Mercy and Justice

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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 will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14)

We know this verse well. We hear it quoted often when America faces challenging times – as we are today. This promise, spoken to the nation of Israel, reflects the heart of God that we see throughout Scripture.

Our God is a merciful God. He desires to hear from us and He provides many opportunities individually and nationally to return to Him. He delays His righteous judgment and allows everyone the opportunity to repent and turn to Him. He is a most merciful and gracious God.

Yet, this same God is a God of justice. Mercy and justice are two sides of the same coin. They go together. You cannot have one without the other.

And, so, we face a challenge today like none I have experienced in my lifetime. We are beginning to see the justice of God poured out on America.

We have experienced a string of natural disasters this decade that have had devastating impact. We have been at war for the past decade – losing the lives of our nation’s best men and women. We are facing mind-boggling financial challenges, our freedoms are being taken away by a power-hungry political class, and we seemed even powerless to stop an oil leak off our coast.

We need to pray for America like never before. We need to examine our own lives, confess our sins, and pray that God would forgive America again:

Father, we thank you and we praise your for the United States of America, but Father we are also conscious of the fact that our generation has departed from the covenant that was made with you. We have turned our backs on you. Instead of recognizing you as our only blesser, we have focused and placed our trust on the blessings and we took them for granted. Forgive us, O Lord. Forgive us our own individual sins and our corporate sins. Forgive us when we saw our freedom being trampled upon and we sat back and did nothing. Forgive us when we recognized that we need to speak and we kept silent.

Forgive us for our own selfishness and self-centeredness. Forgive us for our sin of presumption when we assume that your grace will continue forever and that your blessing will always be here.

Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that this would be a time of renewal for America. Forgive us for giving up. Forgive us for not caring. Forgive us for taking our attention from what is important and focusing on the superfluous and the superficial. Renew our days of old, for we pray this in Jesus’ name.

I know God can heal our land. He can remove His hand of judgment. However, we must humble ourselves. We must pray. We must seek His face. We must turn from our wicked ways. My friend, God’s mercy is about to collide with His justice. We must petition Him with great persistence now.

Join me now in praying daily for America. You can sign the commitment at www.GodSaveOurCountry.com 

Let us both determine to be obedient to Him. What is God calling you to do at this time in history? Embrace Him and live.