A Prayer for Our CountryĀ is a sermon teaching us that God will restore our blessings if we come to Him in prayer to repent of our rebellion against Him.
The Book of Daniel was the last book in the Bible written by the major prophets. It was written in Babylon when Daniel was held as a captive prince and was made to serve those who conquered his people. He lived comfortably in the king’s palace and held a high title and a high position, but was still a prisoner. Daniel prayed to the Lord as one in mourning for the people of Israel. He could not change the circumstances he was in, but that was where God wanted him to be and that was where he served God. Daniel never lost his faith and learned what had happened to his people. He prayed for his people and for revival in their hearts. He asked God for mercy for his people. Daniel mourned for the nation of Israel and for his people.
Daniel has been gone for over 2,600 years and yet the Lord still uses him so that we can learn from him even today. We learn that Daniel prays and addresses the Lord, submits to the Lord, and confesses his sin. We need to understand as Daniel did, that God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. Daniel recognizes the holiness and righteousness of God and God’s authority in his life, and that He is a God of mercy.
God keeps His covenants and promises to those who love Him. No one can fully follow the commandments, but God says, “if you love me, keep my commandments.” We keep his commandments because we love Him. We are guilty before God, have done wickedly, and rebelled against God. Just like in Daniel’s time, people knew what God’s commandments were, they recited them always, but still, they rebelled against God. They, as we have sinned and done iniquity.
Righteousness belongs to God. People of Israel were driven out of their land and dispersed throughout all the Earth; giving up their claim to their country because they have sinned. Daniel’s prayer recognized that they have sinned against God.
Can we not see that God has blessed the United States of America throughout its history? God was with us before our nation’s founding, we could see God working. But when we deny God and go our own way, we lose our blessing from God. That’s what happened in Daniel’s time and it’s happening to us today.
Mercy and forgiveness belong to God. The people have God’s Word, heard the preachers, and didn’t listen. God will forgive if the people repent of their sin which happened 70 years later. Then, they were able to go back to their land and were free to worship God.
There is much suffering in the world, but not as bad as has happened to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was lost because of the people’s rebellion — all this evil came upon them because they abandoned God and His law. God disciplined His people because they did wrong. God had always been good to His people, gave many blessings, including Solomon’s temple, the palace, and the city, but all were gone because of their sin.
Daniel pleaded to bring his people back and bless them again. While making his request to God and confessing his sin and that of his people, the angel Gabriel came and touched him. God let Daniel know that his prayers were heard and would be answered. Lives can be transformed and our nation can be healed, if we come to the Lord and repent.
Do you want to change the direction of our country? Daniel teaches us how through prayer:
#1 We must put away our pride and confess our sin.
#2 We must cry out to God for His mercy and His forgiveness.
#3 We must believe in God.
#4 We must believe His Word and obey according to His word
#5 We must rely on the mercy of God.
A Prayer for Our Country sermon starts with verses from Daniel 9:3-21:
3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
6 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.
7 O Lord, righteousnessĀ belongethĀ unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel,Ā that areĀ near, andĀ that areĀ far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
8 O Lord, to usĀ belongethĀ confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9 To the Lord our GodĀ belongĀ mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
10 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.
11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath thatĀ isĀ written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
13 AsĀ it isĀ written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
14 Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our GodĀ isĀ righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy peopleĀ are becomeĀ a reproach to allĀ that areĀ about us.
17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
19 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.
20 And whiles IĀ wasĀ speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
21 Yea, whiles IĀ wasĀ speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
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About the Speaker
Dr. Michael L. McClure
Senior Pastor
Dr. Michael L. McClure, our lead pastor, is known for his in-depth knowledge and effective teaching style of biblical truths applicable to everyday living.