Are We There Yet?

When I was a child I remember my mom talking to me about the future. I remember her saying that America would not be considered a super power, that our economy would weaken more and more and that our status as a Christian nation would diminish. She said that in the end…there may not even be a United States. At that time I couldn’t fathom it and I couldn’t conceive of it happening in my lifetime. The thought that America would not be who she is. She also explained that in order for that to happen we would have to leave behind our values as a nation. We could not be built on Biblical principles and fail…we would have to idolize ourselves and our leader and turn our backs on God.

It was a fantastic portrayal of an America far, far away from my idyllic life. In my little town and in my little school, people still had Bibles in classrooms, the Gideons were still allowed to hand New Testaments to elementary students. I prayed with my classmates before athletic events, people didn’t always go to church but they respected God and never mocked the dedication of those who were committed. The idea of homosexuality was perverse and greatly detested by everyone I knew. Abortion was legal but only spoken of in hushed terms and virginity was still a prize worth keeping.

No matter how much America has changed since then…it wasn’t until this election that the far away America my mother spoke of came within view for me. Today as I began doing my daily tasks and responsibilities my mind wandered a bit and I found myself asking…”Are we there yet?” Will this election be the turning point for the last of America’s values to be left behind? I don’t know.

Here’s what I do know. I know that last night in church a woman spoke a Word so simple and so poignant to our little crowd. Through her, God reminded us that these are the last days and that we must be Saved. As she spoke, a peace came over me. I knew in that moment that no matter what happens, no matter how “bad” it gets, I am still a child of a living God. His plan will not change for me. His purposes for my children will not dissolve away. The word nesting came to me. That I am in a place where I am supposed to stay. That this is no longer a time for me to change, but a time for me to build and strengthen the surroundings I am in. How can we wait to do all we can to serve the Kingdom? How can we hold back until circumstances are more suitable? I am not convinced that the Lord will return in the vapor I call my lifetime, but I am convinced that what I do in my lifetime will affect the souls who hear the trumpet sound and see the eastern sky divide from the vantage of this world.

I Know That My Redeemer Liveth
by Jessie B. Pounds

I know that my Redeemer liveth,
And on the earth again shall stand;
I know eternal life He giveth,
That grace and power are in His hand.

I know, I know, that Jesus liveth,
And on the earth again shall stand;
I know, I know, that life He giveth,
That grace and power are in His hand.

I know His promise never faileth,
The Word He speaks, it cannot die;
Though cruel death my flesh assaileth,
Yet I shall see Him by and by.

I know my mansion He prepareth,
That where He is there I may be;
O wondrous thought, for me He careth,
And He at last will come for me.

The hymns I grew up on still hold a strong cord around my heart. They sing the Scriptures to me and their melodies and message are so deeply entrenched in my mind I find them springing up, surprising me with how sweetly they apply to every circumstance I encounter.

So often when the questions begin to rise about future events…these words have risen in me. It doesn’t matter what gives way beneath, what power is displayed, what fear is broadcast or what deception works…I know, I know that real grace and true power are in HIS hands.