REVIVAL IN THE CHURCH
At the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem, God gave King Solomon a blueprint for reversing the judgments of God against the nation of Israel if and when she backslid. II Chronicles 7:14 says:
"If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Many, many years later when in captivity, first under Babylon and then the Medo-Persian empire, Daniel understood from reading the prophecies of Jeremiah that Israel's exile would last for 70 years. The time period had been fulfilled, but they were still in bondage and not living free in their own, God-given Promised Land.
So, Daniel went to prayer. Chapter nine of Daniel captures his words and the agony of his heart. The very form by which he prayed and the sequence of what he prayed follows the outline God gave to Solomon and must have been his pattern for seeking God's face.
The first item God held out was: "If My people who are called by My name HUMBLE THESELVES..." On behalf of his people, Daniel became their intercessor and took on responsibility for Israel's finding God's favor once again. Listen to what he said:
"Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances."
"Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land...Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You...indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him..."
With great humility, Daniel onfessed the sins committed by Israel that led to her exile in Babylon. He did not make excuses to God nor did he treat their sins lightly. He prayed from a broken heart, for later in the text when an angel visited him, Daniel said in verse 21:
"While I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness..."
Real, earnest intercessory prayer is work, friend. It is not easy nor is it casual in any way. But God had heard Daniel's prayer and Gabriel came to him as a result. Who in today's church is willing to spend time in intercessory prayer for the Church to come back to her first love for Jesus and a fresh impartation of His Holy Spirit? Who will agonize and plead with God even when being opposed by the devil's henchmen, called for one in Daniel "the prince of Persia." The devil's network is highly organized and power is distributed to each officer and worker in his kingdom, all meant to destroy the Church and, therefore, our nation. A Church that is asleep and had compromised God's values and commandments to follow the idols of this world must have her first love for God restored through humility and repentance or she and the nation are doomed.
The devil is working overtime to keep the Church asleep, so she doesn't see her need to repent. We are so close to the edge of the cliff that at any moment we will go over the brink and plunge to our deaths physically and spiritually, for good. It is that serious. It is time we intercede.
Another observation must be noted. Daniel did not just confess the sins of the people of Israel as some holier than thou. He confessed his own sins, as well, in verse 20:
"While I was speaking and praying and confessing MY SIN and the sin of my people..."
Here is where the Church misses the mark grievously. She is willing to confess the sins of national leaders and the population as a whole. What she seems unwilling to admit and confess are her own sins of departure from her first love for Jesus and her turning to self-satisfaction, a 'quality' Jesus accused the church of Laodicea of possessing. The Laodiceans were so delluded they believed they had everything they needed, that they were rich and in need of nothing---including repentance. And Jesus said if that church didn't repent, He would spue it out of His mouth. That is His condemnation of today's church, as well.
Next in the formula given by God to Solomon is the seeking of God's face and turning from their sin. When someone is offended in the human world, they often will not look at the person who offended them. They will not even speak with them or give them audience at all. Daniel in his praying sought God's face and His good will again.
God said the truly repentant heart seeks His face. That speaks of fellowship restored. That speaks of the restoration of intimate conversation once more. Israel had turned her back on God. Now she needed to turn around to see His face and let Him see her face, and to openly love and obey Him again. Hear Daniel's cry:
"O, Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name."
Daniel's words echo true repentance and turning from sin to God full-face. In his requests, Daniel asked God to consider the ruins of Jerusalem, the national place of worship for Israel. He was pleading for spiritual restoration in the hearts of his people, so they could return and rebuild what was broken down and destroyed 70 years before.
"O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away...for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem (the Church) and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us."
"O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city (the Church) which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion."
Daniel met the stipulations God outlined in II Chronicles 7:14: humility, confession of sin and repentance, and seeking God's face. It was then God heard him and, as history and the Bible bear out, He turned the heart of Cyrus to fund Jews willing to go back to Israel and rebuild the Temple and their civilization once again. "Then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
And He did hear and He did heal! The books of Ezra and Nehemiah document the story of their rebuilding process. It was not easy and demanded everything from the people who volunteered to go back to Israel and work! But it did happen and, as a result, we have the New Testament, particularly the Gospels, happening in the land of Israel once again.
Today's Church needs to go back to her original walk with God in obedience and humility. She needs to repair the broken walls that kept herself pure from the contamination of the world. She needs to build a sound single heart fixed on Jesus alone!
We are in the Laodicean age when the Church is self-satisfied with her abilities and possessions. She has the latest technologies and leadership skills necessary to provide an exciting and predictable church service. She knows how to entertain those who sit in the pews and tickle their ears, so their hearts are never troubled about their sins.
Today's Church must shoulder the responsibility of her own sin and the sins of the Church as a whole. The Church needs an awakening and revival. Only then will she be positioned to intercede for our nation and the world. Until that time comes, we can expect only judgment to come imminently. Who is willing to intercede for her and repent?