As we look back on our nation’s history – our great British Empire reaching and affecting so many countries, our varied and successful industries, our many missionaries sent out to bring the Gospel to the world – we remember secure family life and respect for those in authority. As we ponder on all these things of the past and look at today, we may well think, as David in the Book of Samuel, "How the mighty have fallen!", seeing our Empire gone, our industries either gone or owned by other countries. Today Britain has the worst record in the world for family breakdown, the highest level of divorce and lone parenting in Europe, there is little respect for those in authority and other nations are sending missionaries to us.

Why is this? Why have we sunk so low as a nation? Is it not because we have turned away from God and His moral teachings and ‘done our own thing’? Isaiah ch. 53 tells us "we all like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way" or, as the famous song says, "I did it my way." We only have to look at the Bible to see how many times God’s people went their own way and came to ruin, but when they repented and turned back to their merciful God, He forgave them, lifting them up to be successful again. Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you."

So have we reached the point of no return? Well, in the second Book of Chronicles ch. 7 v 14 God says, "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and heal their land." This is not the time to sit back and murmur and moan about all that is wrong in our nation, but a time to humble ourselves and pray for God’s mercy, for in Him alone there is hope. We serve a faithful and merciful God but He is also a God of justice and unrepented sin has its consequences.

However, all is not lost, because God is stirring His people’s hearts to pray and details of initiatives for prayer can be found later in the magazine. So let us be encouraged and stir ourselves to pray for God’s mercy on our nation, for He is the God of all Hope and Healing