Today is the National Day of Prayer in the United States and the above title is the theme.

2 Chronicles 34:8-21

When Josiah was 26, he began his temple restoration project where he endeavored “to repair the house of the LORD his God” (verse 8). Money was collected and used “to restore and repair the house” (verse 10). Materials were purchased “to buy quarried stone and timber for couplings and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. They worked faithfully and diligently on this project.

As the work was being completed, “Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the LORD given by Moses” (verse 14). It was an amazing discovery and gives insight into how disfunctional the religious life and practices of Judah had become. They had lost the book of the law which every Israelite king was supposed to not only read but to write out a copy for himself.

““Now it shall come about, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. “And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he will learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully following all the words of this Law and these statutes, so that his heart will not be haughty toward his countrymen, and that he will not turn away from the commandment to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may live long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 17:18-20, NASB)

Hilkiah presented the scroll to Shaphan who carried it to King Josiah. Shaphan “read from it in the presence of the king” (verse 18). The effect was that “when the king “heard the words of the law that he tore his clothes” (verse 19). Further, the king ordered that they go and inquire of the LORD what should be done because he realized that “great is the wrath of the LORD which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the LORD” (verse 21).

When will we learn that what is happening right now in our nation is going to bring far-reaching and long-lasting consequences upon not only ourselves, but our children and grandchildren. The moral and spiritual demise of our culture is bringing spiritual, emotional, mental and physical consequences. The search for meaning and contentment in drugs, financial security, notiarity, fame, or some other temporary source is leading to devastating results. A reversal of longevity, skyrocketing suicide rates, destructive medical procedures on human bodies, high levels of loneliness, disconnected relationships, and dysfunctional families are some of the results.

This is happening in the midst of a nation where the homes of many are filled with copies of the Bible, where just about everyone has access to a copy of the Bible, and where the Bible remains one of the best-selling books of all-time. The problem is not the same as in Josiah’s day. They had lost access to the Word while we have lost the desire to access the Word.

“Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days; visions were infrequent.” (1 Samuel 3:1, NASB)

Josiah’s situation was similar to Samuel’s. The book of Judges records what a society looks like without the mooring of the Word of God. “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25). We certainly don’t know what that would look like, do we? (Wink, wink) But our situation may more resemble that of Amos’ day.

““Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. “People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will roam about to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12, NASB)

We are in the midst of a famine for the Word of God, not because of a lack of access, but because of a lack of desire. This is, at least, my considered observation. We must get back to finding, reading, and obeying the Word of God. If we don’t, the consequences will result in horrific results, much like what we see in the book of Judges.