MORNING MANNA 5-13-21
REPENT
“ 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 will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”- 2 Chronicle. 7:14
Franklin Graham said, “The #1 problem in America is sin. We need to repent and turn from our sins. We have become such an immoral nation. The only hope is for the Church, followers of Jesus Christ, to get on our knees and pray to the God of Heaven that He would have mercy on this nation”.
Although I get his point and agree with it, a clear distinction needs to be made between what the church does and the nation needs to do. Just as one person cannot repent for someone else’s sins, the church cannot repent for the nation. The nation must repent for itself. And that’s a whole new ballgame. We are much more likely to persuade God’s people to do what they should than to persuade a nation of unbelievers to repent. That will never happen until a majority hears and receives the gospel of Christ. It isn’t realistic to expect unbelievers to live according to God’s standards. That goes against the grain of their sinful nature.
We Christians do need to repent but the only way that helps the nation is for us to win the lost. To be changed, America must be saved one person at a time. Had we been doing what we should have been doing all along — proclaiming the gospel, winning souls, making disciples, and establishing churches — we might not be in this condition. Without that there is no hope. The only solution to our situation was given long ago in 2 Chron. 7:14.
But if we can’t expect America to repent on her own what hope do we have? The answer is what it has always been- “GOD”. America is a pitiful picture and due to her stubborn pride she will never return to God and be delivered. “But God” is able to turn the tables. Seeing our sinful condition He leaps into action. So what going on with all these terrible times that trouble us so? God is speaking! Since we refuse to repent He turns up the heat to bring us to the point of desperation.
This isn’t anything new. Look at history- especially Israel and you see this cycle over and over. Looking at it like that we see that even our grief is a gift from God. With a God like that all things are possible. Don’t give up the ship. God specializes in things thought impossible. He has done it before and He can do it again. The process is painful but profitable. We don’t know how many years or tears it will take but we know God is working, here and everywhere else. And like the Father waiting for the prodigal He awaits our return to sanity which takes us back to Him. – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
Humble, Tx.
