You are Invited

Resurrection of Lazarus by Bonnat

Readings: Matthew 22:1-14, John 11

Sometime just before the Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus' friend Lazarus was sick and then died. Jesus came to Bethany 4 days later to a family and a town mourning in grief for the loss of their brother and friend. It was here that Jesus did His greatest miracle and the one that showed people that He had power over death.  After being in the tomb for four days, Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" John 11:43 NLT And the dead man came out, bound in his grave clothes! Wow! When the people saw this, many of them believed in Jesus. Some of them went and told the Pharisees what Jesus had done. Feeling threatened by Jesus' miracles and popularity with the people;  the leaders called a high council meeting, asking one another "What are we going to do?... If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy our temple and our nation... So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus' death. " John 11: 47-53 NLT

Hind sight is always 20/20. For us to look back, we can see that what they did in that week did not prevent the Romans from destroying their temple and their nation. Rather their actions resulted in God judging their nation and allowing the Romans to destroy the temple and lovely Jerusalem, as well as scatter the Jews all over the world. Look at this quote in yesterdays post as Jesus looked over the city and wept:

Our Nation Grieves

Beautiful snow is falling outside our windows, yet our hearts are sad. I don't know about your house, but in our house we have shed many tears since the news yesterday about the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

This week as our nation was enthusiastically preparing to celebrate the joy of another Christmas Season, evil was afoot. As moms and dads were buying gifts for their little children in Newtown, Connecticut, a man was plotting their deaths. Now across the nation our hearts are breaking for the loss of these precious little ones. So many of our lives are touched with the joy of sweet innocent children that we love so deeply. It is unfathomable for us to even begin to imagine the level of evil that could look into the little faces in Newtown and kill them. How could this have happened?

The governor of Connecticut, Dannel Malloy said it so well,

“Evil visited this community today,”

Was it guns that killed those children, or was it evil in the heart of a man and a nation that tolerates, yes even celebrates evil? "Oh not that kind of evil", most would say. But evil left unfettered has unimaginable potential.

In my prayers today for these grieving parents, for the children who saw and heard things they will never forget, for the workers responding to the call and seeing the horror of what happened; what kept coming to me is our need to pray... to pray for them; but also to pray for our nation. Big changes need to happen in every heart if we are to correct this course of greater and greater evil. Where do we start? This is the verse that came to my heart,

"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14

This is a revival prayer that focuses on the responsibility of God's people to seek Him for mercy for their nation after sin has brought its desolation, plague, and judgments. This verse is God's chosen way of restoration, which is through the prayers of His people. We seek His Face by praying for a fuller revelation of His Glory. (See Isaiah 6 or Revelation 1) And in that place of seeing God's Glory, we see our own true nature, the sins God wants us to turn away from... very humbling indeed. Then God will hear us, forgive us and heal our nation.

The real answer is the real Reason for the Season... Jesus:

"Joseph,... do not be afraid to take to you Mary as your wife, 
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call from Jesus,
for He will save His people FROM their sins."
Matthew 1: 20,21

Jesus is our hope to deliver us from the darkness of sin... to save us from our sins, not just in our sins as we continue to live in them.  Isaiah and Zechariah prophecies about His Coming:

"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine."
Isaiah 9:6 NLT
"Because of God's tender mercy, 
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace."
Luke 1:78,79 NLT

I pray that the light of Christ will dawn on our nation once again

PS, here is an article from World Net Daily that tells of the incident and give quotes from Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie and Ray Comfort
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2012/12/school-massacre-evil-visited-today/#HdpmGJWxDuPIgC7T.99