants His people engaged and we need to stop and make sure we’re a part of the family. Are you a believer? Are you in the right position to get the ear of God? You need to be, if you want to see real redemption and healing in the land.
Step III: Called by His name. People want to get really clever here and start testifying as to the “exact” name of God, when God Himself told Moses to just tell the people “I AM” sent you. God does have a name, but that is not the point here. The point is God is a jealous God and wants our attention on Him and nowhere else. This means the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Issaac. This means the God of the Bible, the Trinity as expressed in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This means the God of all of creation and no other god. Do we know who we are focused on? Where our attention is at? To be called by His name is to be part of the family and united in the service of the King of Kings.
Step IV: We the people. Note all the times God uses the plural reference here. “If my people“, “which are called“, “humble themselves“, “turn from their“, “forgive their“, “their land“. This is a family activity here. We need some group participation. God didn’t say “If Franklin Graham”, or “If the Pope”, or “If your Pastor” … God said, “the people“. God wants “we the people” to stand up, take action, and own our problems. Are we on the bench, letting everyone else pray our prayers for us? Well, let me tell you, the family needs you to get in the game. According to God, this is a family participation activity. And we all need to be involved.
Step V: Humble ourselves. How many of us pray “God, would you please show Nancy Pelosi the error of her ways and how wicked she is before you?” Everyone is now thinking “You do! You do!” And I am here to tell you I am in grave error when I do that. God doesn’t want us to come to him with all the answers or some grand plan. Nor does he want to know how smart we are in thinking about all the problems. “God, if you could just move the locusts over to the evil people’s land over here, and cause the rain to fall on our just land, then we would be so grateful” – is probably a prayer that is not going to be as effective as you might hope. God wants us to humble ourselves. Realize that we don’t have all the answers. Realize that we can’t fix things in and of ourselves. Recognize just who He is and how much we need Him. Give Him preeminence and take ourselves out of the picture.
Step VI: Pray. Talk to God. Tell Him the problem, not the solution. Tell Him there are locusts in the land. Tell Him there is no rain for the crops. Tell Him we need Him. And listen. Listen for what God has to say to us. Pray. God loves to interact with His people. And the best way for that to happen is through prayer.
Step VII: Seek. Seeking is part of not bringing God all the solutions. But it goes much further than that. Seeking the face of God is like getting to know a really good friend. Seeking the face of God is wanting to know more and more and more about Him. Seeking the face of God says, “I have a problem here, and only You God can solve it, and I am very interested in Your solution and blessing in my life”. Seeking the face of God is devoted, undying attention given to the Creator, and to Him alone. How many of us pray to God that he would heal our land and then go and turn on Monday Night Football? Or go to the movies? Or say “Amen, now we can sit down to eat”? Or tell the family, “I have chores to do”? How many of us have five minutes a day/week/month to pray for God to heal our land and then 23 hours 55 minutes for all the other activities we find necessary in our lives? That is not seeking the face of God. Seeking the face of God is a dedicated task. Besides, when you give more of your attention to the National Football League (NFL) than you do to God, your own priorities empower one over the other. Is it any wonder then there is no healing in the land?
Step VIII: Turn. Want another fairly ineffective prayer? How about “Dear God, please give Nancy Pelosi the strength to stop her evil deeds.” We need to stop looking at all the evil others are doing and start dealing with our own. That is not to say we are not aware of evil around us. We are. But God doesn’t want me ignoring my own wicked ways because I am so focused on how evil Nancy Pelosi is. I see this all the time; we are so good at finding someone more evil than ourselves that it immediately takes the attention off of us and puts it on another. God said “the people” must turn “from their wicked ways”. We must all participate in the turning. And for that to happen we must stop examining everyone else and start examining ourselves.
Can our country be saved? I believe it can be. However, it will take the dedicated efforts of God’s people (all of God’s people) and 8 steps. My prayer today is that we can get all of the family on board.