Prayer Journal
Tuesday, November 7, 2000
"Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again. They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God."
The world has seen Jerusalem miraculously restored to the nation of Israel. Little by little Jews, scattered around the world, are moving to the Holy Land to take up residence there. Scripture says that a day is coming when their stony hearts will be replaced with one that is soft. They will repent and turn from their lust for other gods. They will come to know God's favor as a people that bear his name and His protection.
America resembles Israel in many ways except there is no promise that God will preserve and protect this nation we call "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave". We're a great country because God has blessed us and that is the only reason. And the only reason God has blessed America is to honor the our founding fathers who determined to establish a country that would honor God for generations to come.
Americans around the world heard a simple prayer on a radio program aired by commentator Paul Harvey. He was quoting a prayer by Rev Joe Wright as delivered to a session of the Kansas Senate. Mr. Harvey reported that program received the largest positive response of any other program he has ever aired.
Similarly, the church where Rev Wright is pastor, received over 5,000 phone calls within six weeks. Only 47 of those were reported as being negative.
Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good,," but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We confess: We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism. We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the center of your will. I ask it in the Name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Not everyone liked what Rev Wright prayed. As he prayed, some legislators got up and walked out of the chambers in protest over his words. However, Americans, with a trust in God, are hungry to hear leaders stand up for the principles on which our nation was built.
Will God give us, like Israel, a soft heart to once again follow His law and keep His decrees? If so, it will surely begin with individuals, not congregations. Are you hungry for God's Word and is God calling you to follow Him? If not, you better ask your doctor, at your next medical exam, to take a core sample of your stony heart. Just Thinkin'.. WebServant
(1) Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society
(2) The images used herein were obtained from the Learning Company's ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe product, (c)1999 The Learning Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, 88 Roland Way, Novato, CA 94945 USA. All Rights Reserved.
