Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.” 2 Chronicles 7:13-15

Preambles are important to set the tone and expectations of a book or program, and especially nations. The original signers of the Declaration of Independence sought to set in motion a government for all the people. A mighty river begins from the tributaries of small rivers and creeks, coursing through the many bends and turns of its path until growing into a powerful, rushing river; so it is with nations.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Stephen Lucas writes that these words have been called “one of the best-known sentences in the English language”, containing “the most potent and consequential words in American history”. For 243 years the people of this nation have sought to capture the ideas set out in these words. Though our history has often been blemished and stained from our failure to live up to these challenging concepts yet the soul of our nation was filled with hopes and aspirations to be greater than any one event. It was the passion and desire of those who ratified the constitution to change the course of history and events until the goals of these words were achieved for all. For every wrong thing there have been multiple rights. Men of clay feet drafted the constitution but they had a desire that their children and their children’s children would someday embellish the heart of these words and make a better nation.

God set in motion a new nation in Genesis 12 when he appeared to Abraham with a most interesting preamble, “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” It is hard to imagine a great nation when you don’t have land or people or resources. God even goes one step further and enlarges the vision by telling Abraham, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.” (Genesis 17:6)

Nations and governments have come and gone on the pages of history since God set in motion a great nation arising from Abraham. Yet a mighty nation did arise and continues to arise as each day people come to Jesus as Savior and Lord.

As we approach our 244^th birthday as a nation. we can either mourn our failures or look with hope to the future. Today we face a multitude of challenges that can either weaken or strengthen us depending upon where we put our hope and faith.

The stains of our past, whether as a nation or individuals will always be with us but we are not condemned to live in our past. The stains of the past, when brought to the foot of the cross can be reshaped to display a beautiful mosaic of color and designs. Believers find at the cross the only beacon of hope. On the cross the words, “forgiven” are etched through our past because of the grace of God.

The founders of our nation had a vision of what we could become when we are untied. This is a time our nation needs us, as a church, to pray for grace-filled reconciliation, spirit-led unity and Christ-centered forgiveness. As we celebrate our 244^th birthday, maybe part of the celebration should be reading aloud the words that God gave Solomon in 2 Chronicles on the night of the temple dedication. Truly seeking God’s face, turning from our wicked way and asking Him to heal our land. For only in God can we truly live out the dream of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

God is great.

Pastor Lynn Burton