God Be With Us!
There is no doubt that for America school is in session. No, not in the physical buildings, but we as a people are in school none the less. Every day some horrific circumstance is occurring. What does it mean? When we are in school we are taught to solve equations by following certain formulas. Oh, that a formula would be revealed that could solve the problems in this nation. Another senseless killing of a man showing the depths to which one human being could torture another human being. It is so hard to wrap our minds around, even though if we look at history this same kind of evil has existed in nearly every generation past.The general shock and outrage in our country, indicate that we keep getting surprised at this, thinking somehow that our generation has grown beyond this kind of hatred. When we find out that it hasn’t, we’re still too dumbfounded to know what to do. Looting and vandalism are only outward cries of heart saying "what is it going to take for you to hear me, to see me, to understand the pain that these kinds of situations have brought about"/
As I have listened to Christian leaders, who I would hope would have an answer – the same sort of frustration exists – until somebody remembers that if we say who we we say we are; and if we believe what we say we believe; and if who we believe in, is who He says He is; then the complexity of the problem is reduced down to a heartfelt cry, "Lord send revival". For though laws may arrest a semblance of the violence, nothing can eradicate it from a life except that heart receive a transformation. Except the cold, stony heart of a person filled with hatred and malice toward other peoples is broken through repentance into a heart of pliable clay, ready to molded by the Master into a new creation.
There are cries throughout scripture to tend to the oppressed. There was One who did it however:
"You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached a total life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him. Acts 10:38 (MSG)
The only One who was able to take the violent cruelty of a Saul of Tarsus and reduce him into a humble and compassionate man, was Jesus. Jesus, "who went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the devil". After all, even the worst of sinners, perhaps you could say especially the worst of sinners are held captive by the devil. He controls them in a way that though they torture others, they are more tortured than we can imagine. There is one more line to the above verse that is significant – "He was able to do all this because God was with him". Our hearts must cry out, "God be with me"! Like the blind man by the side of the road asking Jesus for his sight, we can’t stop praying, we can’t stop travailing, we can’t give up until God anoints us, until He’s with us, and until it shows as we go about doing good.
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ must return to believing that there is no one outside of the grace of God. We also must believe that what we see in our culture, can be eradicated, and like the Egyptians at the Red Sea declare, "what we see today, we will see no more forever"! The enemy of all of our souls is not more powerful than our God. Our cry just be, God be with us, help us to go about doing good, and healing all that are oppressed by the devil!
Maria