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From the Pastor’s
Pen…
This
spring, as every spring, a sense of hopeful anticipation is in
the air. Promise is all around us as the trees bud, the grass
begins to green, and flowers burst forth in a symphony of
fragrance and color. It is as if all of nature is determined to
remind us that the Lord’s mercies are renewed every morning, and
the “drearies” of winter will not have the last word.
I thank
God that He has weaved such reminders into the very fabric of
nature. Sometimes we need prompting to remain mindful that our
God is in the business of taking the cold, dark, and hopeless
and transforming it with His warmth, vitality, and light.
As I
look around me in this old world, I see much that is desperately
in need of the Lord’s transforming touch. The moral foundations
of society are crumbling at a much faster rate than most seem to
realize. The traditional family unit is an endangered species.
Racial tensions are rising almost as sharply as the price of
gasoline. Politics have virtually exterminated statesmanship.
And scandals…well, they stopped being really scandalous a decade
ago.
Is
there any hope? As sure as springtime! But solutions are not to
be found in economic incentives, social initiatives, nor
political invectives. The reason? Our woes can be traced all to
one simple source: the desperately depraved condition of the
human heart.
Whence,
then, is hope? Even a fool can see the depths of depravity that
lurk within man’s heart. Hope is in this: God is in the business
of changing men’s hearts. Had we to solve the nation’s problems
by human ingenuity and mutual cooperation, we might well
despair. But the solution lies not in some mystery to be solved,
some discovery to be made, some code to be cracked. Rather, the
solution is for the gospel to be proclaimed, and through it, for
hearts to be changed.
As sure
as springtime, revival and spiritual awakening are still
possible for this great land. Every great awakening in history
was preceded by a time of moral decay and spiritual darkness. A
winter, if you will, of the national soul. And then the Holy
Spirit of God stirred. Hearts were changed. And so were cities,
states, and nations as God brought forth a spiritual springtime
across the land.
Can God
do it again? Certainly. Will He? Well, that depends. It depends
on whether God’s people will humble themselves, and pray,
seek God’s face, and turn from their wicked ways, so that God
will hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and bring healing to our
land.
Pastor Mark |
