"How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow is she, who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces has become a slave!" (Lamentations 1:1)
Jeremiah had prophesied not only the restoration of Jerusalem, but also the return of the Jews from the Diaspora. But the opening verses of the Book of Lamentations reveal a desolate landscape, the Temple gone, the city, a "lonely...widow," a "slave" among the nations. I see the Church in America is a similar state. The Church has taken a severe beating in recent months, in spite of all the bravado in the prophetic prayer "movements." What is going to be our response?
The last verses of the book reveal a prayer of Jeremiah-- "Why do You forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time? Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; renew our days as of old, unless You have utterly rejected us, and are very angry with us!" The prophet had not given up, but he knows the sin of humanity. He realizes that without repentance, there is no salvation, the prophesies "for good" will not come to pass. "Turn us back to You...and we will be restored---------------------------- unless."
At the close of our service yesterday, I saw something at work which I have not seen in years. People coming to the altar, some deeply touched in the Holy Spirit. I was thinking, is our local church on the verge of a breakthrough? Are we ready to not only repent of our personal sins, but the sins of the community, the nation? Are we ready for another "visitation?!?" Could the Lord Jesus Christ have found a people who are ready to "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord?" I am not discouraged to the point of giving up on America, nor the Church in America, nor myself! I see desolation all around, but I also see our Lord Jesus "coming in...great power and glory." I eagerly await the next chapter.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray that you find a willing servant in me, one ready to walk in repentance, one ready for total obedience, one ready to wait on You. Amen.
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"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
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