Are You Suffering?

So all Israel was listed in the genealogical records in The Book of the Kings of Israel. The people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because they were unfaithful to the LORD. [1 Chronicles 9.1]

It's just that simple: disobedience yields bad things. The Proverbs of Solomon states it like this:

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [Proverbs 26.2]

The recurring theme with Israel was idolatry. They always found a way to trust in something or someone other than God. They were unfaithful to God. And, because of their unfaithfulness, they suffered captivity and all that goes along with it. In a word, they suffered.

Are you suffering?

With all the Bible's history in support of this principle, why shouldn't we consider that our present-day suffering is just as much the result of unfaithfulness as it was for Israel and Judah?

Oh, we have every explanation and justification for the causes of our grief today - all except the Biblical explanation. We are so desensitized to sin and disobedience that we only attribute our suffering to social, political, scientific or simply random reasons. Therefore we seek remedies accordingly.

All the while, the Bible is crystal clear that curses are the result of disobedience. Israel's history is clear that curses are the result of disobedience. Even the suffering of Jesus Christ is clearly attached to the sin and disobedience of mankind. And yet, when bad things happen to us, we apply our plethora of remedies (idols - some form of debt, insurance, medicine, or technology) with little or no thought of God and certainly no inclination to repent. 

What's more damning is that with our knowledge that "Christ has redeemed us from the curse..." we do not for a moment question why then we still suffer curses! And, because we do not question it, we do not repent. Instead, we turn to man's proud defense that suffering "just happens" and that "bad things just happen to good people" even citing spiritual growth as the desirable outcome but without the broken humility of repentance. We don't live in denial of God per se but very much in denial of what curses implicate in our lives: sin and the need for repentance.

It has become a conversation heard daily almost everywhere: "The world had gone crazy!" Even people who do not pretend to serve and worship God are saying the same thing. But where is the brokenness? Where is the repentance? Instead, people passionately believe (trust) that an election can make the difference! They are passionate that they must vote without a concern that they must repent. People are so independent these days that they do not see society's corporate problem ("the world is gone crazy") as their individual problem ("I am part of the world"). People point every direction except the mirror to "the problem." Repentance is viewed as just old-fashioned religion, "Repentance is all good and all that ...but at the end of the day, we must fix this!"

Let it be prophetically state here for the record, 

"Man-sized solutions will never fix God-sized problems." 

While God's people cannot force the world to repent, they can repent themselves. Ironically, the Bible is very clear that the repentance of God's people is effective to save entire nations:

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. [2 Chronicles 7.14]

The "land" is our nation. All it requires is for God's people (as opposed to everyone) to repent to enjoy God's promise of healing for the entire nation.

It is no secret that many other nations in the world would love nothing more than to see the United States fall. They stand ready to take America captive when they have that opportunity. And, when they do, Christianity will suffer immensely. US citizens need to understand these words' application to their own lives more now than ever: The people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because they were unfaithful to the LORD.

Father please forgive the USA - please forgive me! We have allowed everything You hate to rise to prominence in our society: idolatry, sexual perversion, and the merchandised murder of innocent unborn babies. God, we are nothing without You - save us - and save our nation. We have betrayed You thus betraying ourselves!