Our country is like a precious diamond reflecting the colors of the rainbow. Our rainbow nation. A beautiful blend of color and culture and creed.
Each of us make up a different facet of the diamond.
Each is carved by the creator.
Each incomparable.
Each reflecting a different facet of who God is.
Together as a whole, a beautiful sight to behold.
We cannot give up on our country. God has not given up. We need to keep praying and keep trusting that God has got a plan. A perfect plan.
God raises up Kings and Governments and Leaders and God brings them down too.
While we were standing in unity over a week ago, forming part of the human chain, we saw a very striking banner …
“He stole our pot of Gold … Don’t let him steal our Rainbow.”
The truth is that he cannot steal our Rainbow. God put the rainbow in place and only God can take the Rainbow away.
God has been true to his people throughout the ages and God even uses the ungodly to achieve his purpose.
I am reading in Nehemiah at the moment. Again, a very relevant story for where we are in the ’story’ of our country.
Nehemiah felt compelled to return to Jerusalem to facilitate the rebuilding of the city walls.
But before he did anything. Before he took even a single step forward, he stopped and prayed. He prayed that God would hear his prayer, he prayed for forgiveness of his sins and he prayed that God would make a way for him to go back to Jerusalem and help the people of Judah.
And God heard his prayer.
11 O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me.[c] Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”
Nehemiah was the king’s cup-bearer. When the king noticed his distress, he asked what was wrong and Nehemiah expressed his desire to return to Jerusalem to assist in rebuilding the city walls. The king was not a believer in God, but God worked in his heart and the King miraculously granted Nehemiah permission to leave for a long period, in order to complete the work. He even gave him letters for safe passage and supplies for the journey – he was more than generous. And Nehemiah was able to complete this very important task.
Once the broken city walls were rebuilt, Nehemiah began focusing on the broken lives of the people. He started by gathering the people together to hear Ezra read God’s law. The people felt terrible for how they had drifted away from God’s will for them.
Their unified choice was to pray and repent!
Here are some parts of the prayer from Nehemiah 9, as they cried out for God’s forgiveness and peace.
““May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 “You alone are the Lord. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you…
22 “Then you helped our ancestors conquer kingdoms and nations, and you placed your people in every corner of the land….
28 “But as soon as they were at peace, your people again committed evil in your sight, and once more you let their enemies conquer them. Yet whenever your people turned and cried to you again for help, you listened once more from heaven. In your wonderful mercy, you rescued them many times! …
36 “So now today we are slaves in the land of plenty that you gave our ancestors for their enjoyment! We are slaves here in this good land.37 The lush produce of this land piles up in the hands of the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They have power over us and our livestock. We serve them at their pleasure, and we are in great misery.”
Let us come together in unified hearts and pray without ceasing, for forgiveness, for peace and for blessing in this precious land.
We may not be able to do much else … but we can certainly pray!