National Day of Repentence

Jason Yates, CEO of My Faith Votes sent out the following about April 30th:

Today is an important day.

It dates back to 1863 when the United States Senate was witness to one of the darkest hours in American history – the Civil War.

The South seemed to be winning and the nation seemed as if it would not prevail united, and so the Senate passed a resolution requesting President Abraham Lincoln appoint a national day of prayer and fasting. On March 30th, 1863 President Lincoln designated April 30th, 1863 a national day of prayer and humiliation – the day we now call the National Day of Repentance.

The following July, the Union forces defeated the Confederate troops at Gettysburg and America began to chart a new course.

Many might say the victory was because tens of thousands of people of faith were on their knees confessing repentance for the sins of slavery and racism in our nation.

America is again in a dark hour. There is a spirit of division that has taken root in the heart of our nation. We are divided today just as we were during the Civil War but this time it’s not a division created by battle lines or troops.

This time it’s a deep political division between red and blue. The quest for truth seems to have been replaced by a political battleground.

What’s the solution to the division we now witness? Repentance.

Just as it was the solution in 1863 it remains the solution for America today.

The answer for our land to be healed and united is the repentance for our sins. The U.S. Senate of 1863 and President Lincoln didn’t come up with this idea, it’s outlined in 2 Chronicles 7:14 and repeated over and over again throughout scripture: repent and obey.

I’ve heard the calls for repentance before and I would guess you have as well. But I must confess I don’t always actively take the time to repent. Today that must change.

For the sake of healing in our nation and our communities filled with division – we must humble ourselves, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways.

I encourage you to please take some time today to read through our simple guide on repentance and spend time humbling yourself before the Lord.

Healing for our nation will begin with us. This is our moment in history to humble ourselves just as people of faith did in 1863.

President Lincoln said, “And whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history: that those nations only are blessed whose God is Lord.”

As Ravi Zacharias prayed, “We ask forgiveness for our sins and strength for the journey. We ask for peace in the land and a return to your truths for our lives. We need You more than ever.”

A Guide to Repentance

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