A Time for Prayer and Repentance
by Toni Weisz / Spiritual Disciplines
2 Kings 24:14, Psalm 139:23-24, and 2 Corinthians 7:10
Recently, my pastor preached about the prophet Jeremiah and the reasons why God punished His own people during that time. God allowed Nebuchadnezzar, a powerful and ruthless Babylonian king, to overtake Jerusalem. He plundered the temple and the royal palace, and carried away the King of Judah, his mighty men, and 10,000 captives including all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except for the ‘poorest people of the land’ (2 Kings 24:14). But why would God allow this to happen? Much like us, the children of Israel struggled greatly with idolatry, specifically child sacrifice. The Bible describes this act as passing children through the fire (2 Kings 21:6). In ancient times, many Israelites sacrificed their children to the false gods of Baal and Molech. Nebuchadnezzar’s successful plundering and capturing of Jerusalem’s royalty and workforce was part of God’s divine punishment for these sins…
In a similar way, we have followed in the footsteps of the Israelites by terminating the lives of our children. We may not physically hand over our newborn babies to be sacrificed like our ancient Jewish counterparts, but we end the lives of our children while still in our wombs. As a nation, we have murdered over 63 million children, passing them through the fire in sacrifice to our own false god: ourselves. My heart breaks when I think of the multitude of families that are missing a child, a grandchild, a great grandchild, a brother, or a sister. Entire generations of our families are missing. We have played “god” (little “g” god) by deciding whether our children live or die. So, today I dedicate a special prayer to each woman in this ministry and for our nation to repent of its sins of abortion and self-idolatry. My hope is that God will save future generations from this death and destruction.
Forgive us, Lord, for putting ourselves on the throne of our hearts instead of You. Only You can give life and take life. Forgive us for our sin of abortion. We are so sorry that we robbed You of the precious lives that You gave us. Forgive us for having sex outside of marriage thinking we knew best. You only wanted to protect us from the harm it would cause us and our children. Forgive us for our sin of lust and fornication.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in Your way everlasting.” (Psalm 139: 23-24) Heavenly Father, in the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Come Holy Spirit and search each heart now, remove any blindness, help us to trust You and to surrender every part of our being to You. Bring into the light our evil thoughts and actions that have hurt You, others, and ourselves. Lord, forgive us for our selfish ways and our impure thoughts. Cleanse us from all our iniquity and cleanse us from our sins. We need You to renew our minds and purify our minds with the powerful Word of God. Bring down any unhealthy thinking or critical and unkind thoughts. Help us to be humble and teachable. Remove our sin of pride far from us. We want to walk in Your ways, Lord. We want to relinquish control to You, Lord. We want You to be first in our lives, Lord. We want You to be glorified through our lives, Lord. Be magnified in us today.
“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10) Lord, we are totally broken over our sins. When we sin, let us think back to the Old Testament and picture the gruesome sacrifice of animals for a covering over our sins. In the New Testament, Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, came and atoned for our sins and removed them from us. He was our substitute. He paid our sin-debt so we could be righteous before You. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. You are Holy, Lord. Help us to be pure and holy. Help us to be separated from the world. We are foreigners here. This is not our home. Let us not be like Lot’s wife, who turned back to see the destruction of the world she came to love more than You, Lord. As a result, God judged her, and she was turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). Let me love Your ways, Lord, more than anything this world can offer me.
How long, Lord, will you hold back your hand of judgment upon America? Is the turmoil we are experiencing today a result of your church not standing up against all the evil in our world? How long will You tolerate our sins of pride, idolatry, and murder without bringing judgment upon us? Have mercy upon us, O Lord, and hold back Your hand of judgment upon us. Help us to acknowledge that our time is short. Help us to be about Your business in this world. Give us a new, fresh outpouring of your Holy Spirit to be bolder, more courageous, and more effective in the things we do in this ministry, in our churches, in our families, and in our workplaces. Set our hearts on fire with the power of Your Word. In the powerful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Let’s take time now to allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts. Thank you, Lord for what You are doing in our lives.
Questions
- What has God put on your heart to pray about today?
- Is there anything you want to confess?
- Is there a person in your family that you are especially praying for?
Please feel free to reach out for prayer, toni@myashestobeauty.com. God bless you.
You are loved,
Toni
Read more of Toni's blogs HERE.