Ezekiel 9:4 (NIV®)
“…Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”
When is the last time you were grieved over something? Usually we think of grieving as the emotion we feel when we have lost something or someone we love. We grieve the loss of a spouse, child or parent. We grieve the loss of a job, an opportunity, our health, or other treasured possession.
Today, there are bigger issues at stake. We see the debauchery and depravity around us. The rebellion against God, the lies, manipulation and power struggle. The pushing of fear. No matter where you look, mainstream media or alternative sources, unholy words and deeds gain momentum while truth and righteousness are denigrated. The sacred has been replaced by evil and it is everywhere.
Do we notice, or are we just working our way back to a new normal? Our world is fine, all those other issues are someone else’s problem, right? My relationship with God is solid. Those other people, well, they’ll get what’s coming to them.
We are a people in need of God. Too long we have cared too little for the things of God. We have not stood as watchmen at the gate. Like Esau, we have exchanged what is precious for immediate ease and prosperity. Now, our country is in a downward spiral and only the hand of God can stop it.
Most of us have heard the “if my people” verse (2 Chronicles 7:14). If we become humble, repent, seek the face of God and pray, then our land will be healed. WE are the people of God, therefore, WE must recognize the depravity in our land and weep over it. WE must cry out to God and grieve over how far we have fallen, both individually and as a people.
God is looking for men and women who recognize the evil in our land and have hearts weighed down with grief because of it. He’s not looking for those who see it and move on as if it’s no big deal. He’s not looking for those who think it’s not their problem. Ezekiel heard it from the mouth of God, how those who “grieve and lament” will be marked with God’s mark. Read the entire chapter of Ezekiel 9. Judgement was coming. For us, judgement is coming. WE are the ones who must ask for mercy for our land. WE are the ones who must speak up. WE are the ones who must repent. If our hearts are not grieved over the state of our country, then we need to pray and ask God to change our hearts. We need to take the place of humility, repentance and petition. We need to do business with God. We need His help. If He does not help us, we cannot be helped.
Will you join me in crying out to Him for mercy? Will you join me in repenting and getting everything right before Him. Will you join me in being willing to let God move our hearts to weep for our nation? We must come before God with a broken and repentant heart. Perhaps He will show mercy. There is no other way. Join me in asking for a heart that weeps and wails for the condition of our nation. Join me. Grieve and lament.