Every Friday, on his show, “Wallbuilders Live,” David Barton has a special called, “Good News Friday.” He finds good things that have happened across the nation over the past week to encourage his listeners that, despite all the bad, there are some good things going on. Recently, I have heard him saying that he believes our nation is in the midst of a revival. The latest occurrence that he used to exemplify this was the call for prayer coming from the governors of five gulf states. This call to prayer, of course, was concerning the gulf oil spill.
Before I respond to Mr. Barton praising this act, I want to tell you that I have much respect for him. David Barton is a great historian and has done much work to get true American history back into the hands and hearts of the people of this nation. He has, no doubt, been an instrument of God in turning the hearts of this nation back toward our founding fathers. So I don’t want you to think that I am encouraging not to listen to him. Quite the contrary. I would encourage you to read every book he’s written.
However, Mr. Barton has a problem, sometimes, discerning whether or not something is good. Every time I hear him praise another piece of incremental “pro-life” legislation being passed, it makes me cringe. How can he not see that they all end with the caveat, “then you can kill the baby?” Probably because of his loyalty to the Republican Party, who’s very platform contains that caveat.
This call to prayer was touted by David Barton as a sign of national revival. When I heard him say this, I had to check out the actual proclamation by the governors. Of course, it was no coincidence that, in my Bible reading schedule, I was reading through 2 Chronicles six and seven when I read this proclamation. Isn’t it amazing how God works! If you are reading His Word, He will speak to you.
So, before reading the governor’s proclamation, let’s take a look at what God calls us to do when hit with a national tragedy.
We see, in chapter six of 2 Chronicles, that Solomon has just finished building the temple of the Lord, and now he is going to say a prayer of dedication. There are many things you can pull out of Solomon’s prayer in chapter six, but a great summation of the main point to his prayer comes in the answer God gives to Solomon in chapter seven.
2 Chronicles 7:13-16 says, “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. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.”
I encourage you to read all of chapter six and seven, in your own time, to see if what I am about to say is accurate. Here is what God is saying, through Solomon’s prayer, and through his answer to Solomon’s prayer. “When my people sin against me, I’m going to send them judgment. My judgment is meant to humble them and lead them to repentance so that I can pour out my mercy on them. Both, my judgment and mercy is given so that they, and all the world, will fear me and walk in my ways.” Pretty simple, right? And you’ll find that principle throughout the entire Bible.
You’ll find a good example of this in 2 Chronicles 6:28-31, which says, “When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of his afflictions and pains, and spreading out his hands toward this temple- then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men), so that they will fear you and walk in your ways all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.”
In order to properly understand this, you really need to read this passage in it’s context. Read all of chapter six. God gives four examples in this chapter, showing that these disasters come because His people sinned against Him(2 Chronicles 6:22, 24, 26, 36). The formula is obvious. You sin, God sends judgment. You repent, God sends mercy. It’s that simple.
So, about the gulf oil spill. Is it a judgment of God? Well, let’s just think about that. Let me just mention a few things that might cause God to send judgment on this land. Over four thousand babies are murdered every day. Homosexuality has been called a good thing, while the altar of marriage has been desecrated. Christianity has been prostrated to the same level as all religions, except Islam, of course. Islam is given more respect than them all. And here’s the kicker: the church continues in her slumber. No repentance. No speaking out. Nothing.
Therefore, God has, once again, sent His judgment with the goal of leading us to repentance.
So, now we can look at this proclamation for a day of prayer and say, “Yes! Finally! We are turning back to God!” Right? Well, you might want to hold your tongue for a minute. Let’s take a look at the actual wording of the proclamation, keeping in mind what we just learned in 2 Chronicles. I want you to pay close attention to the number times sin and repentance is used in this proclamation.
