Silas
Beloved of All
Your burden for the nations is right and biblical, and it honors the Lord who reigns over all the earth. The earth is the Lord's and all it contains, and He has determined the appointed times and boundaries for every people. The nations are as a drop in a bucket before Him, yet He rules them, He restrains evil, and He turns the heart of a king like a stream of water wherever He wills.
You are right to ask Him to restrain the evil one and to guide those in authority. Scripture calls us to make prayers and intercession for all people, for kings and all who are in authority, because God desires all to come to the knowledge of the truth and to be saved through Jesus Christ. His house is to be a house of prayer for all nations, and as a royal priesthood we are called to imitate Him who ever lives to intercede for us, bringing the nations before Him and asking that He would grant repentance and justice.
In your prayer you spoke of God bringing judgment, and it helps to remember what that means. When Scripture speaks of God creating or devising evil against a people, it is not that God is in partnership with moral evil, for He is of purer eyes than to look upon evil. It speaks of the judgment He brings upon persistent sin. He is not a man that He should change His mind as we do, yet He declares that if a people will hear and turn from their evil way, He will relent of the judgment He had purposed. That is His mercy holding back what is deserved.
That is why the corruption of leaders is so serious. When the heads of a people hate what is good and love what is evil, when justice is sold for a bribe and favors are given for reward, a nation is in a tragic place and cannot stand long. The prophets who told people only what they wanted to hear, promising peace while excusing sin, only encouraged that evil. To fear the Lord in such a time is to hate evil, not to tolerate it or make room for it. Evil always asks to be tolerated and to be compromised with, but wisdom says to avoid its path, to turn from it and not go near it. Those who love evil have hearts that plan destruction, yet their lamp will be put out, for God will repay each according to his deeds. Vengeance belongs to Him, so we do not return evil for evil but commit our cause to Him and trust Him to act.
Scripture also shows that God will gather the nations for judgment, and a central part of that judgment is how they have treated His people Israel. From the promise to Abraham that He would bless those who bless his descendants and curse those who curse them, through the prophets, the Lord declares He will plead for His heritage whom the nations have scattered. The rebirth of Israel in the land is part of His unfolding purpose, and the nations will give account for their violence and for building themselves up by spoiling others. At the same time, God has at times ordained even harsh powers as instruments of correction, yet the vision has its appointed time and will surely come. Though it may seem to delay, we wait for it, knowing the earth is ripening for judgment and that God sees all bloodshed and oppression.
There are moments in Scripture where God told the prophet not to pray for a people who had hardened themselves beyond remedy and were primed for judgment. That shows how serious persistent rebellion is. But our present calling under the gospel is to pray, while mercy may still be found, that leaders and peoples would be kept from the evil one, delivered from temptation, and saved. We are not ignorant of the schemes of the adversary, who is a murderer and liar from the beginning, and we rightly ask the Lord to frustrate those schemes, to expose hidden plans as He once exposed the plans of enemy kings, and to restrain retaliation and violence. Praise and worship belong in that battle, for God inhabits the praises of His people, and prayer offered in the name of Jesus, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed, carries authority.
So continue as you are doing, confessing sin for yourself and for your nation, asking for mercy, asking that God would spoil every plan that is not according to His perfect will, and asking that His will alone would stand. Pray that the church would truly be His helper, interceding with Christ, and that He would give the nations as an inheritance to His Son. Pray that rulers would govern justly, that evil would be restrained, and above all that many would be saved. He who hears prayer is able to keep His people in safety and quietness from the fear of evil when they hearken to Him.
You are right to ask Him to restrain the evil one and to guide those in authority. Scripture calls us to make prayers and intercession for all people, for kings and all who are in authority, because God desires all to come to the knowledge of the truth and to be saved through Jesus Christ. His house is to be a house of prayer for all nations, and as a royal priesthood we are called to imitate Him who ever lives to intercede for us, bringing the nations before Him and asking that He would grant repentance and justice.
In your prayer you spoke of God bringing judgment, and it helps to remember what that means. When Scripture speaks of God creating or devising evil against a people, it is not that God is in partnership with moral evil, for He is of purer eyes than to look upon evil. It speaks of the judgment He brings upon persistent sin. He is not a man that He should change His mind as we do, yet He declares that if a people will hear and turn from their evil way, He will relent of the judgment He had purposed. That is His mercy holding back what is deserved.
That is why the corruption of leaders is so serious. When the heads of a people hate what is good and love what is evil, when justice is sold for a bribe and favors are given for reward, a nation is in a tragic place and cannot stand long. The prophets who told people only what they wanted to hear, promising peace while excusing sin, only encouraged that evil. To fear the Lord in such a time is to hate evil, not to tolerate it or make room for it. Evil always asks to be tolerated and to be compromised with, but wisdom says to avoid its path, to turn from it and not go near it. Those who love evil have hearts that plan destruction, yet their lamp will be put out, for God will repay each according to his deeds. Vengeance belongs to Him, so we do not return evil for evil but commit our cause to Him and trust Him to act.
Scripture also shows that God will gather the nations for judgment, and a central part of that judgment is how they have treated His people Israel. From the promise to Abraham that He would bless those who bless his descendants and curse those who curse them, through the prophets, the Lord declares He will plead for His heritage whom the nations have scattered. The rebirth of Israel in the land is part of His unfolding purpose, and the nations will give account for their violence and for building themselves up by spoiling others. At the same time, God has at times ordained even harsh powers as instruments of correction, yet the vision has its appointed time and will surely come. Though it may seem to delay, we wait for it, knowing the earth is ripening for judgment and that God sees all bloodshed and oppression.
There are moments in Scripture where God told the prophet not to pray for a people who had hardened themselves beyond remedy and were primed for judgment. That shows how serious persistent rebellion is. But our present calling under the gospel is to pray, while mercy may still be found, that leaders and peoples would be kept from the evil one, delivered from temptation, and saved. We are not ignorant of the schemes of the adversary, who is a murderer and liar from the beginning, and we rightly ask the Lord to frustrate those schemes, to expose hidden plans as He once exposed the plans of enemy kings, and to restrain retaliation and violence. Praise and worship belong in that battle, for God inhabits the praises of His people, and prayer offered in the name of Jesus, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed, carries authority.
So continue as you are doing, confessing sin for yourself and for your nation, asking for mercy, asking that God would spoil every plan that is not according to His perfect will, and asking that His will alone would stand. Pray that the church would truly be His helper, interceding with Christ, and that He would give the nations as an inheritance to His Son. Pray that rulers would govern justly, that evil would be restrained, and above all that many would be saved. He who hears prayer is able to keep His people in safety and quietness from the fear of evil when they hearken to Him.
