There is a step we are missing in our effort to keep people calm and encourage them during this stressful time of dealing and living through the COVID 19 pandemic. Let’s look at the thing we are missing through the lens of two Scriptures. Psalm 91:10 says, “No evil shall befall me and my family, nor shall any plague come near our dwellings.” However, BEFORE WE GET THAT FAR WE MUST THINK THROUGH (on a personal scale) Proverbs 5–“For your ways are in full view of the Lord and He examines all your paths.” The missing (step/process) emerges in 2 Chronicles 7:14–“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. The missing step? REPENTANCE. Yes. In a rush to deal with fear or to just make each other feel better, we are forgetting the essential first step in coming to God is the (“humble yourself”) part. “Humble” is not prayer. “Humble” means to come to God repentant. God wants to hear us repent of our sins and then to “stand in the gap” and be an intercessor for others. We need to repent of the sins of our nation. The sins of our world. Personally, repentance is an inner change of heart that produces the fruit of new behavior. Christians understand that Jesus is the sacrifice lamb that was slain. Through out eternity our song will be “Worthy. Worthy is the lamb.” John the Baptist remarked upon seeing Jesus on the banks of the Jordan River after previously mentioning it every time his own disciples would tell him about the exploits of Jesus they had heard from others, “Behold the lamb of God.” The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross removes our sin (and the record of our sin), HOWEVER (and there is the “HOWEVER”) FIRST–we must repent. For this pandemic to end, we must first repent, and then we pray. If we don’t repent our hearts become hardened and we become self reliant rather than “God” reliant. The end result of a lack of repentance is seen in Revelation 9:20–“The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons (their addictive behaviors), and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood (their bank accounts, IRA’s, homes, cars, toys, and “stuff”), idols that can not see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders (abortion), their magic arts, their sexual immorality, or their thefts (greed).” The reason all of these continued is because their was no REPENTANCE to begin the process. Christian Leaders: We can not leave out this important step. We need to lead our people through the process of repentance. Personal repentance. Church repentance. Organized religion (denominational) repentance. National repentance. World repentance. All through Scripture the first thing everyone did before the answer came (the healing came) was repent. The first and most prominent thing we need to repent of is………PRIDE. Here is my prayer….enjoin it or pray your own: “Father, forgive me. I get too full of myself so many times. I think there are things I am in control of, or can control, or are on my own. Forgive me because I need to surrender more fully to you. I need to surrender myself, and everything I am more deeply into your care. Forgive me of my sins. Any sin. Every sin. Forgive those of us who lead others. We need You, Your direction, Your leading, Your wisdom. We try to operate in our own power and strength. Forgive us. At times like this we realize we have become self-deceived in our own leadership. We concern ourselves with what other’s think of us, more than honoring and glorifying YOU. Forgive us of our self-importance. You alone–(God)–You alone are enough. Forgive us as a nation for so many of our sins starting with our pride. Help us return to you, because we have lost our spiritual way. Bring us back to you. In Jesus’name. Amen”
The Christian Resource Group 