Israel is a model of success…

… and failure.

As long as the people followed the directives from God they prospered. When they turned away from God, they found themselves in bondage, famine and destruction.

This morning, I was reminded of a Scripture from Lamentations 5:14:

“The elders have ceased from the gate”

If you take time to read the book of Lamentations you will see many similarities between the conditions described there and those of our world today.

You could say that in America, “the elders have ceased from the gate”. Pastors should be leading their congregations in righteousness, warning them of impending disasters and calling them to action. Thankfully, some are meeting that challenge. Unfortunately, many… most… are not.

I see a picture of the Pastors in communities gathering together to pray. They are determined to REPLACE the failed spiritual community leadership of Pastors who have abandoned (or may have never known) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This group of women and men are sold out to the purposes of God. They are preparing, once again, to occupy their positions at the city gate. It’s an encouraging picture.

I hope and pray that it is a snapshot of the very near future.