“Blow
a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming near…’Yet even now,’ declares the Lord,
‘return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning,
and rend your hearts and not your garments.’
Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to
anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.” – Joel
2:1; 12-13 (ESV).
Today marks day six in the seven days
of prayer for America. The idea of 7.7.7
was put on the heart of Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Dr. Billy
Graham. She ministers in teaching,
outreach and evangelism through her AnGelMinistries. I have been encouraging readers of my daily
devotional column, “Worth Considering…A Thought for Today” by posting during
this seven day period the first week of July, 2014, reminding us to be
cognizant of America’s need for sincere prayer and urgency as Christian
citizens to return to the Lord. Joel 2:1,
12-13 are the focal verses for the special appeal for prayer for America. Joel warned of “the day of the Lord,” a
phrase which means that God’s judgment upon a people is near at hand. His is a clarion call for God’s people
everywhere to return to Him with sincerity, confession and genuine
repentance. Only then will we as a
people and a nation be eligible for God’s blessings and to avoid disaster. Consider this an earnest appeal to think on
the things of God and to pray earnestly for America.
In our day, we are more prone to
criticize our government, to place blame and to complain than to pray for those
in authority. I have just finished
reading Paul the Apostle’s message in Romans 12 and 13. He urges that Christians give themselves in
service as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God. We are to exercise spiritual gifts for the
benefit of all. Characteristics of true
Christians are enumerated in Romans 12:9-20.
And in Romans 13, Christian citizens are told that we are to be subject
to governing authorities because God ordains and allows the authority of
government. A solemn commandment in
Romans 13:12 warns that the time is later than we think to make an about-face
and return to God: “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So let us cast off the works of darkness and
put on the armor of light.” As we
intercede sincerely for America, may we pray that we will have the fortitude
and purpose to realize the truth of this verse for our day.
A touching statue is the Iwo Jima
memorial of the six marines raising the flag on Mount Suribachi, an important
event of World War II occurring on February 23, 1945. Someone telling about the statue said that
the sculptor, Felix W. de Weldon placed thirteen hands raising the flag, the
thirteenth representing the hand of God.
However inspirational this story is, it is just a rumor. The sculptor stated that he did not carve the
thirteenth hand into the statue. But a
strong object lesson exists even in the rumor.
Behind all we do, the invisible hand of God moves to order, stabilize
and direct. In the call to prayer and a
return to God, it is His hand that guides to bring us back to His ways for our
nation. May we pray earnestly for our
nation’s return to God.
-Ethelene Dyer Jones 07.06.2014.
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