From whence comes our help?

 Evil stalks the land. Ungodly rulers govern nations. Injustice prevails. Violence is felt all around us. Wars and rumors of wars make the national news. Hatred and greed fill the hearts of men and women. Every form of immorality is promoted as normal and praised. Evil is called good and good is called evil. Churches are burned to the ground, Christians are slaughtered and persecuted, and their cries are ignored. The teachings of Scripture are mocked and ignored. Churches abandon the clear teaching of the Scriptures and proclaim the messages desired by those with itching ears. Is there any hope for mankind, and if so where does this hope to be found?

Ps. 121:1 tells us, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth." Our hope comes from God. The message of hope the world desperately needs can only come from the church as we proclaim the clear message of salvation that is found in the Word of God. The answers to the world's problems will not come from the White House, the State House or the Courthouse; those answers can only come from God's house.

When Jesus spoke to His disciples about the end of times in Matthew 24 He made it clear that in the midst of the chaos of those times the gospel of the kingdom was to be preached. This is what we are called to do. Without apology or fear, we who are called to preach the gospel must do so boldly and without compromise. This is the time the church must rise up and be the church God called it to be offering hope, forgiveness and salvation to a lost and dying world.

We have allowed our culture to silence the prophetic voice of the church, and we see the ruin of that all around us. As the voice of the church has been silenced we have seen the pain of people increased. Like sheep without a shepherd, they wander aimlessly looking for answers to life's problems, and finding none they draw back within themselves, self-medicating their pain with whatever brings them momentary pleasure.

We cannot afford to be silent any longer. People for whom Jesus Christ gave His life are hurting. They are burdened down with life, and they need the hope that only the gospel can provide. We need to proclaim that hope, not only within our buildings but in every area of society. The marketplace needs to hear it as well as the Sunday school classroom. The halls of government need to hear it as well as those sitting in our sanctuaries. The school board meetings need to hear it as much as those in our small groups.

Not only do we need to proclaim the truths found in God's Word, we need to be in prayer for the future of our nation and the world around us. 2 Chronicles 7: 14 is still in our Bibles. It has been said that the army of God marches best when it is on its knees. We need to pray for revival, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon this nation that will convict men and women of their sins and lead to repentance. We need that same revival in our churches.

I want to challenge the readers of this post to pray and ask God how He would have your respond the to the events we see unfolding all around us. Seek His guidance and courageously begin to live into that direction.