121 Days of Prayer

Your Prophets Have Seen for You False and Deceptive Visions

The purposes of this prayer are: Repentance, Mercy, Forgiveness and Healing.

Holy God, the author of the book of Lamentations eloquently expressed the overwhelming grief that many Israelites were experiencing at the loss of the city of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 B.C., the punishment that you allowed the Babylonians to inflict on the rebellious Israelites for all of the iniquities and apostasy that they committed: “What can I say for you, to what compare you, O daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter Zion? For vast as the sea is your ruin; who can heal you? Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen oracles for you that are false and misleading. All who pass along the way clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their heads at daughter Jerusalem; ‘Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?’ All your enemies open their mouths against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: ‘We have devoured her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; at last we have seen it!’ The Lord has done what he purposed, he has carried out his threat; as he ordained long ago, he has demolished without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you, and exalted the might of your foes.” Lamentations 2:13–17 (NRSV). Sadly, Lord, the Israelites chose to disregard your commandments and statutes and paid the penalty. The proverb writer specifically addressed the fate of a sinful city when he wrote, “With their mouths the godless would destroy their neighbors, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.” Proverbs 11:9–11 (NRSV). Lord, we pray for our communities, our cities and our countries. Help us all to avoid the godlessness of the cultures in which we live. We pray for your mercy and forgiveness, in the name of our Savior, Jesus, the Christ. Amen.