In Bible times it wasn’t the king and leaders who were blamed for the nation’s disarray – it was the religious leaders who hadn’t declared the Word of God to the people. So where are the prophets today?
It will not surprise anyone if I say that our country is in a mess and our politicians don’t know what to do!
My mailbox is filled with messages about the problems in the nation. We can all see things that are wrong but there’s no agreement on what we can do about it.
Certainly, our politicians don’t know what to do! The resignation of senior members of the Cabinet in July shook the whole of Westminster and led to speculation that Prime Minister Theresa May’s days may be numbered.
What can ordinary citizens do when their leaders are in disarray? More importantly what can Christians do? Is there something specific that Christians can do in the face of what increasingly looks like a critical point in the history of our nation?
The deeds of the Lord
Throughout the history of Israel recorded in the Bible, God always raised a prophet at critical times in the life of the nation. We read in Judges 6 about a time when foreigners were swarming across the land:
“Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other Eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle or donkeys.”
This little picture describes the suffering and frustration being endured by ordinary hard-working farming communities. Verses 7 and 8 complete the scene: “When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet.”
His message was to remind them what God had done in the past – rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, bringing them into the promised land and giving them the Torah as rules for life which would enable them to be in a right relationship with God so they would enjoy health and peace under his protection.
Then came the key words – “But you have not listened to me!” (Judges 6:10)
Silent churches
If we had prophets in our churches, similar words to this would be thundering from every pulpit in the land!
According to reports coming into our ministry’s office there are many Bible-believing evangelical preachers who never apply the Gospel to what’s going on in the nation. Some don’t even include national issues in their public prayers or call upon their congregations to pray for our political leaders
Why is it that so many evangelicals give nice little messages expounding Scripture but never think to apply the Word of God to contemporary issues? Do they live in a different world? Or do they lack confidence in the Word of God to change situations? Where are the prophets in the Church today?
Priests and prophets blamed
One of the most momentous statements in the history of Judah just after the destruction of Jerusalem is in Lamentations 4:12-13: “The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the world’s people, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests.”
It is significant that there is no blame directed at the politicians or the King and his government.
The blame is put squarely on the religious leaders, the priests and prophets, who had not declared the Word of God among the people. Only Jeremiah had tirelessly for 40 years walked the streets of Jerusalem (being banned from the temple) warning that destruction was inevitable unless there was repentance and turning back to the word of the Lord.
Jeremiah was told, “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth I will forgive this city.”
He thought, “These are only the poor, they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord”. So he went to speak to the leaders and found that they too “had broken off the yoke”; they had severed all links with the God of Israel, thereby putting the nation outside the protecting cover of God. This was why destruction descended upon Jerusalem.
Spiritual attack
Britain today stands on the edge of destruction from the forces of darkness that are battling to change the referendum to leave the secular humanist European Union – a decision that was greatly influenced by prayer. A rich and powerful conglomerate of multinationals are pouring vast sums into a campaign to force Britain to have another referendum and reverse the decision – thus keeping us under the yoke of Brussels.
The profits and investments of the global giants may be hit, but small businesses will benefit from being released from EU rules
Powerful voices in the media are feeding ‘fake news’ and lies to the British public in a desperate attempt to keep us shackled to the EU. They say that our economy will collapse, whereas the reverse is more likely to be true! It is the profits and investments of the global giants that may be hit, but small businesses will benefit from being released from EU rules and regulations that inhibit growth.
Prophetic voice
We need the voice of Amos declaring, “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24)
Why do we never hear a prophetic voice from the Church in Britain? Is it because the preachers don’t take the trouble to study what’s going on in the nation?
The only prophetic voices declaring the word of the Lord on national issues come from Christian ministries like Christian Concern, Voice for Justice, The Christian Institute, Christian Voice, Issachar Ministries and others. But the churches remain silent as though the state of the nation does not concern them.
What can Christians do?
If you are in a ‘silent’ church, make sure the preacher reads this page and pray that the Lord speaks to him or her. If you are in a prayer and Bible study group, discuss this subject and spread it before the Lord.
Above all, pray. It is prayer that has saved this nation in the past, at times like Dunkirk when the whole nation prayed and the Channel was calm for the little boats to rescue our army.
Prayer is the key to saving the nation today.