After publishing my latest post for Pray-NM, my usual Thursday chores ensued. On my cleaning docket was my living room/office area. I like to listen to the radio on my days at home. Talk radio usually fills the airspace of my house. Today the radio waves were dominated by the killing of four Marines and wounding of several others in Tennessee. My mind could not leave the post I wrote about God healing our land and the pivotal role that mercy plays. (Pray NM – What About Mercy?).
The gist of the post was that, at least for me, it’s easy to call on God to heal our land based on 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). However, when I couple that powerful verse with Psalm 6:1-3 (O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. Ho long, O Lord, how long), it highlights that God isn’t the only One whose actions can save us. We also a part to play.
We must seek His mercy. It’s not unusual for us to seek His mercy only when we have hit rock bottom. But, when we ask for His mercy, the things He asks of us in order to heal our land naturally follow: humility, seeking Him, and turning from our wicked ways.
So, returning to my day of chores, I couldn’t get the “Prayer Needs” that I challenged readers with at the end of my post out of my head. As a result, I sat down and really take my own words to heart. I guess you could call it a type of “true confessions” because I wrote down the things I challenged you, my readers, with.
So, here we go. Here are my own confessions (believe me, this is NOT an exhaustive compilation):
- look at our own individual shortcomings:
I don’t give enough of my time and resources to the kingdom of God. I really don’t keep track, but I’m confident I’m behind on both counts.
I fall asleep when praying to the Master of the Universe. Yikes!! The one thing I am glad I do is starting each prayer with His praises. That way, when I do step into Dreamland, I’ve gotten the most important part of prayer covered.
I don’t pray for my husband as fervently as I should. Overall, I’m a pretty crummy pray-er (yeah, and look, God has me writing a prayer blog), but still that isn’t a good excuse.
When I go shopping for others, I usually buy things for myself. I’m pretty fond of receiving, but I must say, I DO buy for others and giving is pretty cool. I just need to be better at saying NO to myself.
I often judge in my heart. Yes, that’s embarrassing, but in most cases I don’t act on the ugly often percolating within. However, bad things in the heart still need to be addressed because they certainly are not of God.
I sometimes….no, make that often, refer to our elected leaders as idiots. God’s tells us to pray for them, but that’s SO hard when they drive you crazy! I still have a ways to go in that department, but when I realize this shortcoming, I will offer a bare minimum prayer for them. I definitely need mercy in this area.
I don’t always follow the prompts God puts in my heart. I think that is akin to not respecting His sovereignty. Gosh, gotta work on that FOR SURE!
I make excuses and complain. This is WAY TOO broad a category to detail. At least I know it’s an issue, and I’m working to lessen this shortcoming in my life.
Okay, you get the idea. This list was compiled in a few minutes of my afternoon. I’m sure it would be exhausting to read if I was able to think of all my shortcomings, but I think I made my point. I have much to be thankful for, though, as I admit some pretty ugly things about myself. First and foremost, through my pursuit of God I’m learning what honors Him and what is a slap to His face. I work fervently to honor Him. Plus, because of my study of His Word, I’m not the same person I was a year ago. I’m still far from perfect, but each day I walk with God, I get a little better.
So, there you have it. I have my own prayer list as an individual. If we can all admit our shortcomings we can seek His mercy and usher in healing. Since mercy leads us to humility, seeking His face, and turning from our wicked ways, that is our best bet for healing our land from strife, shootings, terrible leaders, and whatever challenges we face. We first address our shortcomings as individuals and ask for mercy, then we can unite as Christians and experience healing according to God’s word in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
I encourage you to sit down and really take inventory or your life. Where do you fall short? People, if ever Christians need to dig deep, it’s now! Our state and country is spitting in God’s face and we hold the key to healing….humility, seeking Him and turning from our wicked ways. God doesn’t expect those who do NOT claim Him to do it, but His children must! Make your own list and share if you feel lead. Once we confess and seek mercy as individuals the door opens for God to act on behalf of our communities. Let’s do this! And, share your confessions if you feel lead, but at the very least, admit them to yourself.
©2015 PrayNM