Have We No Shame? (A Letter To The Church)

And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.” So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer. [Ezra 8.21-23]

Dear Christians,

May all praise be to God Who has promised to protect and keep those who worship Him, those He cares for as a father identifies and cares for his children.

In light of Ezra 8.21-23, have we no shame in proclaiming God is our one and only provider, protector and peace while giving ourselves to the world's idols of debt, insurance, medicine and technology? Should we not fast and pray trusting in God alone for all the provisions He has so generously promised in His Word? Should we not repent and turn from these idols?

Brother and sisters, should we not see and understand that all the curses we remedy with debt, insurance, medicine and technology are identified in His Word as the expression of God's fierce anger against rebellion and disobedience? Again, should we not correctly repent instead of adding to our sin by turning to idols despising the name of our God: God Our Provider, God Our Protector, God Our Peace?

Should we not deny the world any claim to our sustenance strictly reserving ourselves for the One True God to Whom we belong and Who compels us to worship Him singularly?

Let us humbly acknowledge our adultery against God: our polytheistic trust in and reliance upon the world's idols. May we be found repentant for our idolatry, repentant for our faithlessness, repentant for our hypocrisy before all who are watching, including our Heavenly Father.

Let our prayer rise up to God in humble sincerity:

Father in heaven, forgive us for our adulterous and idolatrous ways. Forgive us for our shameful testimony claiming Your protection and provision with our mouths while fully engaging the world's idols with our actions and our money. May those who truly trust in You heretofore be set apart, sanctified, from the world and its ways. May Your glory be seen in and upon us, not in the shallowness of our words, but in the fathomless depths of Your miraculous provision for us. God help us. So be it.