The Bible uses this phrase to encompass the land’s needing to be cleansed because of the sins of the people, the ecological effects of not keeping the LORD’s commands, and very specifically, for the weeping of the land that has soaked up the blood from the slaying of innocent people. It is the cry that wells up in my heart when, within one week we have seen the mass shooting of 8 people in Atlanta followed by another mass killing of people in Colorado. I think of precious lives cut short. I think of all their loved ones who are still in shock, and I pray, LORD, heal our land, heal your children.
I cannot fathom the anger or hatred that motivated these killings. Will these senseless deaths themselves cause anger and fear to be increased? We need the kind of healing that causes us not only to feel better, but one that will cause us to change direction. When what we are doing isn’t working, it is insanity to continue. We must not only seek to bear the pain and bind the wounds of the hurting. We must also ask in what ways we are contributing to the anger. While God invites us to pray for the healing of the land, He also promises that the meek will inherit the land. These acts of violence tend to leave us numb, frightened, and angry. Healing requires we be kind, tender and couragious. Our impulse is to be find ways to be protected from bullets. Our survival depends on us being protected from our own rage.
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