In America, We Need You Now

At the beginning of September, I went to the LifeLight music festival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. On Saturday night, the band Leeland was playing and during their set, the sang the song “Agnus Dei.” Toward the end of the song, Leeland Mooring, the lead singer, started singing these lyrics to the same tune:

Lord, we need you.
Lord, we need you.
Lord, in America, we need you right now.
Lord, we need you.

Right now, right now.
In America, we need you know.
Lord we need you now.
Lord, we need you now.
Right now, right now.

In America, we need you now.
Our schools need you now.
Our teachers need you now.
Our families need you now.
Our children need you now.

In America, we need you now.

As I listened and began to sing along, I started to get goosebumps. My heart was resonated with the extemporaneous lyrics. My soul was crying out to God for my country as I was thinking about how opposed we are, as a whole, to Jesus Christ. Truly, truly, America needs Jesus now. There are no revivals going on in America. We are dead spiritually. Don’t get me wrong–this is a great country. We are free. We have liberty. We can go to church and pray in our homes. Still, there are so many things that go on in this country that make me cringe, cry, and sing, “In America, Lord we need you right now.”

• We kill over one million babies per year.
• We allow gay marriages or unions in seven states.
• We teach middle school students how to have sex and to use condoms.
• We deny health care to the poor, helpless, and homeless.
• We have school teachers who buy and sell and use methamphetamines.
• We do not allow prayer in public schools and then wonder why our students have problems.
• We have a 51% divorce rate.
• We have outlawed “One nation under God” during the pledge of allegiance in some schools.

Do I need to go on? There are so many things that come to mind when I think of what’s wrong with America. Thinking about the direction of this country makes me extremely sad. Looking at a list this small, I hope, would make us all ask the Lord for mercy and grace. He is being very patient with us. We are on a thin thread of grace from the hand of the Most High. Pray for our country. In America, have we never needed more of Jesus. In America, have we never been more deviant, selfish, proud, and wicked.

So many American Christians think we need to “go overseas” and share the gospel with the world. That is so glorious, beautiful, and important. Yet, we ignore the problems in our homes, our schools, our businesses, our own churches. We ignore those facts from above and continue to invest in foreign lands. We should do that–because God commands it and it is a worthy thing. But, we also need to pray for and help change America.

O, Jesus, we need you now. In America, we need you now.

Walking in the Cemetery

I like to take times with the Lord by walking through a cemetery. For me, I seem to meet God better there than anywhere else. The air is still, the sun is warm, the birds are lively, and the distant traffic is drowned out by the quiet whisper of the Lord.

Today, I found myself back at the cemetery on ‘O’ Street here in Lincoln. I was walking among the dead, more so, those whose souls have never been more alive than today. I love cemeteries because of the perspective that is laid deep in my mind and heart as I walk through the dew-filled grass and ponder what a life meant. Today, as I walked, I prayed aloud to the Lord. This was different, however. As I prayed, I sang. I sang my prayers to the tune of “Angus Dei.” I prayed for America. I prayed for lost people. I prayed for future believers. I prayed for my family. I prayed for myself. I praised God. I thanked him for who he was.

As I walked, a thought passed through my mind. What if you are faking it? What if you don’t mean what you are praying? What if you are a praying because it makes you feel good?

Now, for those who know me, I am not a man who believes in looking for signs and stuff like that. But what happened next was a sheer moment of Sovereign brilliance. I turned to my left to look at a grave with the name “Butler” on it. Below the names, the dates of birth and death, was a verse from Psalm 19:14. Without hesitation, I looked it up in the Bible I was carrying.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be accepted in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

After I read this verse, the Lord comforted me in my soul, reassuring me that my heart was in the right place and with my mouth, it was pleasing him. How precious are those words from David! O, Lord, let all I do be acceptable in your sight!

A normal part of my time with the Lord in a cemetery is singing the hymn, “Grace Greater Than Our Sin.” As I move in between the tombstones and sing this song as loud as I can, I cannot help but wonder how many of these people experienced grace greater than their sin. I cannot help but wonder what it is like to walk through life without knowing God’s grace. I cannot help but tremble, knowing that I, too, was once a dead man and now my eyes have been opened to the grace of God through faith. So, I leave you with the words of Julia H. Johnston. May they be as comforting to you this day as they were for me this morning.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
threaten the soul with infinite loss;
grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?

There is a River

“You give them drink from the river of your delights.”
- Psalm 36:8b

God’s river is raging. It is not a dead sea of stillness and dullness and boredom. God’s river flows hard and fast throughout my mind, heart, and soul. It is thrilling and exhilarating

God’s river is beautiful. It’s majestic and glorious. It’s crystal clear in the calm spots; I can see the smooth, round rocks at the bottom. Around the tight curves and sharp dips, however, the foams gather against the rocks and sizzle until it pierces my ears.

God’s river is splendid and stern. He called me out of the darkness to drink deep of its goodness. He is the fountain that sets it in motion. He is source from which the raging begins. Yet, his river requires much of me–perfection, and that I cannot keep. Still, his love atones for my sins.

God’s river is more dangerous and frightening than anything my mind can conjure. Some days, like today, I’m scared to death to jump into the river. I know that I’m in the raft with God. He has me buckled in, but following him, drinking from his river, and going all the way back to the fountain when I’m dry is very, very dangerous.

Traveling this dangerous river it’s the most delightful, satisfying, treasure-filled experience I can imagine. The duty of delighting in Jesus as my obsession is difficult. Today, I need to drink deep of his delightful river. I need to stand beneath the fountain and let his rushing, cleansing water flow over my soul and soak me in his grace. I need to rest in those calm, tender spots of mercy where I can see right to the bottom.

“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”
- Psalm 36:9