Hello,
Today’s reflection.
May 11
And [I] said,
My God, I’m too ashamed to lift up my face to You. Our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown to the heavens. . . Ezra 9:6
Wow. Talk admit corporate responsibility! It is the leadership of Israel which has turned away from God (v. 1-2), yet the prophet Ezra assumes responsibility for their wrong. Erm … (picture a squirming Christian here), is there something a little wrong with this scenario? I don’t even like when people mistake me for someone who is guilty of an offense, and I certainly don’t think about taking on blame for another (my sense of justice just won’t permit it so easily). Yet Ezra does the sack cloth routine and cries out to God for his nation as one who has sinned.
Can you imagine if us Christians were to do that collectively? To repent on behalf of our leaders and our nations? Especially in the developing countries, where corruption often rears its undesirable head?
Lord, teach me how to assume corporate responsibility in lieu of name calling and judgementalism. And add I assume same, allow my cries to be on behalf of my people. Forgive us o Lord, and please heal our nations. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen
