We're so sick, Lord.
Our country is desperately in need of You. We are so broken. We're so far away from You. We battle battles not worthy of consideration. We uphold things unworthy of thought, let alone action. We turn our heads at sin and wink at that which appalls You. We sit silent when we should rise up and shout. We play with all that's unholy and pretend we're clean... we're protected, after all, by Your blood, Your grace, Your mercy.
We strain at gnats and swallow camels. We are like the whitewashed tombs that pretend we care when we do not. We all want front row seats...to be first in line... to be bathed in the blessings of this world and to have our rights upheld in every way--for self-serving gain. We seek Your favor for a tasteless lifestyle.
We fight for religious freedom to do nothing with it. Why should You grant us grace to overcome this evil, sinful, immoral culture? We wallow in sin and expect You to move against the evil policies of this government-- the rulers of darkness. We water down the gospel of Christ, refuse to get our hands dirty and help the down and out. We shun the least of Yours and give less of ourselves to those less fortunate, and more of ourselves for our own pleasure, comfort and entertainment. We're more concerned with our manicures than the widow struggling to pay for insulin.
We shake our heads at those kids with pants hanging down below their knees whose noses, ears, eyebrows and tongues are pierced with studs. We shudder in disgust at scantily clad punk-rock singers and pray our children never look to them as examples even though we bought all their clothes lines when they were rising up as child-stars. We wonder what this world is coming to. Our mirrors could speak volumes if we dared to look.
Yet, we do nothing in and of ourselves. We complain, we tweet, we argue, we debate. We point fingers and write essays of angst. We cannot do this anymore, Lord. We need You. We deserve the mess we are in. Our apathy has led us down this path. Our trust in feckless leaders, our resignation to the status quo.
Satan's like a prowling lion, traveling this country, invading homes, destroying families, dividing churches. It is time to clean our houses. It's time to clear out the trash in our homes, our hearts, and minds. It's time to refrain from doing business as usual and be unusual in the world.
We need to resolve to be the best You can make us to be. To turn away from wickedness, denounce filth and decadence and debauchery. We need to stand with courage and speak of Your holiness, purity and righteousness.
"Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:
‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not cry.’
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Luke 7:31-35
Jesus came to show the world what was necessary. John the Baptist to sacrifice his all to preach repentance of sin. The world shunned him and said he had a demon... was not real... his words demented and full of worthless talk.
Do unbelievers do this with God's prophets today? With those who are living sacrificially and set apart from the lies of the world. Those who live circumspectfully as Christ has called them to live-- holy, set apart, concerned with things of Christ and not things of this world. Yes, we tell them to hush. To be still and not rock the boats of political correctness. We do not want to hear truth-- they are too offensive. We put them in boxes and tell them to shut up-- quiet down.
THEN Jesus came and showed by example how to live among the world, to show the world that we can live in the world among temptations without succumbing to those temptations. But when He did, He was ridiculed and rebuked and condemned for reaching out to those gluttons, drunkards and sinners. They played the pipes their way. They looked at life their way. They chose to ignore the warnings of John the Baptist, the message of Christ, the acceptance of God. Then they simply ignored that which could give them life. Real life. Happiness. True happiness. Hope. Real hope. They crucified Him, instead.
Our generation stands on the precipice of life. Our country is teetering on the edge of destruction. Our churches are playing pipes and singing dirges. People are not dancing to our happy tune-- our choruses of joy and peace and grace.
Why not? perhaps it is our countenance at fault. Do our actions, attitudes and word belie the emptiness of our own hearts, the selfishness of our spirits, the lack of joy in our Lord? the hypocrisy of our attitudes of lust, discouragement, and whining?
Why aren't people crying when we sing our somber song expressing sadness and sorrow for the lostness of this world? do we sing without tears? without true brokenness of spirit? Is it because we are more concerned with what we feel about the sin and evil in this world, than we are the sin within our own hearts? Does the world see the hypocrisy of our faith walk? where we are willing to compromise with the world and give in to culture pressures in order to gain materially? where we allow society to dictate our walk with God? can they see our unconcern-- that we are dancing with the devil, rather than mourning the lost in sin?
"Wisdom is proved right by all her children." Where are the children of Wisdom, Lord? Lord, bring a revival. Let it begin in me.
