America Bless God

America Bless God

As I sat most of the day watching the horrifying pictures of our nation's symbols of freedom, capitalism and power fall hopelessly to the ground, I could barely believe my eyes. As they played images of jet planes hurdling into the World Trade Center buildings, the impact was absolutely astonishing. Then, as steel beams cracked like toothpicks and concrete cascaded like water, the horror truly began to sink in. On this horrible 11th day of September 2001, the loss of precious life was terrific - beyond what we could possibly understand or bare even to think.

I truly wish I had real, concrete answers to deliver to all those who looked on in disbelief, but I will try to leave that to the ones God chooses to reveal them to. However, I do know this one thing that I must share. We must seize this opportunity to rally together in the name of Jesus Christ, and no other name, to pray and pray and pray!!! This cannot be the kind of prayer we’re accustomed to. This cannot be a prayer like those we pray before a meal. This cannot be the kind of prayer we pray when we’re in a jam and decide to make a deal with God. This cannot even be the kind of high and mighty prayer we pray to open or close our church services. This is going to have to be prayer like we’ve never known it before. This is going to have to be an honest, desperate, and humble prayer that comes straight from the core of our souls touching the very heart of God Almighty!!

The scary part is I don't know if even the strongest of Christians (including me) are really prepared for this kind of intense intercession. Do we even know what is means to pray continuously? Do we know what it means to allow no food or drink to our bodies and no sleep to our eyes until we have reached Heaven? Do we know what it means to be so distraught that we tear our clothing and rip out the hair of our beards and heads in our seeking? Do we even know what it means to mourn and cry out to God like David did? Do we even come close to understanding?

Yes, we are quick to have our prayer meetings on the evening following this horrific attack, and I thank God for that, but will we allow this reflection of the human state to sink deep enough into our souls that we are willing to put anything, yes ANYTHING, aside to seek the Lord our God? Are we willing to interrupt our lives for more than just 24 hours, or even a week to see God’s Kingdom restored on earth? Can we truly permit God to invade our lives and destroy, if necessary, all that we hold dear? What is it worth? What is righteousness worth? What is true truth worth? What is the actual value of a human soul? What about an entire planet full of souls?

There is no doubt that we are in serious need of praying immediately and poignantly for the hundreds of injured as well as the thousands of families of those who are injured or who have lost loved ones at the hand of these ruthless terrorists. But, we MUST find it within ourselves, by the power of the Spirit of God, to BE and DO more. We must truly know that this attack was not on our great country, but on GOOD itself. We must understand that this tragedy flies in the face of our character and our morality and our godliness. It is an absolute attack on the very nature of God, the Father of Jesus Christ, and his chosen people. We must surrender our wills to God and permit Him to RENEW us from the inside out. We must!

In response to this sickening assault, we will have to find it within ourselves to DO exactly what the Bible says. We must start by giving love and comfort to the hurting and confused. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says: "All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles SO THAT we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we are able to give them the same comfort that God has given us." (NLT – emphasis added)

We must see this as a horrendous catastrophe that goes much deeper than a one-day siege. The very fabric of our human nature has become terribly damaged, certainly beyond man's ability to rectify it. Though similar to the Pearl Harbor attack, the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are far different. It was said by one of the network reporters that when people become willing to die for a cause, there is little we can do to protect ourselves against them.

I can't help but wonder what would happen if the people of God suddenly became the ones eager and willing to "die" (spiritually) for the great and wonderful cause of Jesus Christ – and yes, maybe even physically, just as several students did in the Columbine massacre and as thousands worldwide do every year – but even more to truly learn what it means to die to ourselves, to our selfish, "we’ll do it our way" attitudes and to our love affair with the wonders of this world.

I know a Christian married couple that has been married for over 20 years with 3 young children who are contemplating divorce. After speaking loving yet boldly with the husband, I chillingly found him to have the same attitude that many "Christians" and non-Christians have today. Even after being comforted and loved and then being presented with evidence that the ONLY hope for a good life for him, his wife and his children was to return to his family, he remained numbly cold. And when I asked him if he would be willing to read a Proverb a day with me for 30 days to help him get back on track in his relationship with Jesus, again he was like ice. He said he knew it was up to him to take the step toward restoration. He said he knew that God wouldn't force him to seek help. He said he knew that God could restore his marriage if he just asked Him for help. Yet, he resolved that he was potentially UNWILLING to make the effort required – to simply call out for help. He wasn't sure he wanted to return to his family, even if it was knowingly the best possible route. WOW!

