“O Lord, forgive me my sins,
the sins of my youth, and my present sins,
the sin that my parents cast upon me, original sin,
and the sins that I cast upon my children,
in an ill example;
actual sins, sins which are manifest to all the world,
and sins which I have so labored
to hide from the world,
as that now they are hid from mine own conscience,
and mine own memory.”
John Donne (1571-1631)
We like to think, “It was them, not us.” We prefer to ignore the sins of our ancestors.
Not just them. Us, too.
Jeremiah 14:7, 20 (NIV)
Although our sins testify against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.
For we have often rebelled;
we have sinned against you . . .
We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;
we have indeed sinned against you.
Confession in good for the soul–our own and the nation’s.
Life in Abundance ministers in 56 disadvantaged communities in 14 African and Caribbean countries. COVID-19 has escalated the need:
“We recognize the severity of this for the urban and rural poor we walk with, many of whom live in crowded areas, rely on daily income, have pre-existing medical conditions (such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, and malnutrition), and have less access to proper healthcare and education . . . We partner with over 150 local churches in these communities and have the infrastructure in place to train local staff members and leaders to deal with not only the medical side of current needs, but also the economic, social, and spiritual implications people are facing.”
Money helps with medical and economic needs. Spiritual matters call for a spiritual response. Let us pray:
It’s a global pandemic, Lord, with spiritual implications. We pray for a global spiritual response–for the transformation of minds, hearts and souls. Where there is anger, bring love. Where there is despair, bring hope. Where there is bitterness, bring forgiveness. Where there is lack, bring abundance, in Jesus’ name.
The COVID-isolated Church laments, but not at the level of the Old Testament exile:
Lamentations 2:6 (NIV)
He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden;
he has destroyed his place of meeting.
The Lord has made Zion forget
her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths;
in his fierce anger he has spurned
both king and priest.
Thanks be to God; things could be worse.
Education!
Lots of room to lament, especially during this season of isolation.
Students lament the loss of contact with friends.
Parents lament their new roles as home educators.
Teachers lament the students’ lack of progress.
Taxpayers lament the cost.
Society laments declining test scores.
Lamentations 2:19b (NIV)
Lift up your hands to him
for the lives of your children.
Christ wept for His city:
Luke 19:41-42 (NIV)
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace.”
Let’s follow Christ’s example. Weep for our cities.
I’m taking my cue from the book of Lamentations and writing my own broken-hearted prayer:
Our cities are a mess, Lord.
– Empty sidewalks.
– Boarded businesses.
Marked by desolation and destruction.
People are a mess, Lord.
– Huddled at home.
– Fearing the future.
Short on patience and purpose.
We’ve lost our way, Lord.
– Sheltering in place.
– Following the crowd.
Greedy and grieving.
We’ve gotten what we deserve, Lord.
– Lost jobs and lost joy.
– Disease and death.
Broken bodies and broken hearts.
We look at the news reports, and we wonder:
I noticed a title on someone else’s post: A Lament. It sent my mind to the Bible and the book of Lamentations. It’s a book of mourning, a poetic expression of grief for the downfall of the writer’s nation. The first word, ekah in Hebrew, is translated “how.”
Lamentations 1:1a, 2a (NIV)
How deserted lies the city,
once so full of people!
. . . Bitterly she weeps at night.
Ekah! Cities shut down. Ekah! Cities in flames.
Bitterly, we weep.
Proverbs 17:15 (NIV)
Acquitting the guilty
and condemning the innocent–
the LORD detests them both.
Did authorities look the other way as an officer accumulated 17 complaints? I did some simple research and found a Reuters article from three years ago. They examined 82 police contracts from large U.S. cities. The investigation
“. . . is a telling snapshot of the power police unions flex across the United States, using political might to cement contracts that often provide a shield of protection to officers accused of misdeeds and erect barriers to residents complaining of abuse.”
The guilty are protected. Those who protected them are themselves protected. Justice is perverted.
Officer Chauvin had a history of questionable behavior. He would be better off now if he’d been held accountable years ago. As would George Floyd, Minneapolis and the nation.
Almighty God, we pray for system-wide justice. Grant those in authority the courage to hold their colleagues accountable for their actions–in police departments, schools, government and other organizations. Rein in the temptation to provide shelter for a colleague’s abusive actions. You see the big picture, Lord. Empower us to see as You do, in Jesus’ name.
Let’s close out Daniel 6.
It’s a miracle! Daniel survives the night shut up with hungry lions. Delighted that his friend survived, the king turns his attention to the men behind the evil plot.
Daniel 6:24 (NIV)
At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
They died by their own plan.
Justice was done, and lions were fed.
