A Prayer

Dear Lord,

I don't even know what to pray, really. Are you ready to judge our nation? Is it time for that? If that's Your plan, then I shouldn't pray otherwise, should I? Yeah, I can beg for mercy for the country; I can ask You for a reprieve, I can ask You to turn the tide and put us back on track, but the truth of the matter is - for the most part we haven't worked that hard up to this point. The sun has been setting for quite a while and we've just sat back and watched, talked about how bad it is, talked about how it should be, clicked our tongues at the state of events, shook our heads - and then went and dabbled in our own preferred sin. Our country is doing nothing but reaping what it has sown. We've sown liberal education, Scriptureless philosophy, an absence of God from the education system; the propagation of a world view that presents man as the victim, innately good, not responsible for his problems. We've grown increasingly selfish and dependent on satisfying our latest new desires - now. And we're reaping the fruit of our labors. We're reaping electing a man who could very well represent the turning point of a God-fearing nation as we know it. It looks very much like we might just be reaping judgement - and no one can blame You. God, You have been merciful to us for far longer than we ever could deserve. You've postponed destroying a nation that has shaken her fist in Your face for quite some time. You've put up with a church largely given over to lip-service while not having a clue about heart communion with You. A church that barely even knows Who You are. And then, when we are reminded Who You are in a message or a song or some sweet conviction that You send our way, we half-open our slumbering eyelids and decide that we really should study and seek You... soon. We're always planning on being closer than we are today, stronger in our faith, more familiar with Your heart, Your plans, Your promises, soon.

God, forgive us, forgive me. If your entire church was made up of multiples of myself, I'm afraid we wouldn't be very reliable, very powerful, very moving. God, change our hearts, change our attitudes, renew our minds. Do what You want with this nation. If You see fit to grant us mercy, then so be it. But grant us a reprieve to work, to know You, to live and walk and breath the truth openly to all those around us, to rest in You and Your promises and to seek You and know You and commune with You. Don't grant us a reprieve to sit around, to vaguely acknowledge the power of the Gospel, to seek You with a fraction of our being.

And, if You see fit to allow evil to consume this nation, to hand over control of this nation to those who will not acknowledge You, to bring in a change in the tone of the land that will eventually make this place unfriendly to those who name Your Name, then so be it.

Either way, teach us to KNOW You.