With the political fervor that currently surrounds the Republican and Democratic nominations for President of the United States, it is not uncommon to hear folks giving their own “State of the Nation” address.
And, as you might expect, what they have to say is rarely favorable, and often focused on how those who hold a different political position than they do are to blame.
With this in mind, I find the prophet Ezra’s words about the nation Israel instructive:
“But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God; and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day.” (Ezra 9:5-7 NASB 1995)
There are just two things that I want to point out about this prayer of repentance. First, it is a prayer of repentance for a nation whose sins have been great before the Lord. Ezra could have easily taken the moral high ground and prayed about what was wrong with “those” people. But he is quick to point out his own guilt. Just take note of his use of the words “I” and “our” throughout the prayer. Second, he is in deep mourning for how his nation has lived before God, as well as the current situation.
I believe we can learn a lot from Ezra’s prayer for Israel. And the first thing is that a nation’s problems rarely stem from just one person, or group, but from the corporate sinfulness that runs through every fiber of a nation’s existence.
Second, it is vitally important that we pray for our nation. Ezra refused to separate himself from the pack. He knew that the Israelite’s transgressions had grown, “even to the heavens”, and that he was part of the problem. How high have our transgressions grown?
Lastly, shall we not repent? Shall we not feel the burden of guilt for what has occurred in our land? Shall we not, like Ezra, fall before the Lord and confess our sin, and the sins of our nation, while acknowledging that we are reaping what we have sown?
Please hear me. I love the United States and am so thankful to God that I am an American. I still believe that we are the greatest nation on earth, and that celebrating our birth every July 4 is good and important. So, let’s do so with fervor, while thanking God for how He has blessed us. But, as we reflect on yet another year passing since we gained our freedom, let’s commit to praying for our nation. For where does our help come from? It comes from the Lord.
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV).
Pastor Rob