Daniel 9: 4-6:
“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from Your commands and laws. We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.”
As I observe unseemly behaviors on display with recent protests, riots, gun battles, politics, and the effects of a world-wide pandemic, just to name a few, it has led me to believe that there is something more going on behind what we are witnessing. Watching the news and reading the newspaper might give one the impression that what we are seeing is a well-orchestrated, strategic tug of war, played out right before our eyes. Just like the tug of war that was waged over my soul years ago, this war is being waged in the heavenly realm as well as on our streets, in our cities, schools, churches, Congress, in the media, in politics and even in our neighborhoods. This conflict is for the very soul of our nation.
The remedy is repentance and prayer for the return of America back to God. Yesterday the focus was on our personal sins, and today we shall address the issue of “national sin,” and what it means to the heart of our nation.
As we read today’s passage from the book of Daniel, we see a prayer of desperation, offered by Daniel on behalf of his nation, Judah. After being taken into captivity by the Babylonians, his people has endured seventy years of separation from God’s blessings. Daniel confesses how the people have turned from God and His commandments and laws and have foolishly turned a deaf ear to the warnings against rebellion. By utterly throwing himself on God’s mercy and praying in total faith, trust and dependance on His God, the Lord provided repeatedly, personally, and powerfully.
Do we dare believe that God can do the same for us as we pray on behalf of our nation? Yes! This is the time for us to confess and ask forgiveness for our national sins: we have cavalierly allowed millions of innocent, defenseless lives to be taken; we have indulged our emotions to pervert the institution of marriage; we have misinterpreted our Constitution to promote “freedom from religion” by removing God from the public square and our schools; and we have embraced “progressive Christianity” that dims the light of God’s Truth in our churches, and neglects the preaching of the pure gospel of Christ that declares it is by Jesus alone that we can be saved.
By no means is this a complete list but, dear readers, we must consider all of the above, and more, and how our sins must grieve God. Pray on behalf of America, that our nation would be restored and that our cries for mercy be heard. Daniel continues his plea in verses 18b-19a: “We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act!“
Most Holy God, we acknowledge that we must meet the conditions that will enable You to fulfill your promise from 2 Chronicles, “I will hear from Heaven, forgive their sin and will heal their land.” May we as citizens of this great nation recognize our national sins, be contrite of heart, and confess that we have disobeyed Your laws and the laws of nature. Forgive us, O Lord. By your forgiveness, mercy, guidance and power may the land that we love once again turn to You as sovereign ruler and divine helper, as in ages past. Hear our prayer and grant us healing for the divisions so that no man can put our country asunder. Bind all evil from entering our land, whether through physical means or through the hearts of man. We love our country. Preserve it, we pray. Protect it, we pray. Bless it, we pray. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
