This is a love letter.

A composition of compassion, a call of mercy and forgiveness, and a word of warning.

A plea from the very heart of God to those who can hear His voice, individually, and collectively as a nation.

He has loved us with an everlasting love and created us for a true relationship with Him; a true intimacy that we can’t even understand.

Yet since Satan whispered to Eve in the garden of Eden, the perfect place God intending us to dwell, we have rebelled.

We have resisted God in every way; declaring in our hearts: “We don’t need God.”

Not wanting to have God rule over us, we proceeded to run away from Him.

Yet in His love for us, even though we rebel, this is what the Lord has said:

“Return to Me.”

“Return to Me and I will Return to You.”

I created you in my own image to be a people who would glorify me on the earth; to live in loving relationship with me for eternity.

I set you apart that you would stand out among all people; in compassion and gentleness, shining the light of My mercy and power to save, for all the world to see.

As a little child, I taught you to walk; I led you with cords of human kindness; I fed you, and cared for you, and strengthened you.

I provided all your needs and prospered you, raising you above all nations.

Then I gave you a command:

“To Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and strength.”

“To fear and revere me, and keep my commands that it would be well with you.”

My commands were to be written on your hearts that you would not turn from them, for your own good, to keep you from harm.

I commanded you to impress them on your children and grandchildren; to talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up; telling them of how I blessed you and prospered your nation and of how great a salvation I have given in my son Jesus.

Then, I warned you.

Over and over again, I warned you.

“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God, by not obeying His commandments.”

Otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, when you have become strong and have built good houses and lived in them, when your wealth and possessions have multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget God and say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’

But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you the power to make wealth.

If you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other “gods” to serve and worship them, then you will surely perish, because you would not listen to My voice.

I warned you not to forget me and become proud, for “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Then, I set before you a blessing and a curse.

The blessing in obedience, and a curse in disobedience.

But despite my warnings not to disobey Me, this is exactly what you have done.

You have gone your own way, and “the way that seems right to a man leads to destruction.”

You forgot about Me, my commands and how I raised this nation above all nations.

You became proud and arrogant, believing that you were the creator of all that you have.

Now, because you would not listen to my instruction, you have turned from me and pursued other “gods.”

You listened to their voices and not mine as they called you away; your “gods” of money and success, self-focus, and selfish ambition.

Your pride became your food, and instead of my word, this is what you have fed your children and grandchildren.

God is now showing us that because of our resistance, because of our continued disobedience, we stand on the verge of destruction and chaos.

There is no faithfulness, kindness, or knowledge of God in the land, and where there is no revelation Of God, the people will perish for lack of knowledge.

For all day long there is injustice, deception, murder, stealing and adultery.

We employ violence so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Therefore we mourn, and we are angered and confused.

Our society spirals further out of control, and we run here and there looking for answers, chasing after the wind and seeking someone to blame.

But this is what the Lord has said:

“Do not accuse another.”

You have disobeyed Me.
You have forgotten Me.

Now your children and grandchildren do not know Me or My commands.

You did not teach them My ways but your own, so they look for answers in your “gods” of wealth, comfort, prosperity, entertainment, and self-focus.

In these time of trouble, you call on every other name but mine.

You attempt every means of human effort and solidarity in the name of “American Pride” to fix your problems of murder, racism, social injustice, climate change, and economy.

Because of your defiance and disobedience, you are a nation stumbling in the dark, a people who do not know their right hand from their left.

For I left for you many instructions to live by, but you regarded them as strange.

You have rejected the truth and sought your own.

Now, you elect leaders without my consent, looking to them for answers to your problems; seeking solutions and salvation from politicians and parties, or world systems created from the minds of men.

Where are your leaders now?
What have they done for you?

Violence increases, corruption, injustice, adultery, abuse of women and children, there is no respect for authority or human life.

The poor, the widows, the orphans, and aliens are ignored and tossed aside.

But because I have loved you, because it is not my desire that anyone should perish I call out to you:

“Return to Me and I will Return to you.”

“Draw near to Me and I will Draw near to you.”

I call out to you as I did to Adam in the Garden, “Where are you?”

But the more I call, the farther you run away.

I say, “Come, Follow Me”, but like an obstinate child, you say: No! We will not follow you!

One day after all His pleading through His prophets, teachers, and messengers, God will say, “ok.”

“You don’t want me.”

“You don’t love me.”

“You will not listen.”

“Ok.”

“I’ll give you what you want.”

“I’ll give you the desire of your heart.”

He will once and for all, give those who have resisted him over to their self-focused desires, and rather than love and mercy, they will receive wrath and justice.

But because He loves us; because He loves you specifically, this is what The Lord has said:

“Even now,” declares the Lord,“Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. 

Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.”

As I said, this is a love letter.

And as God has put these words in my heart and sent me forth to speak them, I plead with you:

While it is still today, if you can hear His voice, it is time to Return to The Lord.

Individually, and collectively, as The UNITED States, undivided and in agreement.

For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

It is time to humble ourselves, pray and turn from our wicked ways.

We must come with confession and a plea for forgiveness in the spirit of Daniel’s prayer.

You see, God has not left us, we have left Him, and He is desperate for us to return.

My brothers and sisters, this is a love letter.

Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

Repent Believe Persevere

Featured photo by Julie Edgley. Please Visit her flickr site.