Humble

VIEWPOINT

By RALPH HARDIN

Evening Times Editor

For clarity, I looked up the word “humble” on dictionary.com.

It was defined there as, “Having a modest understanding or attitude about one’s own importance, value or worth.”

It’s a great word. It seems to have no meaning in today’s world. I looked i up because it was a major theme in the Sunday school lesson I was teaching last Sunday. The lesson itself was titled, “Praying for Our Nation,” which I think was a little bit of prophecy by the lesson book’s authors, because even though the book was published last year, we were just a few days past the presidential debate when I cracked open the book to prepare to teach the lesson.

The authors had a lot to say about the subject, including a lot of other stuff that has been in the news lately regarding faithbased initiatives and the government, like the Ten Command-

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From page A4

ments now being required to be displayed in all Louisiana public school classrooms, the new requirements that the Buble be taught in all Oklahoma public schools, and the abortion debate.

There were also discussions about racism, immigration, gender identity and a host of other issues. But the main message was, no matter what your political leanings might be, the important thing was to be in constant prayer for our nation and all of its people.

Yes, that’s right… all of its people — not just the ones who look like you and act like you and think like you.

And of course, being that it was Sunday school (well, at my church, we call them Life Groups, but I knows a Sunday School class when I sees one) there was a central piece of scripture.

This week’s was II Chronicles 7:14-16. Your translation might be worded a tad different, but the NKJV version from the book said, “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, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

That’s an awesome promise from the Lord, but man, is that a tall order for the people in the current state of the United States of America.

There’s an incredible lack of humility in our society and I don’t know if we’ll live to see that healing happen.