Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
“…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 will heal their land.”
II Chronicles 7: 14 (NIV)
The news reports stun us. El Paso, Dayton, Parkland, and more. And in those moments where we should be seeking to provide comfort, too many politicians, pundits and other people seek after personal and professional gain.
The more thoughtful and caring among us seek after answers. The suggestions are many.
Some say video manufacturers making violent video games. Others that gun control laws need to be changed. Hollywood and the movie industry needs to stop glorifying violence, suicide and moral degradation.
Some wonder about parents who let so much into the minds and hearts of their children through age and value inappropriate books, magazines, clothing, movies and television shows, phones, iPads, computers, and associations with others who are not good examples, because they don’t want their children—or themselves—to feel left out.
We justify our own and our children’s unsupervised march to the abyss and quicksand of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms, just to connect with people, and reconnect with long-lost friends—with exposure to many we and they do not know, lurking and looking on.
We argue that mental health must be addressed even more, by a society which still views it as a stigma, rather than an illness to be embraced with sincere care and attention. We wonder about publishers for poor taste as to what they send to bookstores and other outlets, or internet distributors for filth they launch, and legislators, government leaders and media for their continuing bad examples.
We’re right to look at all of that, and more, for obvious reasons.
And what about us? What example do we set for each other, and those looking to us for an example of the values by which we should live our lives, the behavior we should exhibit, and what we should allow into our own lives—to influence us and others?
How can we be surprised when these things happen, over and over and over?
But here’s something to consider which underlies all of those things mentioned which may be contributing to the violence and lack of regard for the sacredness of life and all people.
A couple of weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks on our country marking the beginning of a new and different type of war, the Reverend Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, was being interviewed by Bryant Gumbel.
Bryant asked her—“Why didn’t God stop this or do something about this?”
Anne responded with these sobering words—
“For years we have told God we didn’t want Him in our schools. We didn’t want Him in our government and we didn’t want Him in our finances. God was being a perfect gentleman in doing just what we asked Him to do. We need to make up our mind—do we want God or do we not want Him? We cannot just ask Him in when disaster strikes.”
Bryant Gumbel sat silent.
My friends, we put God in a corner in our lives, our families, nation and world, telling Him to be quiet—and then we are surprised when things like that happen.
Maybe we need to address all of those things mentioned above—but maybe we should also address the state of our hearts. And the state of our relationship with the God of all creation.
Maybe we should ask God back, and pay heed to these words when we do—
“…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 will heal their land.”
Are we ready? Then, God—Come back! Please!
In His Name–Scott