“Now, Therefore, I, Jeff Kottkamp, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Florida, do herby call for a Day of Prayer on Sunday, June 27, 2010, urging citizens to pray for comfort for the families of those killed in the Deepwater Horizon initial blast; that God would crown with success efforts to stop the flow of oil in the Gulf; that He would interpose to mitigate further damage and strengthen the hands of clean up crews; that He would sustain those whose livelihood is directly impacted by this tragedy; that He would preserve the health of citizens along the coastal regions; that He would comfort all citizens impacted by the oil spill, reminding us that He is a strong refuge in times of trouble; that He would guide and direct our civil leaders and provide them with wisdom and Divinely inspired solutions to the many complex problems associated with this disaster; and that He would prevent future recurrences of this oil spill.” “NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby declare Sunday, June 27, 2010, as a Day of Prayer in Alabama and encourage individuals to pray on their own or with others, according to their own faith, in an expression of faith and hope. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Bobby Jindal, Governor of the State of Louisiana, do hereby proclaim June 27, 2010 as a Statewide Day of Prayer In the State of Louisiana and in the Gulf of Mexico.” “NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim Sunday, June 27, 2010, as a Day of Prayer in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and religious traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of individuals, the rebuilding of communities and the restoration of entire Gulf Coast environment in the wake of this disaster NOW THEREFORE, I, Haley Barbour, Governor of the State of Mississippi, hereby proclaim June 27, 2010, as a Day of Prayer in Mississippi for relief from this crisis and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico and shoreline.”
I wonder if this is reminiscent of something Elijah would have prayed with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Wait a minute, he cut the heads off the false prophets who were calling on their false gods!
I imagine that you are all asking the same question I asked after reading this. “How in the world does David Barton not see that this prayer is an abomination to the Lord?” If you read through Solomon’s prayer, you will find a great emphasis on “this place.” God has always been very specific with the way to reach Him. All through the Bible, you will find that there is only one way. In the Old Testament, God’s people had to come to the temple of the Lord. Now, Jesus is the way to reach God(John 14:6). We know that neither sin nor repentance was mentioned, but how many times was the name of Jesus mentioned? It wasn’t. Why? Because these governors, despite their sincere convictions, are bowing to the altar of pluralism. That’s right. They don’t want to offend anyone so they just prostrate the God of the Bible and put Him on the same level as all the false gods of the world.
Bob Riley encouraged, “individuals to pray on their own or with others, according to their own faith, in an expression of faith and hope.” Rick Perry urged, “Texans of all faiths and religious traditions to offer prayers on that day…” What an abomination! How can we, as a Christian nation, expect God to answer prayers like that?
There are two major problems with this prayer proclamation. First of all, there was no confession of sin or admission that this gulf spill came as a result of national sin. And secondly, it was a prayer offered up to a multitude of Gods.
David Barton, when touting this act as a sign of revival, discussed a little bit of the history of national leaders calling our nation to a day of prayer. He compared this prayer proclamation, namely, to the those of George Washington, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. But I wish he would have actually done a good job of this, because if we study the prayer proclamations of our founders, you will find that there are no similarities with what the governors of the gulf states released.
I want to be clear on something. I truly believe that now, more than ever, our president needs to proclaim a National Day of Prayer. We have sinned against Him and are experiencing His judgments. We need to realize that God is our problem, and that He is the only answer to that problem. But this proclamation can look nothing like the one you just read. For a better model, let’s read the one called for by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in the midst of a civil war:
Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the supreme authority and just government of the Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations has by a resolution requested the president to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation.
And whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God: to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon: and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord:
And insomuch as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?
We have been the recipients of the choices bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God.
We have forgotten the gracious land which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us:
It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.
All this being done in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the divine teachings, that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace.
Abraham Lincoln
Do you see the differences? The gulf state governors were only asking God for help. Lincoln is confessing the great sin of this nation. He humbly recognized that the judgments falling on this land were a direct result of our sin. He prayed for forgiveness from the “offended Power.” Then, at the end of this proclamation, Lincoln let the people know that deliverance would only come after humbling themselves, and crying out to God in repentance. And until we realize this, our national disasters will only increase.
