The Prophet Isaiah was probably the most Godly man in his nation. Yet, we hear him crying out, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips”. [6:5] What caused this Godly prophet to cry out in repentance? 

1. He saw the Lord “high and lifted up”.
2. He heard the seraphim praising the holiness of God.

Experiencing God in holiness and glory sent Isaiah to his knees. 

Another man of God, Nehemiah, is found praying his own prayer of repentance [1:1-11]. He uses the pronoun “we” to describe the sin of Israel. Nehemiah was not the guilty party. Yet, he identified with his nation and her sin. 

Another man who walked closely with the Lord was the Prophet Daniel. In Chapter 9 we find him using the pronoun “we” as he repents of the sin of his people. Again, Daniel was not the guilty party. 

Special friends, I call upon you as Believers in Jesus, to join me in a special “Prayer of Repentance” for the sins of our nation. I can hear the cries of protest. “I have no reason to repent. I am not guilty of all the evil in the United States.” Neither were Isaiah, Nehemiah, or Daniel guilty of their national sins. 

Your body may be 98% well, but if your big toe is in pain it affects your entire body. “Technically”, we may not be guilty, but “collectively” we all share the sins of our nation. 

2 Chronicles 7:14 reminds us that repentance always begins with God’s faithful people. We know that the ungodly glorify and justify their evil lifestyle. They have no intention of repenting. We, Believers, on the other hand, desire to walk in the favor and blessing of God as individuals, as a church, and as a nation. That will happen when the real Christians in this nation get “fed up”, disgusted with the direction our nation is heading, and fall on our faces in genuine repentance. Godly repentance will save us from perishing. 

The good news is found in 1 John 1:9″ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” Add that to the promise from 2 Chronicles 7:14 that if we repent, “God will heal our land”. We have a reason to expect better days after we repent. 

I have been preaching almost 60 years. In that time our nation has deteriorated morally and spiritually. I have to take some of the responsibility for that decline and it pushes me to my knees. 

Friends, our Lord wants to revive and restore America. He is waiting for us to realize how far we have fallen and to then drop to our knees in repentance. 

PLEASE take some time this week. Listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit. Is He calling you to join me in this time of prayer and repentance for our nation? 

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS 

1. Sunday Service continues at 9 am. Website service also available as usual.
2. Homecoming is delayed until September.
3. Deacon election is this Sunday [August 2].
4. Please check the Barbee’s Grove website and watch the video from the NC Baptist Aging Ministry concerning a special offering in memory of Rev. Otis Goins. We will be asking you to contribute to that ministry in the next few weeks.
5. As Pamela and I begin our 4th year as your Interim Pastor and wife, we thank you for the wonderful ways you have been a blessing to us.

Be blessed!! 

Pastor Ed and Deacons of Barbee’s Grove Baptist Church