Praying for our nation

As I pen these words, my heart is overwhelmed with sadness for our nation. It is clear to me that we are in moral decline. Every day, we see and hear extremists speaking words of hate. Division and violence abound, and it is clear that this nation is polarized and in need of healing. The words of 2 Chronicles 7:14 remind us, “If my people who are called by my name, would humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” These words have never been more relevant than right now.

There is no doubt in my mind that we need God to intervene in and throughout this nation. Violence seems to be the order of the day. Our political system is divided. The effects of the January 6th insurrection still loom large in our day-to-day news. We have a former President who will go to any length to justify his ungodly actions. People are arming themselves and claiming this is to make America strong. Our streets have become a war zone. Black Lives Matter has just become a point of argument and contention. We communicate daily that we have little or no regard for life. Our Black youth are killing each other at alarming rates. There seems to be no end in sight of ending this daily violence, turmoil, and unrest.

The media goes to great lengths to magnify the number of killings in our communities. Despite this, too many voices remain silent. We have lost far too much, including the basic value of life. Even turning in guns for dollars seem to have little or no impact. It is just another way to gain a dollar or two.

I believe with all my heart that it is time for men and women of God to seek God’s face and His power. Prayer is just one of the ways in which we can respond. We must also come together as a people and find workable solutions to bring healing to our nation, before it is too late. We have found the enemy. The enemy is us.

We say we are one nation under God but that is far from the truth. When we see something, we need to say something, and do something.

Our needs are great. Widespread poverty, lack of housing, access to quality education and employment are just a few of the critical issues we face. However, we cannot blame everything on others, as blaming and talking about these things alone will not solve all the problems we face.

Those in political power have wealth, housing, education, and employment, but they are still corrupt. There has to be a change of heart and only God can do that. But I implore us to still do this: Seek to make changes in your community by advocating for God’s people, which includes everyone. Vote. Band together and work for the noble cause of justice. Turn to God and ask Him for His divine help. God is able to turn this nation around. Let us pray that He will.

Rev. Charles Quann