Unleashed: As You Go, Pray

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7

“History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.” Gen. Douglas MacArthur

I can’t help but wonder if we haven’t crossed over and are now reaping the words found in Proverbs 1:24-31. Reading these verses as you watch the evening news seem to go hand in hand – the careless disregard for the lives of people, the wanton destruction of people’s homes and workplaces and the growing fears of uncertainty.

“I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. “ (Proverbs 1:24-31 NLT))

Could it be that we allowed fools to be our leaders?

Could it be that we no longer value nor desire civility?

Could it be that we listened to voices of the world instead of God’s word?

Could it be that we tolerated injustice of those who couldn’t defend themselves?

Could it be that we tolerated sexual immorality by calling it enlightened?

Could it be that we tolerated broken homes and abused children because we were too busy?

Could it be that we sought religious structures instead of freedom and truth in Jesus Christ?

Could it be that we replaced God with our own versions of god?

Could it be that we used our prayers to voice our preferences instead of repentance?

A favorite quote of mine over the years is from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean” and it has merit for today. I do think changing a couple of words in his quote might be even more powerful for us – Let everyone pray in front of his own door, and the whole world will be changed.

As followers of Jesus we are reminded in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

My prayer for you and for me: Yet Lord you love us, cry over us, seeking us, asking us to return. Lord Jesus we are broken, come now and heal our land as we ask for you to heal our souls.

God is great,

Pastor Lynn