The Daily Prayer
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020
In 1838, four thousand Cherokee died in the forced removal that the Cherokee called Nunna dual Isunyi—“the Trail Where They Cried.” The removal of the Cherokee people resulted from the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which was violently implemented by Andrew Jackson. In 1831 the Choctaw were the first to be uprooted, followed by the Seminole in 1832, the Creek in 1834, the Chickasaw in 1837, and finally the Cherokee in 1838. By 1837, forty-six thousand Native Americans had been removed from their homes.
Native theologian Randy Woodley has asked, “When will the American church awake from her slumber? If they want Native Americans to heal, if they want them to finally meet Jesus, then let them begin by speaking truth as Jesus did and say the only words Indians want to hear: ‘We stole your land.’ Our First Nations people have heard the Gospel over and over again, but rarely have they seen anyone truly live it.”
Teach us, Lord, to deny ourselves for the sake of your kingdom. Help us distinguish self-righteous suffering from the suffering that comes from bearing our crosses as we follow you. Amen.
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