AS WE CAST A JAUNDICED EYE at the litter of failed governance of the nations and the lawlessness that sweeps the globe, it is clear that moral and ethical failure lie shattered underneath the mountainous heap of an insidious and intentional cultural destruction. The travail of heart of the remnant faithful cries out to our heavenly Father, even as the wiles of Satan continue on his mission to “steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10a) Even in the midst of our plea to God, we must acknowledge the times of the failure of the church to be an effective “light of the world.” (Matt. 5:14)
The cycles of history, viewed through the lens of scripture, inform us that this is nothing new—in fact, as Solomon says presciently, “there is nothing new under the son.” (Ecc. 1:9) His foreknowledge stops short of the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy known to the faithful today, but it is truthful in its world-weary interpretation of the affairs of men. Solomon lived at a time of glory for the nation of Israel. Past his time, beginning immediately with the unwise actions of his son Rehoboam, the nation starts its descent into collapse. And while this takes a half-millennium, the spiral down is inexorable, and at its bottom, the price is destruction and exile.
It is in exile that faith has a forward-leaning cry of repentance in the prayers of Ezra. He says, “I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.” (Ezra 9:6-7) His prayer is heartfelt, deep, and has the bitter taste of a steady diet of despair. But he is not without resolve, nor is he without hope. The temple in Jerusalem, through God’s grace, is about to be rebuilt by a faithful few. He adds, “But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary. God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins.” (Ezra 9:8-9) In Ezra’s time the temple is rebuilt, and he lives to see the walls of Jerusalem rise again.
For today’s Jesus-follower, there is unequivocally no view of today’s first-world churches that does not recognize the failures of decaying western evangelical Christianity. In far too many cases the church, whose militant mission is that “the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matt. 16:18c), has been invaded by the cultural values of the surrounding world. This has had the wide-spread effect of circumcising the power of the Spirit from the church’s misplaced missions. Jesus has been co-opted and/or completely hi-jacked. From the well-meant liberal theology mission that emphasizes feeding and clothing the masses at the expense of the gospel, to the blaring of patriotic trumpets of nations, or to mis-interpreted mis-guided doctrines made dogma—e.g., “thou shall not consume any alcohol”—the eyes and heart of seekers have been diverted from the core truths of Jesus’ church: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31)
But in each and all of these nations, in each of the churches of Jesus, whatever their flavor of expression or denomination, there is a remnant of faithful believers whose eyes are fixed firmly on Jesus. They are people like you and me. Together, our eyes are steadily gazing at him high and lifted up, for we understand with our hearts what he said. “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32) And because our hearts understand and grieve the state of the nations, we pray Ezra’s prayers, in our own words, but with his repentant meaning. ‘I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.’ Yet, in firm and faithful resolve, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9), we intercede in prayer.
We petition God in prayer for individuals who ask for prayer. James instructs us in this. “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.” (James 5:14-15) We intercede for those wavering in faith, trapped in the assault of the enemy of their souls. “Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” (Jude 22-23) And we pray for the state of nations, returning to the never-dying prophetic words of the prophets of old. “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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14)
Perhaps there yet is still mercy. As Peter reminds, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9)
Q. The question should not be, “How long, O Lord?” (Rev. 6:10), but rather, “Am I a person of patient endurance ?” (Rev.14:12)
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