Mourning over the Condition of Your Country
How often do we mourn and weep over the condition of our country? We may get angry about how things are going, and we may complain about the things we see are wrong, but do those things really help? I do not believe getting angry or complaining helps at all. However, sincere prayer from a heart that is mourning over what we see will be honored by the Lord. That is especially true if we add fasting to our prayer. That is what Nehemiah did over the condition of Jerusalem and Judah. (Nehemiah 1:4) Just think of what God did in response to his mourning, fasting, and praying.
When Nehemiah received the report about his city, Jerusalem, and the people of Israel who had returned from the exile, it touched his heart. When he considered that the walls were broken down, and the people were held in reproach by the people who were living around them, it brought him to tears. The first thing he did was to pray. Is that the first thing we do when we read the news about our country and our communities? It should be. However, if we are not deeply affected by what we hear so that we can pray with passion out of a mournful heart, our prayer will not be as effective. If we don't care enough to fast, as we seek for God to hear us, our prayer will not be as effective. When Nehemiah prayed this way, the king sent him to rebuild the walls, and the king paid for all of the expenses. That is amazing. When he prayed the wall was finished in less that two months, even in the face of much opposition. I call that nothing short of a miracle. Isn't that what we need in America today? Then, let's weep and mourn and fast and pray to our Father to have mercy on us and work a miracle in our land.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 2-4.
When Nehemiah received the report about his city, Jerusalem, and the people of Israel who had returned from the exile, it touched his heart. When he considered that the walls were broken down, and the people were held in reproach by the people who were living around them, it brought him to tears. The first thing he did was to pray. Is that the first thing we do when we read the news about our country and our communities? It should be. However, if we are not deeply affected by what we hear so that we can pray with passion out of a mournful heart, our prayer will not be as effective. If we don't care enough to fast, as we seek for God to hear us, our prayer will not be as effective. When Nehemiah prayed this way, the king sent him to rebuild the walls, and the king paid for all of the expenses. That is amazing. When he prayed the wall was finished in less that two months, even in the face of much opposition. I call that nothing short of a miracle. Isn't that what we need in America today? Then, let's weep and mourn and fast and pray to our Father to have mercy on us and work a miracle in our land.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 2-4.