Arise: Prepare the Land to Wail

Have you wondered why evil grows beautiful and bold every day? In our land, iniquity sits in a swirling chair, hangs it’s legs on the table and enjoys her bowl of ice cream – why?

The abusive pastor freely mounts his pulpit to go worship his god – himself. The abused girl fearfully marries her painful memories, wailing gruesomely as she thinks about – her life.

Now we say we want to wail… We want to ask God to rain healing and justice. But the truth is, the heat of iniquity rising from our land gathers in the sky and rains down hatred and judgement instead.

God hates iniquity. He metes out judgement on those that defy His word. No, don’t say it’s them ooo, not me. Whatever rain that falls has a way of splashing on you if you do nothing about it.

Nehemiah didn’t exonerate Himself from the national problem. Daniel didn’t excuse himself from the nation’s pollution. They asked God to forgive us and heal our land.

We can’t be wailing for rain when our iniquity has made God shut up heaven. 

We’re repeating the sins of the Israelites. No, we’re not just repeating. We’ve devised more ways to make it deeper and wider, sweeter and hotter… Like, “people of Israel, you ain’t seen nothing yet. You think you shook the table, we’re scattering it.” 

In case I sound like I’m adding salt and pepper to this soup, come with me let’s see our sister nation from the book of Jeremiah – when he called for wailing women.

I’ll sum their lifestyle up in twelve points – 

1. They walked after vanity and became vain (Jeremiah 2:5): They left off following God and followed the idols of the land – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. Money. Fame. Power. They made these things their god.

2. They forgot God (Jeremiah 2:6, 32): Their life revolved around themselves. No Bible study, no prayers. No “God should I do this, should I take that step?” God is not in their ways.

3. They defiled the land (Jeremiah 2:7): Immorality, murder, abortion, theft, dishonesty, greed, hatred, jealousy, wickedness… keep naming them.

4. The priests/pastors/rulers/shepherds transgressed (Jeremiah 2:8, 5:31): False prophecies, lying tongues, abusing God’s people and church, satanism, hypocrisy, injustice, selfishness… You see and hear what happens in the church and government, right? 

5. They have changed their God and glory (Jeremiah 2:11): They make the flesh their God, satisfying it the way it pleases them. Roman 1:23-29 tells us how they change the glory of the incorruptible God into corruptible man, and for that reason, they are given up to uncleanliness through the lust of their own heart – Women to women, men to men, humans to animals, father to daughter… Abominations of all kind!

6. They have forsaken God and hewed them cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13): “God, we don’t need your fountain of everlasting water – life, peace, joy – we’ll get what suits us”, they say. Then, they go get a cistern, a tank, a broken one at that. They pour in what they feel will give them the life, peace and joy they want. Maybe money, fame, and a prince/princess charming will do, they say to themselves.

7. They have no fear of God (Jeremiah 2:19): They live life with impunity. Does God see? What can He do?

8. She has made herself so loose and cheap (Jeremiah 2:24): They fling their hearts and legs open for any man who whistles “I love you”, or flaunts miserable money and feeble fame in their eyes. They forget that their price is far above rubies and that they are “a royal priesthood”.

9. She loved strangers – ungodly people (Jeremiah 2:25): “Get her for me, she pleaseth me well”. “I’m going with him, I can’t live without him”. Come out from among them and be ye separate – they tear it off their Bibles. Be not unequally yoked – they feel love covereth all things. (Not at all, friend).

10. They played the harlot (Jeremiah 3:1,20): They confess “I’m married to Jesus, Satan leave me alone”. But they pursue after Satan themselves. On Sunday morning, they sing in church, on Friday night, they rock in clubs.

11. They speak peace superficially and aren’t ashamed of their abomination (Jeremiah 6:14,15): “No, don’t worry about your sins, God’s grace abounds”, they say. They take their vulnerable sheep to bed at night, and stand before her in the morning, opening a Bible they render null and void. They’ve stabbed shame. They’ve adorned abomination.

12. They are disobedient and obstinate. (Jeremiah 6:16,17) Repent! Return! Renounce! They say, “No. Don’t judge. Don’t condemn. Don’t preach”.

What a world! What “a” land!

Look very well, sis. Ok, no, you don’t even need to spend all day peering into this. It’s stark naked.

Which of those points aren’t “we” guilty of?

Can you point out one? I guess you can’t if you have a heart for God and His word. (And that’s the reason we set off the program by preparing our hearts.)

Our wails will wobble if we turn our nose away from the stink in the land.

This week, we’ll do exactly what God told Solomon the day he dedicated the Jerusalem temple. 

Like I earlier mentioned, you want God to rain down healing and justice – on that challenge you’re facing, the success you’re praying for, the provision you need, that life companion you long for, the sickness there, that fearful and painful memory, the situation in your family, the church, our nation and world.

“Lord, send the rain!”

See God’s reply:

If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:13,14

Girl, God is faithful to His word. His word can’t fall to the ground without being accomplished.

If you want your wail, your cry, your prayers to get into the keyhole, unlock the door and fling it open, showering answers from God’s throne, you can’t be quiet. Being at ease won’t work. You must ask God to forgive “our” sins and heal our land.

If there’s a man (woman) to pray, there’s a God to answer, someone said. 

Interceed for our land. 

Be the Nehemiah, or the Daniel, or the Esther of today.

Pick those points mentioned, present them before the throne of mercy, and plead with God for mercy.

Remain Radiant!