by Erin Weist
“And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting,” (Holy Bible, Daniel 9:3).
Many nations around the world are tormented by wars. Others are tormented by governmental policies from within. Still others are tormented by the plagues of modern permissiveness. There is destruction, deceit and degradation seemingly on every side. And yet we all know people who are honorable. We know people who honestly work to better the lives of others. We know people who stand for truth and goodness and honor. It can be overwhelming to read the news and discover the apparent destruction of our societies but we must remember that, while surrounded by darkness, we are also surrounded by light and goodness and it comes in the form of treatment to others. Respect or denigration? Love or hate? Consideration or defensiveness?
I have found it interesting to note comments that indicate the world is as bad as it has ever been. People seem to make history more rosy and the present more gritty than is reflected in reality. In the Christian Bible we read story after story after story of people who are supposedly the worst the world has seen. People who sacrifice their children to false gods, people who overrun and destroy others in their quest for glory and power, people who torture and kill their own God when He comes among them.
But it is also filled with faith. People who never waver– not in the face of political criticism, public scorn, or even death. People who turn to their God for strength, for guidance, and for knowledge. Darkness and light have existed in every corner of the world since recorded history began. The scorn and torment and ugliness have occurred in every empire, dictatorship, and civilization. But there have been times and lands filled with goodness and faith as well. Sometimes it was kings who were faithful and sought favor from God through prayer and fasting. Sometimes the kings were evil and it was the people, or even a single individual, who prayed and fasted and continuously kept God’s commandments in an effort to bring goodness to those around them.
So where do we stand? We stand in the same place that mankind has stood for thousands of years. There will continue to be ugliness and destruction and those who seek their own glory at the expense of the lives of others. But we can choose faith. Whatever religious persuasion you follow, follow it. Seek after God and He will seek after us. There is immeasurable power in prayer and fasting. Don’t listen to naysayers who claim praying is “doing nothing.” When we seek God’s power we are harnessing power greater than we can imagine and greater power than we can have alone.
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (KJV, Isaiah 41:10).