Heal Our Land, Father

How awesome is your work in the lives of your children, LORD! I cannot help but think back to the days when I doggedly rejected the idea that there is a God. I prided myself in being so educated and sophisticated that the idea of God and Creation became merely childish fairy tales. I wasn't going to be caught dead attributing the universe to a design and a Designer. It was all just a big bang and everything came to be by chance.

I was so foolish, LORD. I didn't realize back then that it took more faith to base my view on such an unproven theory rather than the solid evidence provided by the Bible. I thank you for revealing yourself to me. I thank you for patiently knocking at the door of my heart, never giving up inspite of my blasphemous ranting against you. I thank you for saving me from numerous instances when my life could have been snuffed out and I could have found out for myself the eternal suffering I was so proudly and self-confidently and sincerely but very wrongly pursuing.

Your Word is so true. A man could be so convinced that his point of view is impeccably right and yet be so ignorantly wrong!

Today, I enjoy the empowerment of your Holy Spirit and the advocacy of your Son, Jesus Christ. I freely enter your presence in worship and prayer. Daily I watch before my eyes difficult situations unravel, perilous battles won, as your hand powerfully responds to the requests of your saints. What a wonder it is to see you prove to me time and again how faithful you are to your teaching. I have sat back often and watched you fight and win my wars, beat what to my frail flesh seemed insurmountable odds, and continue your magnificent work just as you promised.

Forgive me, Father, if I seem to be gloating. But I cannot help but feel sorrow for those who trade eternal bliss with you for their earthly pride. I pray that you persuade them that life in this world they so love is a mere blink of an eye compared to eternity. That they have nothing to lose and everything to gain in entrusting their lives to you.

I pray again for our country, the USA. See, LORD, just how blindly we try to erase your from our public life. We wrongly interpret the Constitutional provision on the "separation of church and state" to single out your believers and deprive them of their right to be free to believe in and worship you. We strive to deprive them of their right to freedom of speech, claiming that the truth of your Word "offends" certain people. We look the other way and rationalize away the fact that asking your believers to keep their faith to themselves is an act that in and of itself OFFENDS them.

Forgive us, dear LORD. Let me be obedient to your teaching and claim your promise that if we, your believers, humble ourselves and confess our sins and pray, seek you earnestly and turn from our sins, you will hear from heaven, forgive us, and heal our land.

In Jesus' Mighty Name, I ask it, LORD. Amen.