My second alarm pulls me out of bed at 6:39 and I stumble to the bathroom still heavy with sleep. Email notifications come tumbling in and another screaming headline falls heavy in my chest.
More dead and injured in these racial wars and haven’t we had enough??
Yet another round of bullets tear through skin and hearts and the seams of this nation.
What has happened to you, America? When did you become a land of fear and hate instead of the freedom you sing of?
How can we “keep calm and carry on” when people are fighting each other, as if people are the enemy?
We have pushed God out of the picture and failed to see the spiritual war waging around us. Faces buried in technology and hearts bound with busyness and striving, our souls are starving for love and acceptance. Our words have become weapons, putting down and wounding the very people God has created and called beautiful.
It’s all part of Satan’s cunning plan – his plan to break the heart of God by hurting the ones He loves – blinding humanity so they fight each other instead of coming together against him, the true enemy of our souls.
I see a video of flashing lights and gunshots and motionless bodies and the tears stream down these pale cheeks. I’m not proud to be an American today.
Yet my heart is grieved for this country of mine and what am I doing about it?
I’ve often quipped, “Oh, I’m just not into politics…” and carried on with my head in the sand but is this right?
Conviction cuts deep.
Father, I ask that You would shake our sleepy bones from their graves of complacency. Break our hearts for the state of this world and this nation. Awaken us to be the people You have called us to be. Give us the faith to stand on Your Word and the courage to speak up and speak out for Truth.
“The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me
because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness”
planted by God to display his glory.
They’ll rebuild the old ruins,
raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They’ll start over on the ruined cities,
take the rubble left behind and make it new.
You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks
and foreigners to work your fields,
But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,”
honored as ministers of our God.
You’ll feast on the bounty of nations,
you’ll bask in their glory.
Because you got a double dose of trouble
and more than your share of contempt,
Your inheritance in the land will be doubled
and your joy go on forever.”
(Isaiah 61:1-7 MSG)
Family of God, this is our anointing too. We are the prophets, the messengers of God in this age.
I implore you to search your own heart. Get on your knees before God. Let Him break your heart for the things that break His. Allow Him to humble you, and to raise you up again by His grace to be the hope that this would so desperately needs.
If ever there was a time that Daniel’s prayer rang true, it is now:
“I turned to the Master God, asking for an answer—praying earnestly, fasting from meals, wearing rough penitential burlap, and kneeling in the ashes. I poured out my heart, baring my soul to God, my God:
‘O Master, great and august God. You never waver in your covenant commitment, never give up on those who love you and do what you say. Yet we have sinned in every way imaginable. We’ve done evil things, rebelled, dodged and taken detours around your clearly marked paths. We’ve turned a deaf ear to your servants the prophets, who preached your Word to our kings and leaders, our parents, and all the people in the land. You have done everything right, Master, but all we have to show for our lives is guilt and shame, the whole lot of us—people of Judah, citizens of Jerusalem, Israel at home and Israel in exile in all the places we’ve been banished to because of our betrayal of you. Oh yes, God, we’ve been exposed in our shame, all of us—our kings, leaders, parents—before the whole world. And deservedly so, because of our sin. ‘Compassion is our only hope, the compassion of you, the Master, our God, since in our rebellion we’ve forfeited our rights. We paid no attention to you when you told us how to live, the clear teaching that came through your servants the prophets. All of us in Israel ignored what you said. We defied your instructions and did what we pleased. And now we’re paying for it: The solemn curse written out plainly in the revelation to God’s servant Moses is now doing its work among us, the wages of our sin against you. You did to us and our rulers what you said you would do: You brought this catastrophic disaster on us, the worst disaster on record—and in Jerusalem!
‘Just as written in God’s revelation to Moses, the catastrophe was total. Nothing was held back. We kept at our sinning, never giving you a second thought, oblivious to your clear warning, and so you had no choice but to let the disaster loose on us in full force. You, our God, had a perfect right to do this since we persistently and defiantly ignored you.
‘Master, you are our God, for you delivered your people from the land of Egypt in a show of power—people are still talking about it! We confess that we have sinned, that we have lived bad lives. Following the lines of what you have always done in setting things right, setting people right, please stop being so angry with Jerusalem, your very own city, your holy mountain. We know it’s our fault that this has happened, all because of our sins and our parents’ sins, and now we’re an embarrassment to everyone around us. We’re a blot on the neighborhood. So listen, God, to this determined prayer of your servant. Have mercy on your ruined Sanctuary. Act out of who you are, not out of what we are.
‘Turn your ears our way, God, and listen. Open your eyes and take a long look at our ruined city, this city named after you. We know that we don’t deserve a hearing from you. Our appeal is to your compassion. This prayer is our last and only hope:
‘Master, listen to us!
Master, forgive us!
Master, look at us and do something!
Master, don’t put us off!
Your city and your people are named after you:
You have a stake in us!’”
(Daniel 9:3-19 MSG)
Miscellaneous Grace 
Yes, Yes, and Amen! My heart is broken too, but it’s not enough to be broken is it? We have to act on our brokenness – to be the voice calling in the wilderness, the people in the thick of the battle getting our hands and feet dirty and bloodied striving to bring about change.
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