by Lt. Colonel Vicki Amick, Territorial Retired Officers’ Secretary
Do you remember as children when we could run and play outside for hours? Some days we played and explored until sunset. What fun! What a different world our grandchildren are growing up in.
Our country has changed in many ways. We now deal with the fear of kidnappings, shootings and terrorism. We live in fear of our neighbor and are a divided country in many ways. If there was ever a time for Christians to take a stand and be counted, it’s now! As children of God, we have a responsibility to be in prayer. “The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power…” James 5:16b (TLB)
I was blessed by this Prayer for our Nation attributed to the late Billy Graham:
“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable… We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and set us free. Amen!”
In 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV), we read: “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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
As followers of Jesus we are not to be fearful, but instead we are to be hopeful and bring light into this dark world. With the Holy Spirit’s power, may we live in such a way that God’s light shines through us so that we may glorify God and draw others to Him.
