Columns

From the time God called me to preach, I have carried a burden for others, but never have I felt such deep concern for the well being of our nation. God has kept me in prayer for the church, for America and for the world Jesus died to redeem. Please hear this loud and clear: NOW is the time for the church and our nation to get right with God or be buried beneath the consequences of denying God and mocking His truth.

“Thy will be done.” Jesus not only prayed it, but He told His disciples and all of us to repeat it because it is a model of an appropriate approach to the Father. It is also intended to be more important than verses merely recited in public gatherings and church houses. God expects the prayer to be answered.

I still believe America can be a shining beacon of hope. The invitation Jesus offered to Jerusalem, He extends to us today as a nation in crisis. "Oh, America, how I long for you to come to Me like chicks to the hen." He invites us to come to the shelter, to the shadow of the Almighty. As believers, we must extend a clear call to return to the security and direction that God freely offers.

We sure love our pets, from dogs and cats to parakeets, tropical fish and hamsters. As parents of three children and grandparents of eleven, I understand the attraction. As empty nesters our little black dachshund Princess has filled our hearts and home with indescribable joy, frequent smiles and too often frustration from you-know-what and totally unnecessary barking. She would be the ultimate church greeter. She loves everyone!

My future is secure in Christ, but I am deeply concerned for the future of our nation as well as other countries with similar challenges. We are facing potentially catastrophic consequences from a consistent disregard of biblical principles both morally and economically. There is, however, hope and it is found in Christ who freely offers wise counsel and divine direction.

Already, many candidates and major media are moving into full swing for next year’s elections. We must first understand what must be done before we can identify who can best help do it. Perhaps as important as any time since our founding, those who believe in divine providence and eternal principles must become well-informed and actively involved in the political process.

It was surely God’s grace and the wisdom that can only come from above leading me to fall so deeply in love with a teenage girl who would become my wife. Betty and I have been in love for over 50 years and married 48. What a joy and inspiration she is! I thank God she was set free from the belief that she had to perform in order to please. From childhood, she felt everyone was watching her every move and she must not disappoint.

Our prayers are with all of the families along the Mississippi River and in the states that have been devastated by the tornadoes and floods this spring.

All of us need direction and wise counsel. God offers it. Wisdom not only comes from the Word, but from above. The God who wrote the Word communicated it and controlled those who recorded it. The Bible itself is a supernatural, God-breathed gift and can be trusted not to our imagination or necessarily everyone else’s potentially misguided interpretation, but God’s written Word is absolutely reliable. The God who inspired it desires to communicate with each one of us in a very personal way.

America and the free world will always be safer when evildoers and evil deeds are properly handled. People of faith should pray for justice to be done and thank God when lawbreakers and murderers are stopped. I am indeed grateful Osama bin Laden was taken out through the united efforts of the intelligence agencies, President Obama and his Security Council, and especially through the training, commitment, skill and personal sacrifice on the part of our Special Forces.