There was a very prominent preacher who said that while he was in prayer, the Lord told him something that he thought was astonishing. At the time, the President of the United States was embroiled in a very embarrassing and controversial scandal that not only rocked his family but the world. The Lord told him that He was holding the preacher responsible for the scandal concerning the President.
The preacher did not counsel the President, he wasn’t a friend of the President, nor was he affiliated with him in any way. So, as you might have imagined, the preacher was shocked at the Lord’s statement.
The preacher said the Lord told him, “The reason I’m holding you responsible for the scandal, is because you didn’t pray for him.”
WOW!
I won’t ask you what your reaction was to that statement. So, I will tell on myself. My first reaction was, “WOW!” My second reaction was, “Why would GOD blame someone else for the actions of arguably the most powerful person on the planet?” In this article, we will tackle that reason, and what our responsibilities are on earth.
In life, rich, powerful, and famous people are paraded in front of the cameras and asked for their opinions on all kinds of various topics. No matter if they are very knowledgeable, or totally clueless, they seem to always influence a certain number of people regardless of their position. For those influential people, it seems like it would be easy for them to make a change in the world around them.
On the other hand, when it comes to the world around us, most feel like we can’t influence our own block, let alone our city, or our nation. But is that true? Let’s look at several examples in the Word of GOD, to see if that is true or false.
In Genesis, a man by the name of Enoch lived before the time of Noah. In fact, Enoch was Noah’s great-grandfather. The Bible doesn’t explain a lot about Enoch and his life. However, Enoch was found to be faithful and walked with GOD. In fact, the Bible says that Enoch was taken, and he did not see death.
Enoch lived in a period of time leading up the Noah. During the time of Noah, things had become so wicked that GOD had to destroy the entire earth with a flood. So, Enoch was a light in a very dark world. Enoch’s testimony still today, is that he walked with GOD.
Let’s now talk about a descendant of Enoch, Abraham. GOD approached a man named Abram to walk righteously before HIM. So, GOD and Abram made a blood covenant between Abram and his seed (descendants) after him. The covenant was to be an everlasting covenant. The promises of the covenant were not only for Abram’s descendants but also for the land that we now know as Israel.
Abram (now called Abraham) had a nephew named Lot that lived in the city of Sodom. Sodom and its sister city Gomorrah’s sin was so great that GOD decided to destroy it. However, GOD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do: Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” (Genesis 18:17-18 KJV).
Due to the blood covenant that GOD made with Abraham, GOD told Abraham what HE had planned to do. Then, one man, Abraham stood and interceded for Sodom. Abraham asked GOD not to destroy the city if there were 50 righteous in it, and GOD said that HE would not destroy the city if there were 50 righteous in it. Abraham went back and forth with GOD until finally, Abraham asked if GOD would destroy the city if there were 10 righteous people in the city. And GOD said that HE wouldn’t destroy the city if 10 were righteous.
Well, Abraham should have lowered the number again, because there were not even 10 righteous people in the city. So, GOD destroyed both Sodom and Gomorrah.
GOD allowed Abraham to stand between GOD’s judgment and the wicked. It only took one man to pray, and GOD would not have destroyed those two cities.
Remember, the covenant was not only for Abraham but also, for his descendants. One man, Moses talked with GOD on the mountain. GOD told Moses to stand and tell the leader of the greatest army of that day to let HIS people go. After Israel made a golden calf and began to say that the calf brought them out of the land of Egypt instead of GOD, GOD said to Moses, “Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation”. (Genesis 32:10 KJV).
Get this picture. You have an all-powerful and all-knowing GOD, who with only one thought could destroy the entire universe. HE was so angry that HE told Moses to get out of his way so HE could destroy the Children of Israel. However, one man, Moses, stood in front of an angry GOD and told HIM to repent of the thoughts that GOD had toward the people.
MOSES DID WHAT?
Moses, with great boldness, stood in the gap between GOD and the Children of Israel. And it worked… GOD didn’t destroy all of the people, and HE didn’t build another nation. GOD honored the covenant that HE had with Abraham and his seed.
One man, Elijah the prophet, prayed that there would be no rain in the country, and it didn’t rain for three years. Then, he prayed again for rain, and it rained that very day.
During Elisha’s time, there was a great famine and inflation. Poverty was so bad that some people resulted to cannibalism. But the prophet Elisha said that in one day, the inflation would be gone, and there would be an abundance of food for the entire nation. (2Kings chapters 6 and 7 KJV). And it was so.
One woman, Esther, went before the King to not only save herself but all of the Jewish people from death.
There are many stories in the Bible about one person standing up to change the course of the nation. From David defeating Goliath, to Zerubbabel restoring the Temple of GOD, to Ezra bringing the teaching of the Bible back to the people, and Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in a short period of time.
Gideon was faced with so many enemies, they were not able to count them in the valley, but with only three hundred men, defeated the multitude of Midianites.
All of the people mentioned were Abraham’s seed and a part of the covenant of GOD.
Then came Jesus. One man, who through the course of his short life, and ministry, taught, preached, healed, and raised the dead. Next, Jesus gave his own life for not only those in his day but all who have ever lived. Because of Jesus’s sacrifice, whoever believes in Christ, is Abraham’s seed, and is a part of the covenant. Yes, even the gentiles.
That brings us back to the first story of this article. GOD expected the preacher to stand in the gap and pray for the leader of the country, The President. Yes, people have free choice to do what they choose, but we must pray for them, and ask GOD to minister to their hearts and minds so they can have the opportunity to repent before judgment.
GOD doesn’t only want the prominent people to stand up to make changes in the world, HE’s looking for us. It’s time that we stand up for GOD in our houses, our neighborhoods, our cities, our states/providences, and our nations.
Finally, there was a famous song years ago by Michael Jackson called, “Man in the Mirror.” In the song, Michael basically says that change starts with you. You know, the one that you’re looking at when you look in the mirror. GOD wants you to be the one to make that change.
So, make it today!
G. Edward Wyche