A Prayer Asking God to Bring Repentance to Our Nation
By Lynette Kittle
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” - James 4:10
When Providence Forum Executive Director, Dr. Jerry Newcombe, was asked what America as a nation needs to bring our country to repentance, he said, “Humility. We all need to humble ourselves. In our prosperity, we have forgotten God.” These days, humility seems to be almost a forgotten word. Amid America’s prosperity has emerged prideful worldliness, set on dragging even the most devout Christians down with it.
Still, it isn’t a modern-world problem, as the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Pride has been rampant throughout history, even the history of the Church, as the Apostle Peter wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
How Does National Repentance Come?
In looking back to what led to the American Revolution and the birth of America, we have to look at what occurred on July 8, 1741, in the small town of Enfield, Connecticut. The Rev. Jonathan Edwards helped to bring about “The Great Awakening” by preaching his famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” taken from Deuteronomy 32:35, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”
In his sermon, Edwards explained, “The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ.”
As Edwards spoke, listeners began shrieking and crying out, and the weeping became so loud, he was forced to end his sermon. In response to his message, ministers started to go among the individuals, praying with them in groups, where many were led to Salvation in Jesus Christ. His sermon was the beginning of the revival known as “The Great Awakening,” leading an estimated one-half of all living in the South and one-third of everyone living in the North to Salvation. It changed the entire moral tone of New England for the better with approximately 25,000-30,000 new converts joining the church.
Spiritual Awakening Is Key to National Repentance
Along with Edwards, Rev. George Whitefield, a famous Calvinist, helped to spread it. Being the first man to go to all 13 of the colonies, Whitefield helped to spread “The Great Awakening” up and down the Atlantic Coast, reportedly covering approximately 5,000 miles in America and preaching more than 350 times as he toured the colonies. Whitefield answered the Apostle Paul’s call in Romans 10:14. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
What Leads a Nation to Repentance?
The late Dr. D. James Kennedy, former pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, once said, “I believe that if America is to ever be a Christian nation again, then we need to return to our roots. Too often we forget that America became a nation soon after a spiritual revival, the First Great Awakening. Then, in the 1800s, America experienced a Second Great Awakening, which helped bring about a moral revolution—particularly in addressing the evil of slavery. But now we are in need of a Third Great Awakening.”
Kennedy clarified what this looks like. “Many people are under the misconception that the government will solve all our problems. But I believe that true change is going to take place when people throughout the nation begin to trust in Christ and in the God that made this nation great. And that will bring about a genuine revival. A revival that eventually moves to the halls of government. Not from the government down, but from the people up. God once declared, ‘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 7:14). May it be in our day.”
Let’s pray:
Dear Father,
We praise You that Your desire is for all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). In humbleness, as a nation, we turn away from sinfulness and turn towards You. Forgive our nation for the ways it has drifted and turned away from You. Move hearts in America to repent from all forms of evil. Free our land from rebellious actions and attitudes aimed at You and our nation’s godly heritage. Send Your Holy Spirit, to move across our land, softening and transforming hearts to believe and receive the forgiveness You so generously and freely offer to all through Your Son Jesus Christ. Across the United States of America, replace hearts of stone with new hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). Cause our biblical foundation to be restored and our leaders' hearts to be turned towards You. Bring our nation to its knees, looking to You alone as our hope and Salvation.
In Jesus’ name, amen
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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Originally published Saturday, 29 June 2024.
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