Defend this city

Thu, Nov 28th 2013, 08:01 PM

I will defend this city.
- Isaiah 38:6

It was not that long ago. You can remember how peaceful and law abiding we were as citizens of this land. Nor can it be that long ago when we really were out "brother's keeper". Remember when Sunday was a day of rest and of all the rest was the best? Tell me, what can you remember or is it that the disease of amnesia has reached national epidemic proportion?
Why is it with a place so small and so few people we have such a high rate of murders? My God! How many cars for police are we going to purchase not that the car companies are complaining and the lot on Crawford Street is bursting at its seams?
The Psalmist David tells us that unless the Lord of heaven and earth keeps the city, then crime will continue to rise. More and more each day as I go from place to place, unless the people cooperate with the law of God, then we stand to go from bad to worse. There, simply put, is little regard for God nor respect for man or rule of law. How did we get so from 1967 to 2013? No! We had all our senses and wits about us prior to this, and like some children would tell their parents when they become of age and are on their own, "I is man/woman now." So, "We is Bahamians now and not British subjects." And like the saying goes, "Get the drift?"
Isaiah is known as the eagle-eyed prophet because more than 700 years before the birth of Christ he foretold of his coming, thus ushering in the wonder-filled world of the prophets; and in our text today he is in the presence of no less a person than the king of Judah, Hezekiah. He had come with a grim message from God for the King: "Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live." He had been summoned by God because of his boldness in spite of the greatness of the individual. No, his message was short but it was strong!
Rather than rebuke the messenger, King Hezekiah received the message and immediately "turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, "Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears, behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city."
Hezekiah found the perfect prescription for the situation and that is prayer. There is power in prayer and many of the pains and grief we bear are heavy "all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer". So sincere was Hezekiah's prayer that God immediately gave the prophet Isaiah a turn- around message, even though it would seem he at first said one thing and then another.
"And Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, and said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
"Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: I will defend this city."
Today we have so many societal ills here in our country - abuse of the environment; poor housing on the part of many of the illegal immigrants who continue to swamp our land; voluntary joblessness; downgrade in appearance; disregard for our overall health and wellness by continuous consumption of drugs and alcohol; being borrowers and ignoring paying back; failure in keeping the admonition that we should "train up our children in the way they should go"; parental failure and more against values than before.
In order for the land to be healed of its many ills, there must be, like the spiritual goes, "a little talk with Jesus and tell him all about our troubles". It was not until Hezekiah in sincerity of heart spoke to God that an answer came. It will not be a turn-around for us in the healing of this land, and he defends our city from all and sundry, until we take the spiritually medicated prescription as outlined in the second book of Chronicles chapter seven and verse 14, which only becomes potent and activated by the word "if."
"If my people, which are called by my name - If my people shall humble themselves - If my people will pray - If my people will seek my face - If my people will turn from their wicked ways". Yes, if my people will take their medication as is spiritually prescribed, then heaven will activate the divine health and social healing, and defend and heal our land.

o E-mail rubyanndarling@yahoo.com; write to P.O. Box 19725 SS Nassau, Bahamas with your prayer requests, concerns and comments. God's Blessings!

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