By: Dr. Jacquelyn Simmons
Scripture: And I prayed unto the Lord my God…we have sinned and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgements: Neither have we hearkened to thy servants the prophets which spake in thy name to our… fathers and to all the people of the land…Oh Lord hear, Oh Lord forgive…
(Selected Passages from Daniel 9).
Dear Lord, our Heavenly Father,
Please forgive us of our innumerable sins. It appears that the more you permit us to increase in your technologies for your world improvements, the more we use your blessings for evil to be perpetrated against your unfortunate peoples. The only time some of us pray is when we become overwhelmed due to bleak situations. Once you have noticeably enabled us to see our “way out”, we only remember you again when the next crises arrive-and they do arise.
During earlier times, families were forced to do everything together which resulted in their closeness to a certain extent. But now, their paths very seldom cross except, maybe, during a family crisis and that’s not guaranteed. They are mostly engrossed in their individual computer worlds.
Your world has started somewhat to revert to wild-west days during which law and order was carried out by any individuals who had personal vendettas against others. Many people have stockpiles of ammunition and are awaiting any situation which ignites them to use them against hapless victims who are not prepared to “carry out” their own defense.
This writer teasingly asked a lady who was going to do the major Thanksgiving cooking for her family. She haughitly said, “My family does not celebrate Thanksgiving. All of us are going hunting, including our very young children. Besides, I always drive with a loaded gun on top of the car’s console which is located next to me on the driver’s seat, even though my very young children are riding in the back seat.” After noting the shocked look on my face, she continued, “No, I’m not worried about them because they have been well trained to use guns.”
Lord, please forgive us for our docile acceptance of the laws which have been blatantly used to cast Christian prayers out of our schools. Those laws have caused soooo many of our children to “grow up” not knowing right from wrong. They are constantly being bombarded with “filth” which is swiftly guiding them toward the gates of hell instead of toward your pearly gates which you will graciously open to your heaven-bound people.
We are told in your word, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). It means, we should train our children in your Christian principles, even though they may stray, but as they mature in life, they eventually will return to them. But, what will our present children return to? Their futures look bleak. Lord, please have mercy on us. Our children do not know you and the pardoning of their sins through your son, Jesus Christ.
Sadly enough, they will be our future leaders: Ministers, government officials, teachers, law enforcers, etc. and Lord please have mercy on us because we need to add to the list, parents and neighbors, also.
Lord, thank you for hearing our prayer. In JESUS name we pray. Amen.