But, hold a minute before we become dogmatic too quickly with our “WOW”! Isn't this actually how many of us live? Oh, it's a little subtler, but, in essence, we tell God everyday that we are UNWILLING to obey Him in full. We tell Him this in the face of all the evidence, in the face of the Word of God, and even right in the face of what our hearts tell us is "right". We just simply don't want to, and we are willing to avoid thinking about the obvious consequences in the process. Its not even that some outside, overwhelming power is coming hard against us, forcing us to comply with some ridiculous fate; we are literally lifting the blinders to our own eyes. We are tying the blindfold around our own head. We are putting our own hands over our own ears. We are choosing to not hear the truth. This, to me, is very profound. And why do we do this? … simply because we want to.

This all goes along with a bumper sticker I saw: CHOICE: what a wonderful freedom. If choice is freedom, than those who choose to murder, steel, lie, cheat and fornicate should be able to walk in that freedom as well – that is certainly their “choice”, and seemingly each man and woman should be able to chose what is right for them, correct? Unfortunately, when we have this worldview, it is impossible to find an accurate place to draw the line.

As I pray urgently for God's mercy on all of us, I leave with you with one last heartrending passage from Zephaniah 1:14-18. Someone emailed this to me earlier today, and it definitely brought a unique and intense perspective to all that happened.

14) That terrible day of the Lord is near. Swiftly it comes--a day when strong men will cry bitterly, 15) It is a day when the Lord's anger will be poured out. It is a day of terrible distress and aguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, of clouds, blackness, 16) trumpet calls and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and strongest battlements! 17) "Because you have sinned against the Lord, I will make you as helpless as a blind man searching for a path. Your blood will be poured out into the dust and your bodies will lie there rotting on the ground." 18) Your silver and gold will be of no use to you on that day of the Lord's anger. For the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy. He will make a terrifying end of all the people on earth.

I cannot say whether or not this is exactly what happened on September 11, 2001, but it sure has many apparent parallels concerning this tragedy. Before I read this verse, it seemed obvious who the bad guys were - but then I realized that even God used pagan nations many times to punish Israel. Could it be that it’s happening all over again? Oh, God, help and forgive us!!!!

With emotions on overload, I have observed with both sadness and great pride our nation running back to God, or at least to “spiritual” things. What a wonderful thing … I think!!!! So, is it real? Will it last? Amazingly, millions of people who have gone their whole lives without praying have prayed much and with great intensity in this nation in recent days. I pray that it is radically sustained and begins to root deep within us. I pray that six months after this massacre we still are over-sensitive about making movies that glorify terrorist attacks or selling music that contains extreme violent lyric content. I pray the things we are feeling now, like patriotism, and a desire for togetherness and family continue to remain strong. I pray that our renewed passion for church and for prayer doesn’t wane. I pray that we won’t outgrow our openness to humbling ourselves as a nation before God. I pray that we would not stop crying tears for the lives that were lost and the countless spiritual lives that are lost daily. I pray that we continue to cry out to God like never before.

One of the recurring cries lately has been “God Bless America”. We sing it. We chant it. We scream it, and we pray it. And we should. But, if it is possibly true that God has turned His back on us, even temporarily to test us, I would recommend humbly yet boldly that we begin inverting the order of this increasingly popular patriotic American phrase, and cry out bravely, “AMERICA, AMERICA, AMERICA . . . BLESS GOD!!!!!!” If we would truly turn our hearts back to God, back to His heart, by joining together to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and to turn from our wicked, selfish ways, then He will certainly turn back to healing, caring for and watching over His people. This must be our cry. This must be our heartbeat. This must be our song, and we must mean it like we’ve never meant it: AMERICA BLESS GOD!!