If my people…

One of my favorite Bible quotes is from Chronicles.

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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. — Chronicles 7:14

Are we willing to pray for our land, our president and our leaders? Are we willing to turn from our wicked ways? There are some who interpret this to mean that individual moral failings. I mean are we willing to turn from greed? Are we willing to elect leaders who lead us away from corporate governance and greed? Are we willing to end wars whose only purpose is to create jobs for contractors? Are we willing to turn from this sin. Earlier today I reflected on another passage that is a favorite of mine. Micah 6:8, “do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.” Too often justice in our country plays out as retribution but biblical justice is about restoring the bonds of relationship and it’s related to the quote from Chronicles. We need to restore the bonds of relationship in our country. We need to step away from this either/or mentality and move to both/and. It is possible to be for one thing without being against another. Both/and creates win/win and that’s a direction we need in our country right now and it would be good for the world too.

I have no power. I’m just one guy asking that you stop what you are doing right now and pray. If you don’t have words that’s okay. A few moments of silence is enough. Pray for our president, our country, our leaders,  our people. Pray for the people you find it most difficult to follow. I believe God will heal our land. Even if you don’t believe anything I’ve written just pretend you did and that will be enough.