WATCH, BUT DON’T PRAY FOR THIS
©Wendell
Griffen, 2017
Justice is a Verb!
US politicians traditionally end their
speeches by saying “God bless America” even when the nation engages in conduct
that is blatantly unjust. Some preachers
and other religious folks believe we should pray for the nation and its leaders
no matter what the nation and its leaders are doing. This idea of praying that God bless injustice
is moral and ethical nonsense. That idea
also runs contrary to what anyone can find in Scripture.
Don’t take my word for it. Pick up your Bible. Turn to Jeremiah 7:16 and you’ll find these
words in the New Revised Standard Version:
As for you, do not pray for this
people, do not raise a cry or prayer on their behalf, and do not intercede with
me, for I will not hear you. Yes, God
ordered Jeremiah not to pray for the nation of Judah, and added that if
Jeremiah disobeyed the order “I will not
hear you.”
Turn to Jeremiah 15:1 and read these
words: Then the LORD said to me: Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet
my heart would not turn toward this people.
Send them out of my sight, and let them go! God
refused to even consider sparing the nation from the consequences of its persistent
wickedness.
Read these words at Isaiah 1:15: When
you stretch out your hands, I will hide your eyes from you; even though you
make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
Read Amos 5:21-24: I hate,
I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings
and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of
your fatted animals, I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the
melody of your harps. But let justice
roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Read Micah 3:1-4: And I
said: Listen, you heads of Jacob and
rulers of the house of Israel! Should
you not know justice?—you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the
skin off my people, and the flesh off their bones; who eat the flesh of my people,
flay their skin off them, break their bones in pieces, and chop them up like
meat in a kettle, like flesh in a caldron.
Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not answer them; he will
hide his face from them at that time, because they have acted wickedly.
Now turn back to Jeremiah 7 and read
verses 21 thru 28. The New Revised
Standard Version reads: Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel: Add your burnt offerings to your
sacrifices, and eat the flesh. For in
the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak
to them or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them, “Obey my voice,
and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way
that I command you, so that it may be well with you.” Yet they did not obey or incline their ear,
but, in the stubbornness of their evil will, they walked in their own counsels,
and looked backward rather than forward.
From the day that your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until
this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day
after day; yet they did not listen to me, or pay attention, but they stiffened their
necks. They did worse than their
ancestors.
At Luke 23:6-9 we read that Pontus
Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Antipas the night before Jesus was crucified, and
that Herod questioned Jesus “at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer.” Herod was the ruler who ordered the beheading
of John the Baptist.
From its birth, this nation has lied,
stolen, cheated, terrorized, murdered, raped, and tortured vulnerable
people. Generation after generation of
US politicians and their religionist cronies have deliberately disregarded the
cries for justice from oppressed people.
For generations, this nation refused to hear or heed prophets of divine
justice. Through it all, self-righteous
politicians and religionists have said, “God bless America.” So when these
characters hold their prayer assemblies, meals, festivals, and other spectacles,
remember that you are watching a charade.
The injustices that defined the United
States throughout its history have now come home to roost as Donald Trump’s
presidency. As prophetic people, watch
this mess. Don’t pray for the United
States. Curse its injustices. And when people ask why you aren’t praying for
the United States, tell them what God told prophets to other unjust nations.
God isn’t listening.
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This is divisive and politically charged rhetoric. The honorable judge lists horrible acts committed by mankind, which have occurred in all nations but only points to the United States, then supports his view with scripture. When the truth is that the United States is the greatest nation on earth, blessed by God to allow all men and women the freedom to worship Him according to their own conscience. Remember, slavery was brought to this country, and it cost over 60,000 American lives to end it. And the next 100+ years have been spent by honorable men and women of all races fighting inequality among the races. Our Constitution does not direct its citizens to form a nation that "has lied, stolen, cheated, terrorized, murdered, raped, and tortured vulnerable people." God directed the children of Israel to defeat the people of Canaan to enter "the promised land". This is not unlike many of the people who settled the land of North America, who came for religious freedom. The native Americans were not following Christ. They did not even know of Him. But with the birth of the United States of America came religious freedom and Christian influence that helped establish our Constitution, and many peoples and nations have been blessed by the Christian values of this nation. We as a people have been drifting away from God, and with that apostasy comes the evil acts the good judge mentioned. There is wickedness in high places of government, of politics, and of religion. We should pray for one another. We should vote based upon our values and hold our representatives accountable. We should leave justice to our God and our government, and extend mercy to others as we hope to receive it from God. We should invite repentance of liars, thiefs, cheats, murderers, rapists, and terrorists. Reprove others with gentleness and meekness in love. People can change. Pray for our enemies. God has not given up on us or them. God is listening. (see Matthew 5:43-48)
ReplyDeleteIt's really rather hysterical to read your post. Not only do you seem determined to force your convictions on everybody else - one can only assume that you see yourself as a "higher upper" but to make judgements on our President shows only that you're using your "religious" status to push your political narrative and agenda. Of course once again, one can only assume that your using your various statuses and titles to judge by your own beliefs
ReplyDeleterather than by Law and actual Truth!
Bet you didn’t discourage people from praying when Obama was in the White house - well, he probably needed it a whole lot more than President Trump does. Of course we all know that Obama was not only dishonest but always pushed his own agenda, even if that meant putting the country in bad situationshape and positions.
THANK GOD WE HAVE NOW PRESIDENT TRUMP!!!!!!!