National Sifting

In times of a national crisis, the hearts of the people fail them, and their eyes are focused on their own survival. Even Christians can fall into unbelief and pray only selfish prayers regarding their own self-preservation. With the modern church ripe with apostasy, there is a vacuum of spiritual leadership.

A nation in trouble needs a prophet Daniel for this hour, as in times like these a sovereign God is sifting his church to find faith among his people. I believe there is a model prayer for a national crisis in my Bible, and it's found in the book of Daniel in chapter 9. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will look at this prayer for a nation in time of trouble, and we will begin in verse 3. And I set my face unto the Lord my God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting sackcloth and ashes.

Here we see Daniel getting serious with God, and that's the first step in seeking God in prayer. And here he demonstrates his determination and humiliation before God in prayer. Then picking up in verse 4 we read, And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keep in the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments.

Here, friends, we see not only Daniel's confidence in prayer, we see his confession in prayer, as he acknowledges that God is great and dreadful, meaning that he is high and lifted up. And Daniel reminds God that he is a covenant-keeping God. Then he goes on in verses 5 and 6 of his prayer, as repentance is sought and guilt acknowledged.

We have sinned, and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments. Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. Here, Daniel lists both the sins of commission and sins of omission of the people of God.

Then in verses 9 and 10, we see Daniel, as he acknowledges God to be a God of mercy and forgiveness. For this is the heart cry of his prayer, on the behalf of the people, that God would show mercy toward them. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him, neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

And in verse 13 of Daniel's prayer, he acknowledges that the evil that has come upon them is from their own disobedience to God, and he now seeks both the grace of repentance and understanding. As it is written in the Law of Moses, All this evil has come upon us, yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand that truth. Verses 16 through 19 comprise the end of the prayer as mercy is entreated, sins acknowledged, and God's forgiveness sought on the sinful nation.

O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and fury be turned away from the city of Jerusalem, the holy mountain, because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant in his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear, open thine eyes, and behold our desolations in the city which is called by thy name.

For we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies. Now notice, friends, the last verse of Daniel's prayer, how he acknowledges his Lord, how he pleads for God to move for his own sake and for his honor. O Lord, hear.

O Lord, forgive. O Lord, hearken and do. Defer not for thine own sake.

O my God, for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. Well, that ends the model prayer for a nation in distress. And may we apply its truths to our own desperate national situation today.

Let us pray. O great God almighty, forgive our sins and grievous inequities of this nation and the rebellion of your people. And forgive our sins and heal our land.

Attend and hear our prayer. Great God, I pray in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.