A Prayer for the Christian Church and America
A few weeks ago on a Friday morning at about 4 a.m. I woke up. I couldn't get back to sleep as I was under the impression that the Lord wanted me to get up and spend time with Him. I got the sense that it was not about me just spending time with Him just to get into His Presense as I often do (but usually later in the day, not at 4 a.m.). I got the distinct feeling He was to speak something to my heart.
When I got to my desk in my home office, I sat down and put on some soft worship music to aid my focus on Him. However, the Lord moved upon my heart to stop the music. He then spoke to my heart to read the prophet Daniel. I had been reading Daniel, as I have been reading through the books of the Bible alphabetically. It just so happens I was up to Daniel chapter 9. I did not remember the content of Daniel 9. The Lord knew the content of Daniel chapter 9 and it was no coincidence that He had me read it at that time.
Daniel chapter 9 was Daniel praying for the people of Israel. Israel had been in captivity to the Babylonian Empire for 70years. God warned the people of Israel over and over and over again that if they did not stop practicing their idolatry-the worshiping of pagan gods, in which the “worship” services of the gods typically involved perverted sexual activities, and sometimes child sacrifices, they were going to be conquered by the Babylonians. King Nebuchadnezzar eventually conquered Israel, destroying the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. Many of the Jewish inhabitants were scattered throughout the Babylonian Empire.
After 70 years, the Medes/Persians led by King Cyrus conquered the Babylonians. Cyrus made a decree allowing the Jewish people to return to Israel to rebuild the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. It was in effect, the beginning of a revival that involved repentance, revival, rededication, reformation and transformation.
The first thing the priests and the people did was to rebuild the altar (where sacrifices to God would be made) signifying the repentance of the people, on its original site. After that the foundation of the Temple was laid. The priests and the people were so desirous to re-establish their relationship to God, when they reinstated the Feast of Tabernacles, they actually began the sacrifices day and night 15 days before the feast was actually to begin. When the foundation was laid, there was praise and worship to God, and they were so loud in their expression of praise and worship to Him, that it is written in Ezra 3:13, “The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that would be heard far in the distance.”
Unfortunately, there was an interupption of the revival. Local people, who were primarily Samaritans that had moved into the area of Judah during the Babylonian Empire began to oppose the rebuilding of the Temple and the city. Initially, the Israelites did not allow the opposition to stop them, but over time as the opposition increased, out of fear they stopped rebuilding the Temple. After a while the Israelites became apathetic as well. The Temple went untouched for 17 years.
It was at this time, during the first year of King Darius of the Medes/Persians that Daniel having read Jeremiah's prophesy of the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem after 70 years, and aware that it had been 17 years that the Temple was untouched, fasted and prayed to the Lord. Daniel's prayer turned out to be the undercurrent for revival to restart.
As I read Daniel's prayer, God placed on my heart to adapt the prayer for the Christian Church in America and America itself. At the church I pastor with my wife Deborah, I recently started a series, Revival History: From Israel to America. I had done a series on prayer that lasted 19 weeks in which it was stressed that prayer is the undercurrent for revival. That is seen all throughout Scripture, as well as historically. Revival typically begins to happen when people begin to pray, individually, and corporately as a church, or in groups of Christians, and as a nation. The first element of prayer is to call out to God in repentance. Even if we may feel “we're good,” we need to open our hearts to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us any “secret fault” or, “if there be any wicked way in me,” as David mentions in the Psalms. Daniel's prayer epitomizes that. He confesses his sin, even though throughout the book of Daniel we see him as a very loyal and devout lover of God. When we open our hearts to God in repentance, throwing ourselves at His mercy, God begins to move in conviction, revival, restoration, reformation and transformation. As I adapt Daniels prayer for the Christian Church in America, and our nation itself, I ask that as you read this, you would make this your prayer as well. We are at a very critical point as individuals in the body of Christ, as a corporate body of Christ, and as a nation-spiritually and historically. Don't just pray it here, pray it with regularity.
Oh Lord, our God, we plead with you. We humble ourselves before You and declare that You are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love You and chose to walk in Your ways. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against You and scorned Your Word by many of us no longer believing that Your Son is the only way to salvation. Many of us now do not believe that there is a Holy Spirit. Eighty percent of us write our own Bibles, in effect creating You in our likeness and image as opposed to allowing You by Your Holy Spirit to create us in Your likeness and image. Although there have been ministers that have misrepresented Your Word, there also have been true ministers of Your word we have not listened to. Lord, You are in the right; but as You see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Your Church and all America. Our nation has been consumed with all kinds of chaos because we have sinned against You. We have been disloyal to You. Our ministers, our congregations, our political, governmental, judicial, educational leaders have become corrupt, and we have allowed it.
But You, Oh Lord God are a merciful and forgiving God. Lord, in view of all Your faithful mercies, please here our cry to You. Your Word says if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us with the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son from all sin and unrighteousness.
Oh Lord God, hear our prayer. Listen as we plead. For Your own namesake, Lord, smile again on Your people and America. Oh Lord, hear. Oh Lord, forgive. Oh Lord, listen and act! For Your own namesake, do not delay, Oh Lord God, for Your people and for this nation. We pray this in the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.