National Day of Prayer

[Note:  This was originally posted on May 6, 2010.]

On this National Day Of Prayer, I'd like to look at a familiar Bible passage - 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If My people,
who are called by My name,
will 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 heal their land.

Let's think about the significance of this passage. Most of us get the praying and seeking-God part. And we sure want the Lord God Jehovah to hear from heaven and forgive us and heal our land. Some of us are even willing to humble ourselves by prostrating ourselves - face down - on the floor while praying. But how many of us have glossed over that fifth line? Does it make us uncomfortable? Wouldn't we really rather think about someone else's sin - those rotten heathens - than our own?

Let's read it again, and together, let's give special consideration to the words in bold.

If My people,
who are called by My name,
will humble themselves,
and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven....

To whom is the Lord talking? The "pagans?" Or is He speaking to His people?

His people. In the Old Testament, that would have been the people of Israel. Today the people called by His name are Christians, people who profess to follow Jesus Christ, people who have asked the Lord to exchange His righteousness for their unrighteousness so they can gain entrance into the eternal presence of a holy, righteous God.

What is the Lord asking His people to do? Humble themselves, pray, seek His face. Yes. But what about that fifth line? "Turn from their wicked ways." Could it be possible that we Christians have wicked ways? Could it be that the reason our nation has fallen to its low degree is because we Christians cling to our wicked ways?

Dear Heavenly Father, we are in desperate trouble as a nation. Teach us to humble ourselves before you to the extent that we will examine our lives and see if there is any wicked way in us. Do we dishonor our husbands or our parents? Do we misuse our time? Do we gossip? Do we exasperate our children? Do we cross jurisdictional boundaries? Do we neglect our duties in pursuit of pleasure? Do we neglect Your Word and prayer? Do we permit things to come before our eyes and into our ears that You find abominable? Please open our eyes to our hidden sins. Please help us to be willing to humbly admit them before you. Please cause us to hate our sins as much as you do and to turn from it - not only on this special day, but to renounce them for life.

We repent before you. Hear our cry, O Lord! A humble and contrite heart You will not despise. Oh, gracious Abba, please forgive our sins, and heal our homes, our churches, our nation. I ask these things in the high and holy name of our fearsome and majestic Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Yours for national repentance,
Hester

PS These words have convicted my own sinful heart.