Is night descending upon America?
Jeremiah 50:6 says, “My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.”
As a nation, we have forgotten God. And our spiritual shepherds of our flock have, in many cases, been the leaders of this rebellion. Drifting away out of God’s marvelous light and away from the authority of His word, we have, as a nation, sunk deeper and deeper into the dark night of sin.
But, for a short time anyway, we as Christians still do have freedom. Let us make haste and work while still there is light for “the night cometh, when no man can work.” (See John 9:4)
Perhaps you think, “I have been working, but there seems to be no power in my work.” That is the case for many of us. Why do we have no power in our work? Because we are not right with God.
II Chronicles 7:14 says, “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.”
Here is a break down of this verse and a consideration of its various parts.
I. First, to whom is this verse addressed?
“If my people….” This verse is addressed to God’s people, those “which are called by my name.”
II. What is commanded?
“Shall humble themselves.
This verse is a personal look into the heart. Those of us who are called by the name of the Lord God must humble ourselves. This word “humble” means “to bend the knee; to humiliate; to vanquish; to bring low; to bring into subjection; to subdue.” (Strong’s Concordance)
These are powerful words. God will not hear a prayer for forgiveness from a proud heart. A humble heart is one that has been brought low. Self has been discarded. It is emptied of self and open to know and do only the will of the Saviour. It is a heart in which pride has been vanquished. It is a heart made ready for God to subdue and bring into subjection unto Himself.
This humbling is a humbling of ourselves, God’s people. It is not a message for the unsaved to try to convince them of their ungodly ways and get them to turn to Christ. It is a message for us, God’s people, those who are called by God’s name. We are to humble ourselves.
III. What is to be done after this humbling?
“And pray.”
How are we to pray?
A. “And seek my face.”
The first thing God wants in our prayer is that we seek His face. That means “to search out, specifically in worship; ask; beg; beseech; desire; make request; search for.” (Strong’s Concordance) God cannot look upon iniquity. In Isaiah 59:2, God told the children of Israel, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Also, when we sin, we turn our backs on God. When we turn our backs on sin, we turn to face God. There is no middle road. God wants us to turn to face Him and seek His face.
B. “And turn from their wicked ways?”
Whose wicked ways? The wicked ways of God’s people. Our wicked ways. This verse does not command us to pray that the unsaved or the politicians will turn from their wicked ways. How can they turn from their wicked ways and be saved if they see wickedness in our own hearts? This verse commands us to turn from our wicked ways, to humble ourselves before God, to repent of our sins. This is a very personal verse.
After we have dealt with our own hearts, we can confess the sins we see so prevalent among God’s people. Then we can confess the sins of our nation that have brought God’s wrath upon us. A study of the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah and Lamentations will show that this is the pattern followed by the great prophets of God.
IV. What are we to ask forgiveness for?
You know your own heart. And what you do not know, God knows. Ask Him to show you what is there. Maybe it is a bad attitude, complaining, wishing you had something you do not have, a desire to have the things of this world, a lack of desire to read God’s word and fellowship with your Saviour, lack of love for your Saviour or the lost, a worldly mindset, being more concerned about your own welfare more than the welfare of others, etc.
For more help in knowing how to pray for yourself, read Isaiah 6:1-8. Jeremiah and Ezekiel each had a similar experience to that of Isaiah. We cannot really know the state of our own heart without a glimpse of the glory and holiness and purity of God. Then read Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Lamentations. Here the sins of Israel and God’s punishments upon them are described. Are any of these sins in your own life? Then seek God’s face and turn from them.
V. How should we pray for our nation?
Again, read the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Lamentations, Are any of the wicked works described in these books prevalent in our nation? In our churches? Our spiritual leaders? Our political leaders? If God chastened His chosen people so severely, what would it be for another nation? Confess the sins of our nation to God, and petition God for the hearts of the people of our nation and the hearts of its leaders, including the judges and the spiritual leaders.
A glimpse of the glory, holiness and purity of God, shows us the sin of our own hearts; and it brings us the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
May we all know the fear of the Lord this day! May God be merciful to us and to our nation.