Fasting and Praying Before God
When was the last time you were so overcome with grief over a terrible situation in our country or in our family that you mourned before the Lord with fasting and praying? I know sometimes we fast and pray because we want to know God's will in a particular area. Other times, we may fast and pray because we really want something to happen in our life, like getting a job. That is not what I am talking about today. I am thinking about how seldom we are moved physically to weep and mourn over sin or over the effects of sin in our land. I am afraid it doesn't happen very often, but it should. It is what we need to see our country turned around for the Lord. That is exactly what Nehemiah did when he heard the report of those who returned to Babylon after a visit to Jerusalem, and they gave an account of the way God's people were in disarray before their enemies there. (Nehemiah 1:4) Immediately, Nehemiah wept and mourned for a number of days. All the while he was fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. This should be very instructive to us, as believers, today.
God's heart breaks when He sees His people being powerless and ineffective in the world. He can't bless us when we are unfaithful to Him, and He can't lead us if we are not willing to follow Him. That is the case with many believers and churches in the United States today. Instead of being lighthouses for the truth, they are not influencing society. They are being ridiculed and laughed at by non-believers. This should cause us to weep and to mourn. It should break our hearts as it breaks God's heart. If it doesn't, we need to search our hearts and see why we are not concerned about what touches God very deeply. Then, we need to deicide to fast and pray before the Lord until He hears us and brings about a revival in the land. I pray we will be willing to do this, like Nehemiah did. I pray we will see the same type of results that he saw when God was moved by his broken heart and his prayers. As I have said many times, this is the only hope for America. Without a move of the Lord our beloved country is headed to destruction, and it is heading that way faster and faster every day. Please, join with me to fast and pray for God to intervene in the USA.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 2-5.