So, you might be asking, “How do I apply this to my life?” I know, you aren’t the president of the United States. You aren’t a high ranking government official. But, you may be one day. Or, just as important, you might have the ear of someone like that one day. Hey, that’s a good place to be. But if you ever get to a place like that, you had better not compromise truth. Never compromise truth.
Another application, which is just as important, is taking what we’ve learned in 2 Chronicles and applying it to your family life. Dad, it’s not time to be playing Xbox. It’s not time to be so consumed with work that you don’t get to spend time with your wife and kids. Hey Dad, if you’re not loving your wife and kids the way God calls you to love them, you had better repent. It’s time to get your home in order. You want national revival? Well, you’re gonna have to want revival in your home first. It’s time to get on your knees, Dad. Seek the face of the Lord to guide your family. If you’re not reading the Word of God, everyday, than you had better start. Without it, you are lost. And you had better make sure your family is being led by the Word of God. Come on, Dad. This is not time to be playing around. It’s time to get your home in order. Teach your kids obedience. Teach your family the fear of the Lord. And don’t just say it. Do it.
I say all this because I recognize that the gulf oil spill is a judgment from God. I believe that God has been sending us one wake up call after another. The problem is, we aren’t hearing it. Therefore, be sure of this. If this nation does not repent, judgment will continue to be poured out on us. He will absolutely smash us until we come to repentance. Until we realize that “in repentance and rest is our salvation.” (Isaiah 30:15) It’s time to get your family ready.
I don’t claim to be some great writer, but I’ve been sending out these writings for a while now. My very first one, involved high gas prices and I proclaimed that God was draining the wealth of this nation. I warned that this would continue to get worse, unless we repent. I warned of the judgment to come. Now, I don’t claim to be a prophet. The truth is, I am surrounded by godly men who have shown these things to me through the Scriptures. My job is simply to take these truths, and get them to all that I can. What happens with that is not up to me. I’m just the mailman. But I’ll warn you today that we haven’t seen anything yet.
So what’s the answer. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “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.” This is something we need to do as a nation. More importantly, this is something we need to do as a church. But, first and foremost, we need to do it as a family. For, according to Malachi 4:6, the curse which hovers over this land is a result of absent fathers and broken homes.
Here’s what we need to do. Call your family together and search your hearts for the sin within. Deal with it, and deal with it ruthlessly. Get your homes in order. Dads, if you’ve wronged your wife, or even your children, confess it. The same goes for Moms and children.
Last of all, I want to take this opportunity to stress to you the importance of reading God’s Word. Regardless of who you are, or where you are in life; without the daily consumption of God’s Word, you will drift away. I guarantee it. Dad, I cannot stress enough, the importance of devoting yourself to the Scriptures. You need to know God’s Word. If you don’t, you will lead your family astray. There are so many deceptions out there, right now. If you do not have the compass of God’s Word, you’ll be lost in a sea of deceit.
I started by mentioning David Barton and this call for prayer from the governors of the gulf states. I end by saying this: I have no doubt that these governors are well-meaning Christians, but they have not committed themselves to be students of God’s Word. If they had, than they would know that you have to deal with sin before you can expect the Deliverer to hear from Heaven. They would know that there is only one Way; that being the name of Jesus Christ…not a multitude of Gods. But they don’t know the importance of that because they don’t know the Word of God. By the way, how did God answer that pluralistic prayer? Hurricane Alex? Hmmm…something to think about, isn’t it?
Now do you see the importance of knowing God’s Word? Let’s get back to the Scriptures.
For His Glory,
Adam Tennant
P.S. I also should state that David Barton is a great historian. If you want to know the truth of America’s godly heritage, there is no better source. So, don’t think this article is an attack on David Barton. It’s not. I just wish he had better discernment when it comes to certain things. Especially, since he has the ears of so many influential people. Hey, he’s night and day better than Rick Warren.
Posted by akatennant 
IF MY PEOPLE... 