Heal our land

The United States is again facing a presidential election. As we anticipate the outcome, everyone is hoping for their candidate to win. Some are dreading the dire possibilities that might occur if the “other” one wins. I’ve seen this kind of drama played out in the news media in every election that I’ve paid attention to, from 1976 when I had my first opportunity to vote, to the current campaign. And if what I read in history is true, there have been many elections with similar drama.

A leader is an important thing for a country. Even if he or she is not the one who makes every decision that affects that country, the actions taken by that person can still be very influential. If enough people are swayed to follow the direction that leader takes, it can turn an entire nation, for better or worse.

That same story is told repeatedly in the Bible. The Old Testament books of 1st and 2nd Kings and 1st and 2nd Chronicles tell the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah over the centuries. In most cases, a godly man who became king was an influence for righteousness in the land. An evil king resulted in the further downward spiral of the people into greater and greater sin.

When Solomon, Israel’s third king, completed the temple of God in Jerusalem, he offered up an earnest prayer of dedication to the Lord. In that prayer, he asked God to bless the temple and the land. God appeared to him at night, and agreed to do this. And the Lord made many other promises that answered Solomon’s prayer. 2 Chronicles 7:14 mentions an important promise God made, a promise that he would hear when his people humbled themselves and prayed, and sought after God with all their hearts.

I won’t presume to endorse one candidate or another. I know who I am going to vote for, and I have hopes that my candidate will win. But whether he does or not, I know that the most important result will not be who leads this land. The critical factor in this or in any election is whether or not God’s people will turn from their ways, and seek God with all their heart, asking him to heal their land. This promise is not just for Israel of long ago, nor is it something that just America can obtain. Any country or city in the world can be blessed in this way, if God’s people will earnestly dedicate themselves to prayer.

And those prayers have a greater impact on the future than any political platform will ever have.

Ted Sandquist (with the help of Phil Keaggy) expressed this desire musically, back in 1976 (as I mentioned above, an election year). The album Higher Up And Further In included this song, If My People Will Pray:

Tags: elections, prayer, Ted Sandquist

Last time I talked about the call by Jesus on each of us. But other than just putting my trust in him, and following him, and having an assurance of heaven, is this supposed to accomplish more than something just for me?

Jesus told his apostles to go into the world and spread the message of salvation. He also said that it was up to us to bring comfort to the widow, to protect the orphan, to love and serve others in the world. My pastor this past Sunday, after showing this video, made this statement: “The reality is that we are God’s plan for this world.”

This is not a song with lyrics; it is an amazing video. Watch it, and think about how God can use you.

Tags: creation, mission

In my last post, I discussed the way Jesus had an influence on the people he met, an influence that made them give up everything and follow him.

Some of the people in Israel in Jesus’ day got a chance to actually meet him, and hear his call. And ever since the day the resurrected Jesus sent his Holy Spirit out to indwell people and to create the Church, millions more have had a chance to hear the call of Jesus. The call to simply follow and obey.

Again from Steven Curtis Chapman, this time the title song from his 1990 album For The Sake Of The Call.

Tags: following, Jesus, Steven Curtis Chapman

Imagine being there at work, doing what you do every day. Same old routine as always, same people, same activities.

And then someone comes up, and tells you to follow him. You’ve never met this person before … and yet, not only do you decide to do what he said, but you leave your job behind.

What kind of crazy is this? You left behind your only means of income, and followed someone just because he asked you?? What kind of person does it take to motivate you to leave it all behind and follow him?

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus does just this with Peter and his brother Andrew. And from this passage, there is no statement about hesitation or second thoughts on the part of these two men. It says that “At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:20)

Why did they do this? Was it because they didn’t really like the fishing anyway, and this sounded like a better deal? Or was it because of the person who asked them. Was there just something about him?

BIll & Gloria Gaither released a classic album in 1973 called Alleluia!: A Praise Gathering For Believers. This track, There’s Something About That Name, tells about Jesus, and his profound influence on several people whose stories are told in the Bible. It is just an introduction to the way in which Jesus has affected millions over the ages and also today.

Tags: Bill & Gloria Gaither, following, Jesus