National Day of Prayer

"If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land." 

2 Chronicles 7:14

I'm a patriot. I love my nation and I weep at what it is becoming. For years I have clung to the promise in this verse, and for years I have asked, "God, what am I doing wrong? Why haven't you healed my nation?" I looked at America and saw the sins we have committed, the lies that we have believed, the children we have murdered, and the evil we have glorified, and saw that the people committing these sins were reveling in them, not turning from them. And then I saw myself. I was so good! I saw that these things were evil and I prayed to intercede for my nation. I prayed for revival and a new spiritual awakening, and I wanted these things with all my heart. And I wondered why God wasn't making good on His promises. Was it that not enough people were praying? Did God not listen to the prayers of one of His children? Didn't He hear my plea? He promised that if we pray, He will heal our land, right?

Right?

Wrong. I was leaving off part of that verse. The whole repent and turn thing, I was skipping that part. No, I wasn't the one aborting babies or glorifying immorality. I couldn't very well turn from the sins I wasn't committing. But I wasn't turning from the sins I was committing. I wasn't turning from the idols I had built in my own heart. I certainly wasn't turning from the pride and arrogance I had so carefully built up. I wanted God to heal America, but I didn't want to humble myself and turn from my wicked ways. I was disgusted at everyone else's sin, but was willing to tolerate my own.

James 5:17 says that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. Because I agree with this verse wholeheartedly, on this National Day of Prayer, my prayers start with me. I pray for my nation, my leaders, my family, my church, but first I pray that God will have His way in my heart. In prayer, I turn from my sin and beg God to be at work in America.