WATCHWORD:
When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. 2 The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!”
12 Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3, 12-14
Meditation:
If My People…
Thursday, May 6, National Day of Prayer, also D-Day and many notable events have occurred on this date. I’ll bet you were unaware that on this day in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was officially opened to the public. How about this: In 1915, pitcher Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox, hits his first major league home run. Important events? No, not really. But, National Day of Prayer, that may be something else.
We are a nation founded in our trust of God, and we are a nation, like the Israelites before, that have created distance between God and what we are all about. While a National Day of Prayer, by itself, is a good thing, it does seem to be a symptom of how far we have strayed in our relation with God. Do we need the “National Day” reminder to pray? Well, it probably doesn’t hurt.
Did it take a war in Europe and the threat to our freedom to bring us to prayer? I think it did. While we missed in-church worship, I would venture a guess that our prayer-quotient jumped as we came to realize the seriousness of the pandemic. A call to prayer?
Think about God’s promise to us: “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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.”
Read carefully that promise. Do not miss the ‘If my people’, if we, you and me, will turn from our evil thoughts and ways, God will forgive us. The salvation of our nation does not rest with the President, Congress, our individual state governments. No, the Salvation of our nation rests with me and you, individuals praying and humbling ourselves, and being strong and courageous, as we resist destructive and dishonest influences in all its forms. When that happens, God will fulfill his promise to us.
So we pray…Heavenly Father, we know that our nation cannot be healed, cannot be righteous, unless all are righteous and are forgiven. We know that neither this nation nor the world can be changed until the hearts of men are changed. We pray to you, Lord, that our hearts be changed.
Father, you know the content of our being, you know the wrong ideals and sinful living we have done that cut us off from You. You know the depth of our greed, how we hide behind laws of selfishness and allowed them to imprison this nation. In our self-sufficiency, we have not reached out to you, have not cried for thy help.
You see beyond our facades and you see our arrogance and selfishness, that we have called patriotism, when in reality it is sinful pride. We have ignored those times when we could truly be your people, and have not heard the cries of those in need. Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see, unstop our ears so that we may hear, and kindle in us the fire of your love to truly be your people.
Please Lord, forgive us, and guide us back into your graces so that we, individually and as a nation, may be contrite in heart and sensitive to the wrongs and needs in our midst. Hear this our prayer we offer in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us never forget — “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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.” So be it.
Bulletin Board:
The dilemma of our current era: Society says, if you cough or sneeze do it in our elbow or sleeve. Don’t shake hands or hug anyone or you may spread the virus. To greet people, do an elbow tap instead.
The “logical us” asks — Elbow tap? Isn’t that where you tell people to sneeze or cough? Into their elbow? Now you want people to greet by tapping into each other’s elbow. Really?
Closing Prayer:
“I pray because I can’t help myself. … I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.” – C. S. Lewis
Dear God,
Thank you for your great power. We praise you for your Truth. We’re grateful that you have set us free from the clutching grasp of sin and death. Would you be with your people, extending your grace, granting your freedom, providing your protection, and empowering us with your strength. We ask that you’d bring about an awakening of your presence to America as never seen before. We pray that many would come to know you as Lord and Savior, we pray that many would see your Light, that you would open blind eyes and release those still imprisoned.
We pray for your great healing in America. Shine your face on us dear God. We need you now, more than ever before. Our times are in your hands. Thank you that you are rich in mercy and full of grace. Thank you that you are forgiving and merciful. Thank you that you are strong and mighty. Thank you that you are for us and that you fight for us still today. Bring honor to your Name, Oh Lord, for You alone are worthy. In the Name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.
