America In Crisis: We Need a Moment of Clarity
This past Friday morning, a woman named Natasha Howell from Andover, Massachusetts, shared a Facebook post about a “hopeful” encounter with a police officer in the wake of a very tragic week for our country.
It was hours after five officers lost their lives when a sniper opened fire on what was a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas, Texas surrounding the back-to-back shooting deaths of two African-American men in Louisiana and Minnesota.
Howell, in the Facebook post that has been shared more than 30,000 times as of early Saturday, described her “hopeful” experience like this:
“So this morning I went into a convenient store to get a protein bar. As I walked through the door, I noticed that there were two white police officers (one about my age the other several years older) talking to the clerk (an older white women) behind the counter about the shootings that have gone on in the past few days. They all looked at me and fell silent. I went about my business to get what I was looking for, as I turned back up the isle to go pay, the oldest officer was standing at the top of the isle watching me. As I got closer he asked me, ‘How I was doing?’ I replied, ‘Okay, and you?’ He looked at me with a strange look and asked me, ‘How are you really doing?’ I looked at him and said ‘I’m tired!’ His reply was, ‘me too.’ Then he said, ‘I guess it’s not easy being either of us right now is it.’ I said, ‘No, it’s not.’ Then he hugged me and I cried. I had never seen that man before in my life. I have no idea why he was moved to talk to me. What I do know is that he and I shared a moment this morning, that was absolutely beautiful. No judgments, No justifications, just two people sharing a moment.”
She concluded her post with the hashtag #Foundamomentofclarity.
Our nation is in crisis, from within and without. Trust is faint and hope is fading. Millions of people are feeling lost in desperation. We need to find our moments of clarity. We need healing. We need leadership. We need revival.
If there’s ever been a time to drop to our knees and pray for our nation, I think the alarm has been sounded.
Prayer Has Carried Us Through In The Past
Prayer is how our courageous forefathers endured the grave conflicts of old, which at times threatened the very fabric of our civilization. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”
George Washington’s commitment to prayer during the Revolution was documented by his nephew, George Lewis, who told a Washington biographer that “he had accidentally witnessed [the general’s] private devotions in his library both morning and evening: that on these occasions he had seen him in a kneeling position with a Bible open before him and that he believed such to have been his daily practice.”
Eric Metaxas said, “We pray because, in our own wisdom and strength, we’re insufficient for the challenges we face. While one of the most appealing things about American people is our indomitable ‘can-do’ spirit, the fact is, sometimes we ‘can’t do’! We have nowhere else to go, except to God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Kneeling before God in times of overwhelming crisis is also a part of our American DNA.”
In Daniel 9, we see a picture of intense prayerfulness that moves heaven, changes a nation, and impacts generations to come. Daniel makes earnest confession of his nation’s rebellion toward God, recalls the character and the excellencies of God’s majesty, and leans into God’s mercies:
“Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” (Daniel 9:17-19 ESV)
The next thing you know, a mighty angel named Gabriel shows up and Daniel gets his own #Foundamomentofclarity experience.
Prayer can and will change things. It starts by changing us.
Evangelist Gypsy Smith was asked about his take on the secret of revival. He said, “Go home. Take a piece of chalk. Draw a circle around yourself. Then pray, ‘O Lord, revive everything inside this circle.’”
I still have hope for America. But it’s not in the upcoming presidential election—my hope is built on the immutable promises of God:
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV)
As we seek to abide in Him this week, I want to give you a simple prayer guide that you can use to pray for our nation each day this week. It goes like this:
Monday: Pray for your own heart. Is there sin you need to confess? Spiritual apathy that may need to be confronted? Anxiety and worry that needs to be brought to Jesus? (Proverbs 28:13, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 55:22, 1 John 1:9, James 5:16)
Tuesday: Pray for the oppressed. Stephen Covey taught that one of the healthy habits of highly successful people is that they “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” If you’ve never felt the weight of injustice, oppression, maltreatment, religious persecution, the abuse of authority, racism, or despotism, then you’ve lived a pretty good life. Millions of people in the world are suffering from oppression. Seek God in prayer to understand their plight, and then you will be better equipped to carry out reconciliatory conversations with others who are hurting.
Wednesday: Pray for law enforcement officers, elected officials, and all those in authority. Pray for their protection as they seek to protect us. Pray for their judgment to be wise and Godly. Pray for legislation that will honor God, protect the rights of every civilian, and do justice for all. Pray for government leaders to fight evil and stand up for truth. (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-2).
Thursday: Pray for reconciliation in our communities. People are hurting. And hurt people hurt people. We all need to find our moments of clarity. Wrongs have been done but sometimes we just need to stop pointing the fingers long enough to take some time to listen to one another, and embrace one another. We need stronger communities in America. Pray for their healing and reconciliation.
Friday: Pray for spiritual renewal. Our nation has lost its moral compass, its spiritual core, and its faith. It needs to be rekindled. Psalm 9:17 says, “The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.” America can’t afford to ignore God any longer. Pray for revival. Pray that it begins with your house, then breaks out into your neighborhood, your community, your city, and throughout this land.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” Psalm 33:12
May God help us all.