"I WILL HEAL THEIR LAND" - REVIVAL NOT REPRISAL

I-will-heal-their-land.pdf

“I WILL HEAL THEIR LAND” - REVIVAL NOT REPRISAL

At present there is much sadness in our lands, the sound of joy and gladness is not in our streets. Many churches are empty and people are lonely. In addition rage, protest, blame, recrimination and accusation fill our public discourse.
This is the language of the evil one - accusation and complaint. He lies by the half- truth, misquoting, misinterpreting. Yeshua called him, “the father of lies.” He misinterprets reality to incite strife. It has been his strategy since the day of man’s first sin. He is the Accuser -master of the blame game. He wants us to despise and treat the other as the enemy. He destroys, kills, stirs people up against each another. The evil one accuses – demanding justice on his terms. He seeks to set husband against wife and wife against husband, teenager against parent, people of different lifestyles and cultures against each other. He is a prosecutor and never a defender. He tries to make me see you as the problem and myself as the innocent victim. He is the real enemy.

The Physician of souls and of nations, Yeshua, has a different strategy He can heal not only individuals but for nations. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chron 7.14)

Yeshua comes at problems from a completely different perspective. He has a prescription of healing in His hands. He says, "Before we can begin to talk - you must forgive and love your enemies. These are My rules and this is my prescription." However, we say, "How can I forgive - they are wrong, we are victims of injustice and there can be no peace without justice. No justice No peace. We deserve better. They are the cause of our misery."
Yeshua says, “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6.15)
“If you got what you deserve you might not like it. Do you really want what you deserve? If you got what you deserve there would be no redemption. Do you not know that I, the King of kings, suffered to take what you deserve and to also take the blame of the one you think is your enemy. If you want to live in the peace I give you – you must agree to pass it on. If not you will become the source of your own misery.”
“You say. ‘No justice - no peace!’ That sounds good but I say: ”No grace - no peace. No God – no peace! Know God - know peace.”
If we do not forgive we will never know peace and we will never know Your Father’s love and blessing.”
Only after we forgive each other we can begin to talk - that’s the Jesus way.

In our own experience, ministering across denominational and political barriers and divisions in Northern Ireland during the 1970’s and eighties when civil war smoldered in the land, we observed how some politicians and even some religious leaders allowed themselves to be used as voices of bitterness and retaliation. They added fuel to the fire. We also saw how others broke through barriers, befriended those from whom they were estranged by history, reached out across divides and led their people towards peace and reconciliation.

Eventually the voices of reconciliation prevailed and peace was restored to the land. Behind the scenes thousands of people of faith from every background never stopped praying for God’s mercy and healing balm to be poured out on the land. Conferences of prayer and reconciliation were commonplace. The believing community repented of inherited attitudes of resentment and bigotry towards those who were different from them culturally, religiously and politically. They had the courage to cross barriers forgive and embrace the ones who were different, refused to replay the grievances of the past and looked toward the future where we would walk hand in hand. God healed the land through prayer, and repentance – not perfectly, not completely but in a way that made wars to cease, and made the denominational and cultural hatred which gave rise to the war completely unacceptable.

In November 1987 a bomb exploded in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland injuring Gordon Wilson and fatally wounding his daughter Marie, a nurse. In an emotional television interview Wilson gave to the BBC only hours after the bombing he described his last conversation with his dying daughter as they both lay buried in rubble. Wilson's response to the bombing, "I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge".

In the USA today there are many loud voices stoking the flames of historic resentment. They do this to curry favor with their various bases. Some of these people are Christian leaders who lead by riding the wave of cultural resentment and rage. They channel their people’s pain BEFORE they forgive, and thus become voices of strife rather than life.

In the midst of this confusion and conflict God is raising up His voices of healing and reconciliation. Most poignant of all is the voice of Julia Jackson, the mother of Jacob Blake who was shot in the back four times by a police officer attempting to arrest him. This is what Julia said on national television.

“My son has been fighting for his life and we really need prayers. ..If Jacob knew what was going on – the violence and destruction, he would be very unpleased. I am really asking and encouraging everyone in Wisconsin and abroad to take a moment and examine your hearts. Citizens, police officers, clergy, politicians do Jacob justice on this level and examine your hearts. We need healing. As I pray for my son’s healing, physically, mentally and spiritually I also have been praying (even before this) for the healing of our country. God has placed each and every one of us in this country because he wanted us to be here. You can see that I have beautiful brown skin. Take a look at your hand and see that whatever shade it is, it is beautiful as well. How dare we hate what we are. We are humans. God did not make one kind of tree or flower or fish or grass or rock. How dare we ask Him to make ever other human look just like you. I’m not just talking to Caucasian people, I am talking to everyone – white, black, Japanese, Chinese, red, brown, no one is superior to the other. The only supreme Being is God himself. Please let’s begin to pray for healing for our nation .. a house that’s against each other cannot stand”

Let us join Julia in agreement with the word and pray for her son and country. Our land is indeed great and greatly blessed, but it is also sick and greatly in need of God’s healing. The people of faith understand The Great Physician’s prescription. They hold it in their hands. They know that they stand in God’s favor, not because of what they deserve - not on the ground of justice, but on the ground of MERCY. They know that they are children of undeserved, heavenly love. They know they have a sacred obligation not only to love each other but to love their enemies and to express that love in prayer, good will and acts of kindness. We must cross barriers and traditional divisions through love. We must allow Our Redeemer to change us, widen us, enlarge us and to remove every vestige of lovelessness towards those who are different from us by appearance or culture.

We pray that every side involved in the present strife in our land will awaken to the truth that Yeshua by his death and resurrection made it possible for the hatred, envy and selfishness to be removed from those who come to Him and receive in exchange His enemy-loving merciful forgiving heart. Yeshua refused to give offence or take offence. May He give us the grace to do the same.

As we apply Yeshua’s prescription, repent and accept His heart to be our new heart, He will hear from heaven. As we receive His forgiveness, forgive others and cry out for greater infillings of His love – He will heal us, transform us, and He will heal our land. Instead of reprisal we shall have revival.