"Quintili Vare, legiones redde!"

Isaiah 29:13
The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

'Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!'

These words were cried out in desperation 1997 years ago by Augustus Caesar upon receiving word of one of the greatest military disasters to ever besmirch the glory of Rome.

On September 9, 9AD Publius Quintilius Varus lead three Roman legions (more than 16,000 men) to battle in the Teutoburg Forest in Germania. He was marching to the supposed assistance of the local prince Arminius who had asked for his help. Varus had been tricked, and would pay with his life.

Arminius and other local warlords had talked Varus into spreading out his forces in what would be termed today as a police action. Feigning loyalty and weakness, they begged Varus to send his troops to quell robbery and insurrection among their own people. In repsonse to their last request for help, Varus packed up his remaining troops and marched into the close, damp woods.

The legions were slaughtered. Slowed by their heavy equipment in the soggy forest, they were attacked and defeated by a local guerrilla force inferior in numbers, training and discipline. Quintilius Varus committed suicide on the last day of the battle, and his severed head was shipped back to Rome.

The loss shocked the Roman world. Augustus was distraught, walking the corridors of the imperial palace at night calling out for the return of his legions as though he were mourning the death of a child.

The unthinkable had occurred. The mightiest military force in all the world had been brutally and unmercifully crushed on a far flung battlefield by a ragtag group of scruffy, ignorant, barbaric tribesmen. Their most effective weapon had been, simply, Roman pride.

As our troops continue to fight prolonged battles against unruly populaces across the world, we must ask ourselves if this same story is so unthinkable today.

On this, our National Day of Prayer, we are called to stop and go to God with our prayers of behalf of our nation, our military, our leaders and ourselves. To my mind, there is only one prayer that is of any great pertinence and value. It is the prayer for humility.

Little else need be said as we sit before our creator. I need not lift my voice (as I am often guilty of doing) in prideful accolades of my own piety. I need not go to Him touting our virtue and asking Him to preserve our institutions, our endeavors or our nation because of its surpassing holiness. I need only seek from him the gift of a humble heart.

Should he answer that prayer, then and only then will we see the healing of our land that we say we so earnestly desire. May I have the courage to pray that prayer and boldy face its consequences.

2 Chronicles 7:14
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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.