Jun 27 2009
Seeking the Lord While He May Be Found…
You and I who love Jesus could be very overwhelmed now by all the evil we see going on in Washington. There are times, in fact, when I find myself weeping over America, remembering how Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
It’s hard to watch, and I often find myself asking God why. Well, we reap what we sow, according to Scripture. And we as a nation thumbed our nose at God and said, “We want you out of our lives.” And so He stepped out leaving us to our own devices.
Because of the terrible pressure on our godly representatives, we need to be praying for them daily. Some very wise and godly men are trying to stay the tide of evil and foolishness, but it’s an uphill battle and has to be very discouraging.
As much as I would love to hate those who are bringing us down, Jesus said to pray for them and to forgive them. It sometimes feels very unfair that I don’t even get to hate or judge them for their evil ways. But I know a little secret that a mentor once taught me.
She said that if you and I are hating and judging people, even those who are doing evil, we have assumed the role of judge, forcing God to step back, essentially tying His hands in the situation. However, when we forgive, we invite God back into the equation to work in ways we might never have imagined.
So when I look at those in Washington who are out of line, I choose to loose them into the hands of the Only One who can do a thing about it. I ask Him to be their judge, to let them see their end without Christ, to break the yoke of bondage and break their hearts over their sin. And then I get into that secret place, basking in the love of God–that safe place no one can take away from me, and I let Him minister His peace to me.
That, my friends, is the only place most of us will ever find peace again. We, as Americans, have, for a long time, been very blessed. We’ve been “at rest,” a scriptural term used that means a time of relative peace. But those days are over because God is judging our nation, so we must be prepared to find our peace internally rather than externally, just as God’s people did in Scripture.
Fears, doubts, and feelings of desperation are not of God, though they may be very real. The secret is to look up instead of out, because Jesus is there, and He’s seeking those who seek Him. Does that include you? Remember, we must seek the Lord while He may be found…
Lord, right now we see evil abounding all around us, and yet we thank you that you are sovereign, and that nothing takes you by surprise. We pray for our lawmakers, those with honor, wisdom and righteousness in our government, that you would sustain them, encourage them, lift them up, and speak through them, Father. Give grace and peace, breaking the hearts of those who would bring us to destruction with their greed and foolish decisions. Comfort the fearful, encourage the downcast, lift up the fallen, and let the love of God and the joy of knowing Jesus be written on the tablets of our hearts and on our very foreheads, that all men may see Him in us. Forgive us, Lord, for not taking you at your Word, for losing hope, when you are hope. Let those who have never given a thought to sin, salvation and judgment, be ready to hear as never before, and let your people be ready in season and out of season, to share the gospel. Give us a great harvest of souls, Father, while there’s still time, and help us rejoice because you are the lifter of our heads, and you promise you will never leave us. In your most awesome and glorious name, we pray, amen and amen.
Because of His great love,
Nancy
