Lamentations 1:1-2
1 How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How she has become like a widow, who was once great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave! 2 She weeps sorely in the night, her tears are on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.
This could be our song of lament if we allow things to continue as they are. We need God back in our nation, back in our life, back in our hearts.
When you enter times of trouble or sudden change, pray diligently and move ahead, doing whatever you can rather than giving up because of fear or uncertainty.
This election has brought much of both. The results are not the liking to everyone. Some are fearful, some are hopeful, but all must rely on the grace and power of God to keep us safe.
In our time of personal confusion, national disenchantment, political correctness and societal disgust and shame; it is said that good is evil and evil is good, the study of Jeremiah could be a good indicator of where our county is heading.
Jeremiah 29:4-7
4 Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, to all who have been carried away captive whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters; so that you may increase there and not diminish. 7 Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.
Jeremiah wrote to the captives in Babylon instructing them to move ahead with their lives and to pray for the heathen nation that enslaved them. Life cannot grind to a halt during troubled times. In an unpleasant or distressing situation, we must adjust and keep moving. You may find it difficult to pray for those in authority if you disagree with them or you think they are evil, but that is when your prayers are most needed.
1 Timothy 2:1-2
1Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, 2 for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty,
Nothing is more important than to use this means of grace which gives us access to God. The Christian should pray especially for kings and those in authority. We need to pray for our leaders; the president, our senators, our congressmen as well as our state and local leaders, in order that a life that is quiet, peaceful, godly and reverent may be lived.
In urging Timothy to pray, Paul reminds him that God ‘desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’. Christ ‘gave himself a ransom for all’, and this involves not only preaching, but praying, which should be done peacefully and faithfully everywhere.
Jeremiah 29:8-9
8 For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name. I have not sent them, says the Lord.
In our current political climate there are many reports that are false coming from many news sources. Facebook has been attacked lately for a lot of “false news”.
A lot of news outlets are very bias on one side or the other. So be careful.
You must verify everything with a trusted source before you believe what you read. Satan is out to deceive us any way he can and the news is the easiest way for him to accomplish his evil plans. Our society is suffering as a result of these “prophets and your diviners” whose job it is to deceive us.
Matthew 7:22-23
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonderful works in Your name?’ 23 But then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice evil.’
Our once great nation is on the brink of following the path and punishment of Judah. Let Judah’s destiny not be our destiny. Turn back to God, turn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Put God back into our society, back into our class rooms, back into our hearts.
Jeremiah 29:11-12
11 For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you shall call upon Me, and you shall come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
We’re all encouraged by a leader who stirs us to move ahead, someone who believes we can do the task he has given and who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of leader. He knows the future, and his plans for us are good and full of hope. As long as God provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill His mission, we can have boundless hope. The does not mean we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion.
We must pray for our country. Pray for our leaders, national, state, and local to follow God’s perfect path and His perfect design. If they can to that we can prevail over Satan and his plans for us. God is in control and we must follow Him always.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.
LIFE FROM A CHAPLAIN'S POINT OF VIEW 