Intercession for America
13/01/08 16:02
There are
two men in the Bible that I would like to use as an
example for those of us who are living in America. I
speak of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, and Daniel, the
prophet of exiled Israelites. The Bible says that Lot
pitched his tents
near Sodom,
but soon he was living
in Sodom.
God was bringing judgment upon Sodom and as far as I
can see the only person that was interceding for the
city was Abraham. Now, the Bible says that Lot was a
righteous man, vexed in his soul because of the
grievous sin of his neighbors, but it doesn’t
say anything about him interceding for Sodom. In
fact, when it came time for Lot to warn of the
imminent judgment, they laughed at him. I wonder why
they didn’t take him seriously? Could it be
that they thought Lot was more concerned about his
own welfare than theirs? It seems to me that Lot was
always trying to do what was best for himself and his
family. He chose the plains near Sodom because he
thought they would be profitable for farming and
pasture land. Somewhere along the line, he chose to
live in that city of sin rather than on its
outskirts. Even when judgment came and God told him
he would be safe in the mountains, he chose rather,
the city of Zoar because he thought it best suited
him. Lot shows us that it is very difficult to
intercede for the lost when you are very concerned
about yourself. Sure, you can be angry at the sin
around you but it is extremely difficult to love
someone you are angry with.
Now, Daniel was a righteous man and highly esteemed by the Lord. He was exiled to a heathen country and held prisoner. The king of that country tried to force his culture and his gods down Daniel’s throat, but Daniel would have none of it; he would not defile himself with the delicacies of Babylon! This man was given visions and dreams. He had seen the end of days and probably Christ, Himself. He was given the vision of the Throne of the Ancient of Days! This man was highly favored with an intimate relationship with God. He never sought for position, yet the kings that ruled over him were constantly placing him in authority. But when it came time for prayer, when it came time to remember Jerusalem, he cried out to God in the spirit of intercession and in the spirit of Truth. He confessed his sins! He included himself with the people of Judah and their unfaithfulness to the Lord. He wasn’t vexed in his soul –he was repentive! In chapter nine of the book that bears his name, he includes himself no less than thirty times with sinful Judah. If Daniel were of the mindset of most American Christians of today, this prayer of his would never have been lifted up to Heaven. I think that Christians who pray for America should pray this prayer of intercession as Daniel’s example shows us. If we are going to intercede for America in the Spirit of Christ, then I believe that we need to consider every word spoken by this great prophet. It does us no good to be angry at the sinful conditions of our country or vexed in our soul because of the antichrist spirit in our culture, if we aren’t going to do something about it. We must include ourselves with this group of people who have determinedly cast the Word of God from their lives. Let us fall on our knees and ask God for the forgiveness of our sins. Whether we agree with America’s worldview for living or not, we are still –America. And if we truly love America and want to be a good patriot, then we should fall prostrate before the Lord and plead with Him for mercy and forgiveness. May God grant us the Spirit of Intercession!
Now, Daniel was a righteous man and highly esteemed by the Lord. He was exiled to a heathen country and held prisoner. The king of that country tried to force his culture and his gods down Daniel’s throat, but Daniel would have none of it; he would not defile himself with the delicacies of Babylon! This man was given visions and dreams. He had seen the end of days and probably Christ, Himself. He was given the vision of the Throne of the Ancient of Days! This man was highly favored with an intimate relationship with God. He never sought for position, yet the kings that ruled over him were constantly placing him in authority. But when it came time for prayer, when it came time to remember Jerusalem, he cried out to God in the spirit of intercession and in the spirit of Truth. He confessed his sins! He included himself with the people of Judah and their unfaithfulness to the Lord. He wasn’t vexed in his soul –he was repentive! In chapter nine of the book that bears his name, he includes himself no less than thirty times with sinful Judah. If Daniel were of the mindset of most American Christians of today, this prayer of his would never have been lifted up to Heaven. I think that Christians who pray for America should pray this prayer of intercession as Daniel’s example shows us. If we are going to intercede for America in the Spirit of Christ, then I believe that we need to consider every word spoken by this great prophet. It does us no good to be angry at the sinful conditions of our country or vexed in our soul because of the antichrist spirit in our culture, if we aren’t going to do something about it. We must include ourselves with this group of people who have determinedly cast the Word of God from their lives. Let us fall on our knees and ask God for the forgiveness of our sins. Whether we agree with America’s worldview for living or not, we are still –America. And if we truly love America and want to be a good patriot, then we should fall prostrate before the Lord and plead with Him for mercy and forgiveness. May God grant us the Spirit of Intercession!
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