To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.
Daniel 9:8 (ESV)
David’s Wednesday Word:
I have been voting in elections for the past 50 years.
In 1976, the United States had just celebrated its Bicentennial—but we were hurting. A president had recently resigned in disgrace, and unemployment and inflation were high.
I didn’t really trust what was going on in Washington, D.C. I guess I still don’t!
Politicians claimed faith in Jesus then, just as some do today. I appreciated hearing those words, but words alone were not enough then, and they still aren’t.
The pain and distrust of 1976 seem to have continued into today.
I look at the political divisiveness around us and I hurt. The midterm elections are less than four weeks away. Will our nation heal?
Based on the political ads I see, each side seems determined to convince us that the other side is nearly evil.
What should I believe?
I don’t have many answers.
More than 2,500 years ago, the prophet Daniel also lived amid political turmoil. In Daniel 9, he confessed the sin of his people before God, declaring that shame belonged to “our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against you.”
We haven’t progressed very far. Sin still affects individuals, nations, and our world.
So what can I do?
I need to begin by confessing my own sin.
I struggle to be a good steward of God’s blessings. I don’t always take care of my body. I can overlook the pain of others. I tend toward selfishness.
Fortunately, Jesus took the punishment for my sin upon Himself. I can seek His forgiveness, and He is faithful to forgive.
For our nation and our world, I also want to join others in confessing our corporate sin. We have often ignored God and lived as though we are accountable only to ourselves.
Perhaps healing begins here: with confession.
Confession requires humility. It requires me to admit before my Creator that I am not in control—and that I need Him to be.
I don’t know what will happen when America votes.
But right now, I can confess.
And I can invite others to do the same.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, as the United States approaches another election, may we humble ourselves before You and confess our sin and our need for You. The outcome may not be what any of us want, but may we recognize our need to follow You as the true King of our lives.
— David Beauchamp
Temporary Ministries
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