4 Divine Answers to a Backslidden Nation
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I have watched with a broken heart over the last five years, as the celebration of Halloween has begun to match that of Christmas.
In years past, decorations for Halloween consisted of carved pumpkins on the porch and window decorations coming out a week or ten days before the night of trick or treat.
How that has changed over the last five years.
Three weeks, sometimes, a month early, house and yard lights are going up with lawn decorations of gargoyles, skeletons, and scary creatures.
The celebration of demons and powers of darkness has now become equal to the celebration of the Christ child.
I am aware many will say what’s the big deal. You are just being critical and judgmental of a fun celebration.
Please, stay with me a moment and read the whole blog.
I firmly believe the amazing growth of Halloween celebration is reflective of the culture’s rejection of Almighty God and embracing the fascination and even the worship of dark powers.
Have you noticed the fascination Hollywood has for ghosts, goblins, witches, warlocks, dark powers, and fallen angels?
It is reflected even more in gaming and the amazing growth in the number of dark power window stickers and bumper stickers that are seen on automobiles.
It should be no surprise, I suppose.
When a nation turns their back on the Living God, a door is opened for Lucifer, fallen angels, and demons to walk into that culture and push the fruit of spiritual darkness.
Social and moral decay will begin to manifest with increased crime, violence, and sexual display.
Divorce increases dramatically, STD becomes pandemic, and alcoholism and drug addiction distorts the social norms.
The last barriers broken that lead to the destruction of that nation and culture are the sacrifice of children, distortion of human sexuality, and the open glorification and worship of the powers of darkness.
There is no question our culture has been sacrificing our pre-born children and now openly displays a distorted perception of human sexuality.
Do we recognize the culture is now embracing the worship and exaltation of dark powers? That is being portrayed by this new infatuation with Halloween.
When King Solomon dedicated the temple he and his father had designed for the worship of Almighty God, he earnestly prayed about the nation sinning and turning away from God.
He asked, “If they turn back to God would He hear their prayer?” The answer God gave Solomon is also God’s answer for our backslidden nation and culture.
When I tell you the answer many will stop reading right there, because it has become so familiar inside the Christian community.
However, rarely has the answer been shared in context and fully explained, leaving the church’s response either fulfilled halfway or misapplied in a lukewarm context.
God’s answer to Solomon is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
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.
(KJV)
4 Divine Answers to a Backslidden Nation
There are four components to God’s answer, and He gave three promises connected to His answer for a backslidden nation.
The first thing that must be acknowledged and taken to heart is the one to whom God is speaking.
He is not addressing the unchurched, pre-churched, atheist or agnostic.
He is addressing those who claim to be the people of God; born again and are active in church; who claim to be sons and daughters of God and are worshippers of Almighty God; disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s message to His people has four components.
1. “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves…”
“Humble” is the Hebrew word kāna, meaning to bow the knee, to fall on one’s knees, it also means to fold together, to subdue, to be in subjection.”[1]
God is calling those who claim to be Christian, or declare themselves to be disciples of Jesus Christ, to fall on their face, allow their heart to be broken and in subjection to Him.
There is no glamor here, no stage, no recognition.
It is pure brokenness, humility, and recognition of our flawed and frail being in the presence of Holy God, our creator.
2. “If My people, which are called by My name… pray…”
“Pray” is the Hebrew word pālal, meaning to intervene, interpose, to judge, to intercede, to supplicate.[2]
The root meaning of the word carries the concept of one becoming contrite and pleading a case before the judge on behalf of another.
God desires for His people to do more than hold exciting, entertaining worship encounters.
He longs for them to assume a position of contrite heart that will stand in the gap between Him and the city, the state, the nation, so He will not have to judge it (Ezekiel 22:30-31).
3. “If My people which are called by My name… seek My face…
“Seek” is the Hebrew word bāqash, to seek earnestly, to search for something.[3]
God is calling those who claim His name and call themselves disciples of His Son to fall in love with His presence more than they love stuff and entertainment.
4. “If My people which are called by My name… turn from their wicked ways…”
“Turn” is the Hebrew word sh̭ûb mean to turn about, to return[4]
God longs for His people to turn away from those things that defile their spirit, soul,, and body and turn their face back to Him.
God is calling for His people to allow their heart to be broken over the backslidden condition of the culture; the open display of sinful behavior, and how God and His words have been thrown out of society and the nation.
Then allow their heart to be broken over their own complicity because of the compromise and secret sin in their own life.
Come before the Lord with a contrite and broken heart.
Earnestly pray for yourself first, knowing you deserve His judgment, ask for mercy and forgiveness.
Then passionately pray for the nation. Knowing full well the nation deserves God’s wrath. Ask for God’s mercy and grace to be poured out upon the people, and not His judgement.
In that contrite condition, earnestly and passionately seek the Lord. The song by Matt Redman says it well.
“When the music fades and all is strip away and I simply come
Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless Your heart
I’m coming back to the heart of worship and its all about you
It’s all about you, Jesus
I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it, when its all about you
Matt Redman – Heart of Worship
Seek the Lord with all your being.
Restore your first love.
Love Heavenly Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
Cry out to Him, “Father, I long to see your face, and to have an intimate face-to-face relationship with you.”
The First Commandment is, “Thou shalt have no gods before Me.”
“Before Me” is pānîm el pānîm, face to face.
We come before Almighty God contrite and broken, sorrowful that we have allowed ourselves to love other things more than we love being face-to-face with Him.
We passionately seek to restore our first love. Turn from those things that have captured our heart.
We turn from those things that defile our eyes, our mind, our emotions, our bodies.
Turn to the Proverbs 6:16-19 look carefully at the “six things does the Lord hate, yes seven are an abomination to Him.”
Search your heart carefully and fully, are any of those things in your heart, apart of your life, or attitude?
Renounce them, turn from them, and ask God’s forgiveness and cleansing.
Look at God’s promised blessings for obeying His call.
- “I will hear from heaven…”
- “I will forgive their sin…”
- “I will heal their land.”
How could anyone not want God’s solution to our national condition?
It must start at the house of the Lord. The church has called for times of prayer and even solemn assemblies.
Too often, they have become stage centered with high profile people talking and very little actual praying.
It is time for the local churches to call for authentic contrition and seasons of humility and brokenness in prayer.
It is passed time for us to humbly bow in worship to the one who is Creator, Lord, and God, and passionately seek His face.
We must come with clean hands and a pure heart.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah .
(Psalm 24:3-6 NKJV)
This is God’s answer to a backslidden nation.
[1] H.W.F. Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1979
R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Moody Press, Chicago, 1980
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
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4 Divine Answers to a Backslidden Nation
