Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD’s wrath comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger. (Zep 2:1-3)
"The prophet calls to national repentance, as the only way to prevent national ruin. A nation not desiring, that has not desires toward God, is not desirous of his favour and grace, has no mind to repent and reform." (Matthew Henry).
We are in need of national repentance! If you research and study the rise and fall of great nations, and compare them to the US right now - we are headed for a fall. It may be more serious than many imagine. Kerby Anderson sums it up very well in his piece on "The Decline of a Nation":
The first stage moves from bondage to spiritual faith. The second from spiritual faith to great courage. The third stage moves from great courage to liberty. The fourth stage moves from liberty to abundance. The fifth stage moves from abundance to selfishness. The sixth stage moves from selfishness to complacency. The seventh stage moves from complacency to apathy. The eighth stage moves from apathy to moral decay. The ninth stage moves from moral decay to dependence. And the tenth and last stage moves from dependence to bondage.
Where we are headed is almost a sure bet. We, as a nation, are preoccupied with everyone and everything outside our borders. We feed, clothe, provide expensive medical treatments and other assorted "good deed" to promote "good relations with third world countries". Yes, it is a good thing, however it is not a good thing when those needs are being ignored right here at home! If you look at the shape and condition of this nation right now, you can take any chapter from history and see what is to come. Better yet, take a chapter or two from the Bible. Two very significant occurrences come to mind. One involved a flood, the other involved a tower. Our society makes Babylon look like a kindergarten class.
I don't know the solution, I don't have the answer. I know that I can pray for God's will. I know that I can pray for our president, for congress, for both houses, for my state and of my local government. Yes, they are added to my prayer list. Their hearts need to be touched by the power of God. The enemy runs freely through the government buildings in Washington and elsewhere throughout this country. He runs freely through the streets of the big cities. He directs quite a number of the television programs and movie production companies. He has a seat on Wall Street. He is a very big commodity right now.
There is one thing I do know - that is that my God is greater than any of these leaders. My God can, if He chooses to, remove His hand and watch this nation fall. He's done it before. The slaughter of innocents is nothing new either. It dates back to the very beginning of man's walk after being cast out of the garden. It will continue until the second coming of Christ. The only hope for our nation rests on the power of prayer. Not one of us can afford at this time to withdraw from the Lord! We must be firm in our faith and diligent in our prayers. We cannot afford distractions. We are rounding the corner into yet another election. The candidates are jockeying for position. What are you doing?
(photo by Celia Darrigo)
