The apostle Paul gives a short account of the history of Israel in 1st Corinthians 10, and lays out how the sinfulness of God's people resulted in negative consequences:
(4) they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.5But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.6Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.7And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."8Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;9nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;10nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.11Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Nevertheless, despite their sinfulness, God was faithful to the people of Israel. Time after time He held out His loving arms to them, and frequently they rejected Him, and there was punishment from God's hand. But, He was faithful to them - they were descendants of Abraham, children of the promise, and He continued to reach out to them. He gave a prescription for healing and reconciliation, based on humility, devotion, prayer, repentance - as He pledged to hear and heal them, so He promises to hear the prayers of people who are surrendered to Him, who desire to see His healing and restoration poured out on our nation and on each of us individually. Israel sinned against God - regularly, but God continues to hold forth the promise of healing if we repent from our sin and turn to Him.
Our God is a covenant-keeping God, and He is faithful to those whom He has called. In Deuteronomy 7, we read:
9Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;10and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.11Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them.12"Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers.
ReligionToday.com reports on an attack, presumably by the militant group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, where hundreds of heavily armed militants attacked Damaturu, the capital of Nigeria's Yobe state, last Thursday, according to Open Doors USA. The surprise offensive took place in an area that hosts government institutions but is also dominated by Christians. According to the BBC, the militants also attacked a hospital, stole drugs and drove off in ambulances.
An Open Doors worker related, "...This city has suffered many attacks in the past and is now under a dusk-till-dawn curfew. We are concerned over the effect of the continued violence on believers in Yobe state. They are living in constant fear. Every single day there are believers who lose loved ones and see destruction of their property."
Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states in May, but his government has since come under increased criticism for its failure to bring an end to the continuing violence. Nigeria is ranked No. 13 on Open Doors' World Watch List of the worst persecutors of Christians.
No doubt, there are some troubling signs regarding the African nation of Nigeria. But, a few days recently, President Jonathan was on pilgrimage - to Israel. After spending a few days visiting holy sites and meeting with Israeli officials, this Sunday, he and some 3000 Nigerian pilgrims participated in a church service tagged: “A Day with Jesus for Nigeria In Israel,”, which had in attendance a number of state governors, as well as ministers, and other dignitaries. The Sun reported that the service was the climax of a fast observed by over 3, 000 Nigerian pilgrims in Israel. President Jonathan is the first sitting Nigerian president to go on pilgrimage to Israel since the country got its independence in 1960.
After doing the designated Scripture reading, President Jonathan said: “This is the first time the pilgrimage is taking this shape. I believe we will continue in this spirit. Let me reassure you, even though we are passing through challenging periods, God has made it possible for us to be here. Even in the scripture, we’ve seen the many battles the Jews are fighting. But because of their zeal and commitments, God has kept them.
“We’ve learnt from the history of Israel. Every nation passes through challenges. We all have a role to play. We need to leave a better nation for our people. We promised to change the ways things are done and we’ve achieved that in the electoral laws. Evil forces will never bring us down. We will overcome. This is the turning point in our midst. Nigeria will never remain the same again after this.”
Truly some encouraging words from an embattled national leader, someone who professes to be a Christian. He desires to see peace in his land and to see positive political reforms. In the midst of difficult challenges, he hearkened back to the journey of Israel, as God's chosen people, depicted in the Scriptures. In this case, you could say that he, at least in public declaration, has aligned with the ways of God.
Now, you can apply some the words of the Nigerian President to our own nation, and to our own lives. Solomon said to the Israelites that if God's people would humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from ways not pleasing to Him, then He would hear their prayers and heal their land. Hear and heal...those are two key words. How can we be assured that God hears us? We have to place ourselves in the right position. God hears the prayers of people who are humbled before Him and who pray according to His will - His will is revealed to us in the Scriptures. We have to admit that we don't have all the answers and do not want to trust in human strength - and so, we desperately and humbly come before an Almighty God who responds to the prayers of His people. And, in this time of challenge for America, we need the touch of God in a way like never before. If we are committed to praying and living our lives as shining examples for Christ, then we can be part of what God wants to do in our nation - to bring healing and a knowledge of Himself. That's applicable to America - and to our individual lives, our families, our churches, and all that we undertake for Him.
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