On August 16th, 70,000 people gathered on the mall in Washington DC for twelve straight hours of prayer and fasting, asking God to forgive the sins of our nation and to send revival to America. It was not a day of finger pointing, but of humble soul searching and earnest repentance. I had the privilege to be a part of that historic day.
I had originally planned on not attending so as to save money and to be with my wife in this strange new city we had just transplanted ourselves to...though inwardly I had longed to attend ever since I heard that the event was happening last spring. On the Wednesday before, Kara (who could not attend due to a schedule conflict) made a comment that she would feel bad if she was the reason that I didn't attend. "Really?" I said. "You mean, you won't be resentful if I go?" - She assured me that she wouldn't be. "You should go, if you can find a ride." I spent that afternoon looking for anyone caravanning to DC from KC and before I knew it, I had rounded up 13 strangers and three cars ready to embark on an epic journey to our nation's capitol within a few hour's notice. [I give God all the credit for this, but it did confirm again a sense of calling to pioneer new things and a gifting to recruit folks into wacky adventures for God]. It was a crazy five day ride, full of divine appointments, miraculous provisions and hours and hours of bonding with new friends in cramped quarters.
We arrived into DC the night before the Call and I stood in awe of the Athenian structures that spoke of the power that is wielded from this place. But the next day I was reminded that there is a hill that stands higher than Capitol Hill. That place of ultimate authority is spoken of in the scriptures as "the mountain of the Lord" , and the day is coming when Jesus, the King who is above every other king will establish true justice and peace on the earth once and for all. This king has such tender love for His people, the scriptures describe Him as our Bridegroom. And the Bible ends with the reminder that He will not be returning to Earth in a vacuum. No, the Bible tells us that he will return in response to the heartfelt cries of his Bride, the church: "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!" (Revelation 22:17). It was in that spirit, that we cried out for the breaking in of the Kingdom of God in our nation's homes, schools, media and governments.
The event, [known as "the Call DC"] was spearheaded by Lou Engle who is now on staff at IHOP as of the last year. Lou hosted the first Call gathering in DC in 2000 with 400,000 in attendance. He has hosted other "solemn assemblies" (see Joel 2:12-17) around the nation including one I attended last summer in Nashville, Tennessee on 07-07-07. God has raised up this man to be a prophetic voice to our generation of the desperate need for the church to change the direction of our nation through prayer and fasting. His greatest passion is to see God send another Great Awakening to our nation but he believes that the issue of abortion is perhaps the biggest hindrance in our day to seeing this come to pass.
I know that some of our friends out there can resonate with this position, while others are already bristling at the thought. Let me begin by saying that I know this is an emotional and deeply personal issue to many. Perhaps many of our friends have had an abortion or know someone who has, or simply resonate with the thought of having the right to choose to have an abortion. Before you proceed further, know that we love you and so does God. And before you feel condemned by my thoughts on this issue, know that God's forgiveness extends to you no matter what you've done in the past (1 John 1:9). But I cannot stay silent on this issue regardless of how politically incorrect it makes me. I believe that deep down we know that abortion is wrong. To take a stand for life is to speak up for those without a voice (Prov. 31:8). It is also an act of compassion for the mother's who are haunted by the choice to abort years after the fact. To say that life doesn't start at conception is a little too convenient. Dr. Suess had it right in the mantra of Horton Hears a Who: "A person is a person, no matter how small." I applaud both Rick Warren and John McCain for not wavering on this point (see YouTube for the interview that happened on the very day of the Call DC). The fact of the matter is that since Roe v. Wade in 1973, 50 million babies have been aborted in our nation. Every 22 seconds, someone chooses to kill another potential Martin Luther King Jr., Flannery O'Conner, or Abraham Lincoln. The problem I have with the pro-choice camp is that the child within has no choice in the matter. It grieves God because he knows the destiny he had dreamed over each child while they were in their mother's womb (Psalm 139:13-18). In fact, we are enraged when we hear about the genocide of 200,000 in Darfur or of six million in Nazi Germany. But the abortion of 50 million babies is a holocaust that makes World War II pale in comparison. I believe that like Abel's blood, their blood cries out from the ground (Genesis 4:10). And because God is just, we stand as a nation deserving judgment. But, praise God there is a blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel's (Hebrews 12:24). And when a nation is in crisis, when there is no human solution, God still has a holy remedy. It is found in Joel 2:12-17. It involves massive prayer and fasting. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land."
That's just what we did. It was an exhausting day. But it was also exhilarating. I was moved to see so many, so hungry to see God do what only He can do. Watch for the Call coming to a city near you. The next one is planned for November 1st in San Diego. Don't let the testimony of Ezekiel's day be what is spoken about our generation:
"I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one." - Ezekiel 22:30.
~Jason
