Things Left Undone

After the election results became clear, I waited to post, making sure I was writing from my spirit and not my soul or flesh. I trust that what I'm writing is from the Spirit . . .

As I prayed about what to say, how to react, words from the Prayer of Confession came to mind. The whole prayer is listed below to give context for those who may be unfamiliar with it.

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name.
Amen.

The phrase I heard, "by what we have left undone," echoed in my mind. So I asked the Lord what I had left undone. His answer surprised me.

In the final weeks of the election, many of us issued a call to prayer. We repented before the Lord for our complacency (things we have done) and our complicity in the culture of death (things we have left undone). Our repentance was pleasing to the Lord.

He now wants us to walk out that repentance. He wants us to be even bolder in our stance for Him. We cannot be silent. We must speak for life. We must actively participate in the pro-life movement in our communities. We must support adoption (a key element to pro-life that is often overlooked). We must be aware of pending legislation and speak up. We must pray.

Pray Like a Warrior

We are a nation at war. Our military is strategically positioned throughout the world. The most important battle we face, however, is one not in Baghdad or Tikrit. It is a battle in the heavenlies.

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. (Ephesians 6:12)

Tank, missiles and drones will not protect or save us. The best of our elite forces will not come to our aid. Our weaponry is different. As the Apostle Paul wrote,

Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (I Corinthians 10:3-4)

The single most effective weapon we have in our arsenal is prayer. When the apostles were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel, they didn't call for others to march in protest. They didn't form a letter-writing campaign. They didn't call for a news conference. They prayed.

In the remaining week before the election, I join with others in calling us to prayer. Cry out to the Lord. Listen for His voice. Ask Him to show you how to pray. Engage yourself in the battle. Pray like a warrior. Pray without ceasing. God is faithful. He will hear and heal our land.