A Clarion Call
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
”
Regardless of your country, it is easy to either get caught up in the political discourse today, irrespective of your position, or completely ignore it altogether. However, God has a different plan for those called by His name. The priest Ezra gives us God's words for the times then and now.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
All biblical translations convey the same message: if we, who call ourselves Jesus' followers, will humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways (confess our sins to Him); he will hear us, forgive our sins, and heal our land.
We are so busy staunchly defending our individual political positions that we don't incorporate our faith in God into our opinions regarding the state of the political, social, and economic affairs in our individual countries.
Healing our land is not political. It is spiritual.
Can you imagine if each of us were to humble ourselves before God, confess our sins and the sins of our country, repent, and turn from our wicked ways? God says He will hear us, forgive us, and heal our land.
When speaking with someone the other day, they were sharing their anger at the political condition in our country. I listened, and I could even agree, but when I went to bed that night, I prayed that God would help me to have wisdom in my responses or discussions. How could I have a positive impact? What could be said that would help rather than add to the frustration? How could one person make a difference? Just avoiding any discussions wasn't the answer.
Regardless of the country, when we join together in humble prayer, genuinely seeking God's presence, turning from our wicked ways, regardless of gossip, envy, pride, stealing, violence, hate, destruction, and the list goes on, God will hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land. There is strength and power in collective, intentional, united prayer.
But it starts with us individually praying and seeking God, owning our sins, and asking Him to heal our hearts and change our thinking from what I demand to what I can offer. How do I bring glory to God in what I see, think, speak, and do today? We can't change another's heart, but God can.
Over the years, I have found that when I am in a heated argument with someone, if I take a break and pray, God change them or me. I ask you to come into this situation, and He does. I would love to say God always proved me right and changed the other person, but not so much. I often found He changed my heart, and that allowed the other person to change theirs.
Remembering that we do not fight against flesh and blood, as Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, helps us stay focused on God's plan, not ours.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
”
In Isaiah 61: 1-3, we are commissioned to participate in the healing of our land.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.”
Individually, we are the beginning of the healing of our land. We seek God with our hearts, mind, and soul. We ask Him to search our hearts. We commit who we are and what we do to God. When we seek Him, He will forgive us, heal our land, and empower us to have a significant, positive, and healing difference with those we meet and collectively in today's world.
When all of us humbly join our voices to God, seeking Him for one purpose, to heal our land. What a difference that would make in the world today.