This verse is popular amongst the Christian crowd that likes to point to the sins of the world as the root of the problems this country faces. The qualifying portion of the Scripture however says if the people who are called by MY name. That would be us beloved -- Christians. You see, there is a way to restore the land. There is a way to see a more bountiful harvest of people coming to the cross. But it starts with us. The reality is that God has chosen the church to draw people to Him. We are supposed to be different than the world. We are supposed to offer them something they do not see in their daily lives. We are supposed to be a light to a dark world. Then when people see us calm in the storm, prayers answered daily, miracles following our faith -- they will want what we have. They will want this Jesus we keep talking about. That is the remedy we need and the Chronicles verses provide us with four areas we need to address as the body of Christ.
First of all, we need to humble ourselves. The church has become too proud. When we condemn people in the world for their sin, we forget our own. We forget that we have no righteousness but for the blood of Christ. The number one reason why unbelievers do not go to church is their belief that Christians are hypocrites. I am sure there are many churches who will use the National Day of Prayer appropriately and pray accordingly for the roles of both the saved and the unsaved. That we all have a genuine desire to see people come to Christ. Others however, use this day politically to accuse people in the world and these agendas are carried out without any humility. A humble spirit is bowed low before God. We need to desire for people to see God in us -- not us talking about the God in us.
Secondly, we need to pray. Not just one day per year either. I think it is great that people will stop on May 2, 2013 and acknowledge God and pray for this country but what happens on May 3rd is of greater importance. People will still need our intercession then. I think sometimes the danger in a national day of prayer is that it narrows our focus. We show up at our church on a Thursday one day out of the year and think we have somehow done our spiritual duty. Prayer is our vital lifeline to God and according to the key verses it should always start with praying for everyone! The Bible says we should pray without ceasing.
Thirdly, we need to seek His face. This may sound similar to prayer but I think this takes everything to a far deeper level. Seeking the face of God means passionately pursuing His glory. It is a matter of purity. The church has become corrupted by the thinking of this world, the strategies of carnality, and the blind eye to compromise. Seeking His face means to stop watering down the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It means to stop making excuses for allowing leaven in the church. We are supposed to be light to a world filled with darkness. But if we are just as dark as they are -- why would they choose us? It is a matter of losing focus. We have changed from the body of Christ to a facility. We have changed from building the kingdom; to building a building. At the core of the problems within the seeker friendly, purpose driven heresies is a shift from presenting a reason for coming to Christ to a reason to come to church. We need to become seeker friendly in relation to seeking His face.
Lastly, we need to turn from our wicked ways. Yes, our wicked ways. The Bible says that he who says he is without sin calls God a liar. We need to stop thinking we are any better than those in the world. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The National Day of Prayer is an excellent opportunity for the church to look inwardly -- not outwardly. We need to be introspective. We need to lay the axe to the root of sin in our lives. Our pride, lust, and disobedience. Our unforgiveness, jealousy and envy. These are the things that prevent the move of God we are looking for inside of us. The land is restored when the church is fulfilling the role God has given it. When we are more concerned about the lost than we are about our next building project. When we are more concerned with the Gospel than being relevant to a dying culture. Imagine what God could do through a truly yielded body of Christ. With a church that is singularly focused on bring the uncompromised Word of God to a world that is dying and doesn't realize it. No pride blocking our humility. Prayed up every day, not just May 2nd, so that God can use us to our fullest. Constantly seeking His face for a deeper level of His glory. Truly repentant of our own sins instead of being overly obsessed with the sins of the world. What He could do indeed!
The key verses conclude by stating that this message was given by God at just the right time. The Gospel does not change and neither do the needs of a sinful man. As we head into the National Day of Prayer I pray it is genuinely about genuine prayer. I pray that it is genuinely about genuine intercession. I pray that is extends far beyond May 2nd, 2013. I pray that it becomes the way of life God intended for it to be. Jesus is coming back soon and there are still too many people on the outside of salvation looking in. They need more than one day per year. I pray we give it to them so that all may come to the foot of the cross.
Reverend Anthony Wade -- May 2, 2013.
